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Associate Professor Aminossadati completed BEng in 1989, MEng in 1994 and PhD in 1999 in the field of Mechanical Engineering. He is a highly accomplished academic with a wealth of experience in Mechanical and Mining engineering research and academia. He has made significant contributions to advancing collaborative research in this field and has gained national and international recognition for his research on flows in porous underground media thermofluids, flow simulations in pipes, pumps, turbines and compressors, fibre-optic sensing systems and underground mine ventilation systems. He has secured 16 research grants totalling $2,650,000, published 180 journal and conference papers, resulting in 2850 citations and an H-Index of 35. Additionally, he has produced 3 industry reports, served as academic advisor for 18 RHD students who have graduated and 8 current RHD students, and is a reviewer for 30 international journals. He has also been invited as a keynote speaker at the Mine Vent Conference in Brisbane in 2009 and the Fibre Optic Conference in China in 2015.

Xumeng Chen is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. He obtained his PhD in JKMRC in 2015. His PhD studies focused on investigating effects of different regrinding conditions on cleaner flotation, including grinding media, particle breakage mechanism, ore mineralogy and content of sulphide gangues. Strategies were developed to optimise regrinding conditions, which have been successfully applied in the participating plant and improved Cu/Au flotation after regrinding pyrite concentrates. This project provided important guidance for the industry when commissioning and operating a regrind-cleaner flotation circuit. Since 2015, he has been working as a Research Fellow and has developed several technologies for the mineral and coal industry, including the management of clay minerals in flotation by applying novel reagents, the tuning of flotation reagents for oxidized coal flotation through online monitoring of surface oxidation, and improving flotation product dewatering through deaeration of tenacious forth. In 2017, he was awarded Advance Queensland Research Fellow by Queensland State Government to develop and implement new chemistries in flotation. He has also lead plant surveys and optimisations in more than 20 plants in base metal, precious metal and coal mines across Australia and South America. His current research focuses on ultrafine grinding and flotation, optimisation of plant pulp chemistry, flotation of low grade and oxidized ores, novel flotation reagents, online chemistry monitoring systems, and froth management.

Jeff Chen is a pyrometallurgist with strong expertise in high-temperature phase equilibria and gas/solid reaction kinetics. He has over 15 years of research experience in extractive metallurgy, focusing on metals such as Cu, Pb, Ni, PGM, and Fe, through ongoing research collaborations with major mining and metal producers worldwide. Jeff has successfully secured over 10 million dollars in research funds from the Australian government and industry, primarily through funding schemes like ARC linkage and Trailblazer. His contributions to the field include the publication of over 60 papers in leading journals and major conferences in metallurgy, and he was awarded the Best Paper Award from TMS in 2021.

In addition, Jeff is a recognised expert in various quantitative microanalysis techniques, including electron microprobe (WDS) and laser ablation ICP-MS. His specialization lies in the application of quantitative microanalysis in the field of extractive metallurgy. He played a pioneering role in implementing LA-ICP-MS for trace element analysis in metallurgical materials and has consistently contributed to the development of new standard reference materials for sulfides and alloys. From 2018 to 2021, he served as the state representative for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in the Australian Microbeam Analysis Society.

Furthermore, Jeff has been actively involved in university teaching, covering subjects such as chemical thermodynamics, pyrometallurgy, and metal production and recycling

David Cliff was Professor of Occupational Health and Safety in Mining and Director of MISHC from 2011 to 2016. In January 2017 he was appointed Professor of Risk and Knowledge Transfer, reverting to Professor of Occupational Health and Safety in Mining in 2018. His primary role is providing education, applied research and consulting in health and safety in the mining and minerals processing industry. He has been at MISHC over fifteen years.

Previously David was the Safety and Health Adviser to the Queensland Mining Council, and prior to that Manager of Mining Research at the Safety In Mines Testing and Research Station. In these capacities he has provided expert assistance in the areas of health and safety to the mining industry for over twenty three years. He has particular expertise in emergency preparedness, gas analysis, spontaneous combustion, fires and explosions, including providing expert testimony to the Moura No.2 Warden’s inquiry, the Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry and the Pike River Royal Commission. In recent times he has also devoted a lot of energy to fitness for duty issues particularly fatigue management. He has been a member of the organising committee for the level one emergency exercises in Queensland underground coal mines since their inception in 1998. He has also attended or provided assistance in over 30 incidents at mines. He has developed expertise in the development of Trigger Action Response Plans.

