Speakers 2025
Strengthening connections between industry, research institutions and government.
MRIWA Research Showcase 2025
Beaumonde on the Point, East Perth
23 September 2025
Session 2 – New Pathways for Critical Minerals in Australia: value creation, innovation, and sustainability
Dr Yongjun Lu FSEG MAIG MGSA MSGA
Principal Geoscientist, UWA
Dr Yongjun Lu is a Principal Geoscientist at RSC with over 15 years of experience in geochemistry and economic geology. He previously led Geochronology and Isotope Geology at the Geological Survey of Western Australia, where he produced the first state-wide multi-isotope maps of Western Australia to support regional exploration. At the Centre for Exploration Targeting (UWA), he led porphyry Cu projects across Asia and pioneered a new exploration tool using zircon compositions as pathfinders for porphyry deposits. He has received the SEG Waldemar Lindgren Award, and currently serves as an adjunct Senior Research Fellow at UWA and Associate Editor of Economic Geology.
PRESENTATION
Dr Amir Razmjou
Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University, Board Director, Membrane Society of Australasia, Founder, ECU Mineral Recovery Research Centre (MRRC)
Dr. Amir Razmjou brings a multidisciplinary background across surface engineering and critical mineral extraction—spanning lithium, rubidium, high-purity alumina, iron, and gallium—with deep expertise in membrane technology. He has published over 215 peer-reviewed articles (h-index: 59; citations: 12,700+ on Google Scholar) and secured more than $15.4 million in research funding, including $7.95 million as lead Chief Investigator. Notable grants include a $0.45 million MRIWA fund for lithium extraction in WA (leading to two patent applications), and a recent $6.3 million CRC-P grant focused on high-purity alumina production using membrane technology.
His contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the 2023 WA FHRI Fund Innovation Fellowship, the 2023 MSA Industry Innovation Award, the 2024 ECU Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Research Award, and the 2021 UTS Chancellor’s Research Fellowship. He was also named a Finalist in the Australian Museum’s Eureka Awards (2014, ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology) for work on hydrogel-assisted forward osmosis desalination. Amir has supervised more than 40 HDR students and holds editorial roles with leading journals including Desalination, Journal of Water Process Engineering (JWPE), and Desalination and Water Treatment (DWT).
PRESENTATION
David Trotter
Research Portfolio Manager (Critical Minerals Processing), MRIWA
David is a metallurgist who has over 35 years of experience in the iron ore and steel industry in a variety of technology, logistical, and technical roles.
Before joining MRIWA, David was providing advice on green steelmaking technologies including the use of hydrogen in steelmaking, Transport, and Handling of HBI and DRI. His previous roles include Regional Manager Iron Ore for Rio Tinto Commercial Singapore and Head of Global Sales and Trading, Anglo American Singapore.
PRESENTATION
Tony Tang
Professor of Practice – Critical Minerals, WASM-MECE, Curtin University
Tony Tang is Professor of Practice – Critical Minerals at WASM-MECE, Curtin University. A chartered professional engineer (FAusIMM-CP|Met), he brings decades of experience across the full project lifecycle—from concept to operations—in critical minerals and energy. He leads technical and pilot plant operations at the Future Battery Industries CRC and serves as Vice Chair of AusIMM’s Perth Branch.
His expertise spans nickel, cobalt, rare earths, lithium, and more, with a focus on sustainable processing and renewable energy technologies. Tony is a passionate advocate for industry-academia collaboration, driving innovation in extractive metallurgy and green energy solutions.
PRESENTATION
Dr Marco Fiorentini
Professor – Director ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future, UWA
Marco is a Professor in the Centre for Exploration Targeting, at the School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia. Since receiving his PhD in 2005, Marco held a number of industry and ARC funded postdoctoral appointments. In 2012-2016 he was the proud recipient of an ARC Future Fellowship. His research portfolio reflects the multiple interests that characterise his work. His PhD examined the siderophile element budget of the Early Earth, whereas his ongoing research investigates the processes that led to the genesis of mineralising systems in various terrestrial (and extra-terrestrial) geodynamic settings. More recently, Marco has also focused his attention on unravelling the cryptic planetary sulfur cycle. Marco promotes a philosophy that applied research and pure science are two sides of the same coin. He is a dedicated mentor to many PhD students and values close collaboration in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
PRESENTATION
Session 3 – Bringing Critical Research and Innovation into Practice
Session Keynote
Tamryn Barker
Sector Director Mining & Nature Tech, Founders Factory
Tamryn is dedicated to building a global community of leading innovators from Western Australia, to create the solutions, capability and culture we need into the future. She co-founded CORE Innovation Hub, Australia’s first tech hub network for resources and energy innovation. Here she led as an activator and operator of the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct in Perth, a WA Government project to create Australia’s largest industrial testing grounds.