David has also extensive experience in providing training and education in OHS in mining to in many countries.

He has published widely in the area of occupational health and safety in mining including not just the physical hazards but also on the processes for the effective management of these issues. Examples of this include reviews of the annual safety performance report for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines and assistance to the Mine Safety Advisory Council of NSW in developing Health Management Plans (HMP) and key performance indicators for HMP.

In recent years he has collaborated closely with Nikky LaBranche researching respirable dust particularly coal dust and silica.

Dr Mansour Edraki is a geo-environmental scientist specialising in the field of inorganic geochemistry. He joined UQ in 2000 following completion of his PhD at University of New England. Prior to that, and before immigrating to Australia, he was a lecturer in earth sciences. Since joining UQ, Dr Edraki has focused on developing innovative techniques for understanding and predicting geochemical processes which underpin sustainable management of mine waste and mine water, particularly acid and metalliferous drainage. Mansour’s research has direct applications for the resources and energy industries and the impact of his work is evident in a continuous flow of industry-funded projects in the last decade. Dr Edraki has initiated research collaborations in many international locations including Indonesia (South Kalimantan and Freeport), Iran (Mehdiabad Zinc) Papua New Guinea (Ok Tedi), Philippines (USEP and Mindanao Development Authority), Korea (MIRECO and KIGAM), Peru (INGEMET), and Chile (Fundación Chile, Universidad de Concepción). Dr Edraki represents SMI-UQ at International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP), which is a global alliance for managing the issue of acid and metalliferous drainage. He leads SMI's Environmental Geochemistry Group.

Gordon holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, which focused on the application of machine vision, image processing and machine learning algorithms for modelling grade in froth flotation systems.

Gordon spent ten years working for the Victorian Government developing technical computing and modelling solutions. These included the development of the Environmental Systems Modelling Platform, a tool that aims to bring multiple environmental models and datasets into a single easy to use software package, and the development of the Native Vegetation Regulations Tool, to calculate the interactions between proposed clearings and models of rare and threatened species, and thereby determine the required offset credits. More recently, Gordon worked as a data scientist at the Victorian Centre for Data Insights, where he worked with a team focused on delivering innovative data driven solutions across the government sector.

Gordon now applies his data analytics, modelling and technical computing skills at the JKMRC where he works with the Advanced Process Prediction and Control group developing tools for improved time series analysis and visualisation of industrial data and comminution process models.

Maureen Hassall is Professor and Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute's Industrial Safety and Health Centre at the University of Queensland. Her expertises crosses the fields of industrial risk management, safety engineering and human factors. Maureen works collaboratively with industry professionals to develop better human-centred risk management and safety engineering approaches that improve companies’ operational performance and competitiveness. Maureen also develops and delivers process safety, systems safety engineering, risk management and human factors training, education and expert advice to students and to industry. Her industry-focused research is motivated by 18 years of industry experience working in a number of different countries and in a variety of roles including specialist engineering, line management, organisational change and business performance improvement roles.

Biography:

Prof Hayes is Emeritus Professor of Metallurgical Engineering within the School of Chemical Engineering. He is curently a senior researcher in the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH). He received his PhD in Metallurgy from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1974. He has a BSc (1970) and MSc (1972) in Metallurgy from the University of Newcastle on Tyne, England.

Research:

Prof Hayes was founding Director of the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH). Prof Hayes' research is focused on the high temperature processing of minerals and materials, with particular application to the pyrometallurgical production and refining of metals. His interests include chemical equilibria, reaction kinetics and mechanisms.

His current research projects encompass:

• High temperature phase equilibrium measurements and determination of liquidus isotherms in complex industrial slag systems relevant to the smelting of copper, ferro-chromium, ferro-manganese, iron, ferro-nickel, lead and zinc production and metal recycling.
• The development of thermodynamic databases, and their use in conjunction with FactSage, to predict phase equilibria and thermodynamic properties in oxide systems.
• Reaction kinetics and mechanisms in metal and materials processing, smelting and refining; in particular, gas/solid reactions.

Prof Hayes has over 450 research publications.

Teaching and Learning:

Prof Hayes’ teaching interests include pyrometallurgy, chemical thermodynamics, and physical and chemical processing of minerals.

He is author of the undergraduate textbook “Process Selection in Minerals and Materials Production” by P.C. Hayes, Hayes Publishing Co, Sherwood, Brisbane, the 4th ed. is currently available and downloadable from the web as a e-book. Prof Hayes introduced the dual major BE Chemical and Metallurgical to the UQ curriculum and has been activity involved in program and curriculum development in the field of metallurgical engineering over a several decades.

Projects:

1. Reaction mechanisms and kinetics of high temperature gas/solid/liquid reaction kinetics relevant to metals production.
2. Fundamental experimental studies of phase equilibria in metal smelting, refining and metals recycling processes.

Dr Evgueni Jak is Professor in Pyrometallurgy (see UQ U/G Metallurgy program https://my.uq.edu.au/programs-courses/requirements/plan/METAEC2455/2021) at the School of Chemical Engineering. He is co-founder and currently Director of the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH-see link https://pyrosearch.chemeng.uq.edu.au/). The Centre currently has major research programs on copper and lead thermochemistry supported by major metallurgical companies including Aurubis, Atlantic Copper, Anglo-Americal Pt, BHP (Olympic Dam), Boliden, Glencore (Kazzinc, PASAR, GT), Outotec, Penoles, RHI-Magnesita, Rio Tinto (Kennecott Smelter) as well as a number of other direct R&D support projects.

He graduated with Master of Engineering (metallurgy) from St Petersburg Polytechnique University, Russia in 1984, then worked in industry for a large-scale steel casting company progressing from shift engineer to an executive management position. In 1995 he completed a PhD in Pyrometallurgy at The University of Queensland, then worked at the Centre for Research in Computational Thermodynamics (CRCT), Ecole Polytechnic de Montreal, Canada – developers of the computer thermodynamic package FactSage. Dr Jak returned in 1996 to take up research and subsequently academic positions at The University of Queensland.

He is an author of over 400 scientific papers.

He is recipient of

• Prestigious 2002 UQ Foundation Excellence Award,
• Best paper award from Metallurgical Transactions (2004),
• Gold Billiton best paper award from Transactions of IMM C, UK (2008),
• Best paper award from Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly (2009),
• Best paper award from Metallurgical Transactions (2010)
• Editor’s choice award from Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion (2017)
• Best paper award from Metallurgical Transactions (2018)
• TMS Extraction and Processing Science Award (2018)
• Gold Billiton best paper award from Transactions of IMM C, UK (2019).
• Editor’s choice award from Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion for 2019
• TMS Extraction and Processing Science Award (2020)
• Editor’s choice award from Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion for 2020

He has a number of invited, key-note and plenary lectures at leading international conferences. Organiser of major international conferences.

Research interests include

• Pyrometallurgy and high temperature processing,
• Experimental phase equilibria (including development of an original method to measure high-temperature phase equilibria),
• Thermodynamic modelling of slag and other high temperature systems (including co-development of the current key FactSage public oxide thermodynamic database for the Al2O3-CaO-FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2-PbO-ZnO) system,
• Experimental and modelling of viscosities of slags (including development of the original experimental methodology and development of multicomponent slag viscosity models),
• Freeze linings and slag-refractory interactions,
• Modelling of industrial pyrometallurgical processes.