Currently Tamryn heads of the Mining and Nature Tech sector at Founders Factory.
PRESENTATION
Session 4 – MRIWA PhD Showcase
Yamini Kannappan
MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women (2024)
Extraction of Rare Earth Elements (REE) from Sub-Economic Ores and Process Tailings
Yamini Kannappan is currently completing her PhD at the WA School of Mines, Curtin University, where she focuses on sustainable ways to extract rare earth elements from low-grade ores and processing wastes. She holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering and a master’s degree with a specialisation in Extractive Metallurgy. During her PhD, Yamini was awarded the CIPRS, Destination Australia, and MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women 2024. She brings together academic research with hands-on industry experience and has authored around half a dozen publications, including journal articles and conference papers.
PRESENTATION
Emad Al-Hemyari
MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship (2024)
Data Processing and Inversion for Seismic While Drilling and Mining Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing and Machine Learning
Emad A. Al-Hemyari is currently pursuing a PhD in Exploration Geophysics at Curtin University, having earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. With over a decade of professional experience as a geophysical research scientist in the oil and gas sector, Emad has demonstrated expertise in seismic data acquisition, processing, and machine learning applications. He is the recipient of the prestigious MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship (2024). In addition to his academic and research pursuits, Emad is an active member of professional communities, including the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG), and serves as the President of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) student chapter at Curtin University.
PRESENTATION
Alex Eves
MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship (2023)
Petrogenesis and metallogenic significance of the Speewah V-Ti Deposit
Alex holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Geology from the University of Western Australia and has 30 years experience in the Western Australian resources sector, working in both production and exploration roles across a range of commodities. Alex has returned to UWA to undertake a PhD on the Speewah Deposit, a major Ti-V and PGE+Au mineral system in the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia, where he worked as a Project Geologist during the initial exploration and development phase of the deposit.
PRESENTATION
Muzammil Khan
MRIWA PhD Scholarship (2024)
Towards decarbonisation in steelmaking: Grey-box modelling for optimisation of green and sustainable metallurgical coke production from biomass
Muzammil specialises in machine learning, metaheuristic optimization, and uncertainty analysis to create advanced data-driven solutions for metallurgy, biorefining, and petrochemical processes, researching AI-driven process optimization for sustainable steelmaking technologies.
His research combines predictive modelling, process simulation, and experimentation to advance sustainable manufacturing practices and circular economy solutions in energy-intensive industries.
PRESENTATION
Daniel Goldstein
MRIWA PhD Scholarship (2023)
Ore Body Characterisation using Machine Learning and Measure-While-Drilling Data
Daniel’s research is connecting datasets to deliver accurate real-time models of subsurface geology and rock properties during mining. This technology will support operational decision-making and optimisation of mine performance, improving safety, and enhancing sustainability outcomes to keep the Western Australian minerals sector at the forefront of global performance and practice.
PRESENTATION
Kenneth Tetteh Akiti
MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship (2025)
Responsible management of retired mining vehicle batteries to address environmental and economic challenges
Kenneth Tetteh Akiti is a PhD candidate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Edith Cowan University and a recipient of the MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship. His research focuses on the responsible management of retired mining vehicle batteries, addressing environmental and economic challenges through predictive modelling and dynamic reconfiguration techniques for second-life battery systems. He holds a Master’s in Control Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Kenneth holds a patent for a high-sensitivity scalar magnetic field measuring device and has published several research papers. He brings a strong blend of both academic insight and practical industrial experience.
PRESENTATION
Kylie Blackwell
MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship (2022)
Beneficiation of Gold Telluride Ores
Kylie is developing a method to liberate purified tellurium metal from gold telluride ore. Her work will support production of this critical element as an additional economic stream from the Golden Mile deposit in Kalgoorlie, helping deliver additional value from Western Australia’s mineral endowment.
PRESENTATION
Page was last reviewed 24 September 2025