He has been Chief Investigator in a number of successful ARC grants including ARC SPIRT (1998-2000), ARC Large (1999-2001), ARC Large (2000-02), ARC Small (2000), ARC Linkage (2002-06)-the largest in this category in 2002 and the 1st 5-year ARC Linkage ever awarded, ARC Linkage (2005-07), ARC Discovery (2004-06), ARC Linkage (2007-11), ARC Discovery (2008-2010), 2 x ARC Discovery grants (2011-2013), ARC Linkage (2014-2016), ARC Linkage (2015-2018), ARC Linkage (2016-2019), ARC Linkage (2017-2020), ARC Linkage (2018-2023), ARC Linkage (2020-25), ARC LIEF 2022, Trailblazer 2023-2026

In addition to fundamental research Dr Jak has received, and continues to receive, research funding from a wide range of major Australian and international industrial companies including, Anglo American Pt (South Africa); Altonorte, Glencore (Chile); Atlantic Copper, Freeport (Spain); Aurubis (Germany, Bulgaria); Australian Coal Association Research Program (Australia); Baosteel (China); BHP Billiton Fe Ore (Australia); Boliden (Sweden); Britannia Zinc (UK); Coal in Sustainable Development (CCSD-CRC) (Australia); Codelco (Chile); CMSA (Colombia); CYMG (China); Glencore (Switzerland); Glencore Technology (Australia); Glencore Mt Isa Mines (Australia); Glencore Nordenham (Germany); Gohper (USA) Hachinohe (Japan); Kansanshi First Quantum (Zambia); Kazzinc Gelncore (Kazakhstan); Koniambo Nickel, Glencore (New Caledonia); Metaleurop Noyelles Godault (France); Metallo (Belgium); Metso Outotec (Finland and Australia); MHD (Germany); MRI (Malaysia); Nippon JLX (Saganoseki, Japan); Ni-West, BHP Billiton (Australia); Nyrstar (Australia, Belgium); Olympic Dam, BHP Billiton (Australia); Pan Pacific (Tamano, Japan); PASAR Glencore (Philippines); Penoles (Mexica); Portovesme (Italy); Queensland Nickel (Australia); RHI-Magnesita, (Austria); Sadbury Ni smelter, Glencore (Canada); SWERIM-LKAB-SSB (Sweden) Samancor Manganese (South Africa); Samancor Chromium (South Africa); Sumitomo (Japan); RioTinto Fe Ore (Australia); RioTinto (Kennecott, USA); Teck Cominco (Canada); TEMCO BHP Billiton (Australia); Umicore (Belgium).

Ray is currently Professor of Well Engineering & Production Technology in the School of Chemical Engineering and Energi Simulation Co-chair in the Centre for Natural Gas. There he is researching projects related to low permeability, unconventional reservoirs (i.e., tight gas, coal seam gas, shale gas reservoir). In addition, he is an instructor and course coordinator in several courses in the ME Petroleum Engineering program at the University of Queensland.

Outside of teaching and research, Prof Johnson is the Principal at Unconventional Reservoir Solutions, a provider of reservoir engineering, stimulation consulting, and training services to the petroleum and mining industry, focusing on unconventional resources such as gas or oil from coal, shale, or naturally fractured reservoirs.

From 2014 to 2020 Ray was an Adjunct Associate Professor at the ASP, University of Adelaide.

Dr Aditya Khanna is a Lecturer (Applied Mechanics) at The University of Queensland (commenced 2023). Prior to joining UQ, Aditya worked as an engineering consultant (dynamics and vibration) at Vipac Engineers & Scientists Ltd and held an adjunct lecturer appointment at The University of Adelaide. Aditya's research and industry consulting background is in the areas of: stress analysis, fatigue and fracture assessment, structural dynamics, vibration control, and non-destructive testing,

Associate Professor Mehmet Kizil is currently the mining engineering program leader in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland. Mehmet received his bachelor of mining engineering from Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey in 1986. He then went to England to complete his PhD with the University of Nottingham. In 1993, he returned to Turkey where he worked as assistant professor at the University of Dokuz Eylul. Mehmet joined UQ in 1996 and since then has contributed to the education of more than 800 mining engineering graduates.

A national award-winning lecturer, Mehmet’s teaching and learning innovations have been recognised by both students and colleagues achieving numerous School, Faculty, University and National teaching awards. In 2018, Mehmet has become a Higher Education Academy Senior Fellow. He has past experience as an Engineering Researcher and Academic in universities around the world, including the United Kingdom, Turkey and Australia.

Mehmet’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of:

• Mine planning and design

• Mining systems - production analysis and improvement

• Computer applications and virtual reality in mining

• Mine ventilation

Dr Alexander Klimenko’s research interests are in: Multiscale phenomena, Reacting flows, Turbulence, Energy and Coal, Technology and its Cycles, Complex Competitive Systems, Analytical and Computational Methods.

Dr Klimenko lectures in Mechanical Engineering within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering.

He received his PhD from Moscow University in 1991 and his DEng from the University of Queensland in 2007.

Dr Klimenko has made an outstanding contribution to theory and computation of reacting flows: the conditional equations introduced by him proved to be a most efficient toll in simulation or multiscale phenomena of different nature. His models and approaches (CMC,MMC,IDFE, PCMC theory of RCLand others) have resulted in dramatic improvements in efficiency of simulations and are used and recognized worldwide.

Prof Peter Knights’ research interests are in: engineering asset management, mine maintenace and systems engineering applied to mine safety and mine planning.

Professor Knights is Discipline Lead for Mining within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering..

From 2006-2015 he held the BMA Chair in Mining Enginereing with the University of Queensland. From 1996 to 2004 he was employed as an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Engineering of the Catholic University of Chile, based in Santiago, Chile. He was subsequently named as Associate Professor and Canadian Chair in Mining. Peter holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering for the University of Melbourne, Australia, a Masters degree in Systems Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from McGill University, Canada.

His recent work has focussed on incorporating ESG concerns into early stage mine planning and electrification systems for decarbonising mine haulage. He has a number of publications in prestigious international journals such as the Journal for Quality in Maintenance Engineering and the Journal of Reliability Engineering and System Safety.

Capability areas

• Asset management and mine maintenance
• Incorporating ESG into eary styage mine design
• Systems safety.

Richard Lee is a research officer in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.

He obtained his PhD from the UQ School of Chemical Engineering. His PhD study focussed on grinding and flotation chemistry of copper flotation. Richard’s PhD thesis:

• Identified the fundamental chemistry issue of copper flotation containing high-concentration pyrite, which is a big problem faced by global flotation concentrators
• Proposed a pyrite-selective oxidation method using inorganic radicals to improve the depression of high-concentration pyrite in copper flotation

Currently, Richard is working as a research associate in two Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects:

• The first project, sponsored by ARC, Newmont and BHP, is focussing on understanding and mitigating the negative effect of process water to improve gold processing during flotation and leaching
• The second project, sponsored by ARC and Vega Industries, is focussing on improving the processing of low-grade copper ores via grinding and flotation chemistry

Richard’s research specialises in base metal grinding and flotation chemistry, surface chemistry, electrochemistry, radical chemistry (Advanced oxidation processes, AOPs) and leaching. He is currently working to apply inorganic radicals in metallurgical processes to improve the extraction and separation of several base and precious metals.

My research focuses on mineral processing technologies, namely, grinding and flotation processes, with especial interest in understanding the complex interplay between ore mineralogy, mineral surface properties and process behaviour. I specialise in the application of advanced mineral surface characterisation techniques such as Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) in mineral processing studies (e.g., grinding, flotation) to identify the key chemistry drivers of process behaviour. This knowledge is vital to understand the underlying mechanisms and devise solutions to improve process efficiency. I look to further develop advanced tools by integrating critical techniques such as ToF-SIMS, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-ray Tomography, Mineral Liberation Analysis and X-ray Fluorescence towards more comprehensive and faster mineral characterisation.

I am also interested in developing novel, highly selective reagents for mineral flotation to enable the processing of ores more efficiently, safely and environmentally friendly compared to the traditional reagents. Of particular interest is the use of biochemistries to develop more sustainable reagent technologies.

My research covers both the fundamental aspects underlying mineral processes (e.g., particle-bubble interactions) as well as applications in the minerals industry through close collaborations with the industry. I am Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals (https://coeminerals.org.au/) aiming to achieve a step-change in mineral processing by increasing energy and water efficiency and reducing metal loss during processing. I am also part of the research team of the newly formed Collaborative in Coarse Particle Processing Research, a consortium of 9 industry partners, investigating the implementation of coarse particle technology in the industry.