Speakers 2026
Strengthening connections between industry, research institutions and government.
Session 1 – WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S LANDSCAPE OVERVIEW
MC
Nicole Roocke
CEO, MRIWA
Appointed Chief Executive Officer in November 2018, Nicole Roocke joined MRIWA after spending 15 years at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia coordinating industry input on a variety of government regulatory and policy issues and facilitating collaboration within the resources sector.
Nicole holds a Master of Science in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and a Master of Risk Management from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Matthew McGuire
Matthew is a Traditional Owner of Whudjuk/Noongar Boodjah and was raised in Kellerberrin. Matthew is a highly respected member of the Perth community who can perform a beautiful Welcome to Country and/or Smoking Ceremony for your next event.
Matthew performs the welcome as a symbol of acknowledgement to the Noongar Bibbulmun people and their significant contribution to the land and has been Welcoming all to Whudjuk Boodjah for the past 20 years.
Magenta Marshall MLA
Member for Rockingham
Session 2 – WA AI/ML Research in Motion
MC
Geoffrey Batt
Research Portfolio Manager, MRIWA
Dr Geoff Batt is a MRIWA Research Portfolio Manager leading the Institute’s strategic activities in Exploration Amplification and Net Zero Emissions Mining.
An experienced research scientist focused on the accessibility and transferability of research and innovation in the applied mining sector, Geoff came to MRIWA from a private sector consulting role and has spent 20 years as a successful and respected researcher and educator at leading institutions around the globe.
Geoff holds a PhD in Earth Science from the Australian National University (ANU), and an MBA from UWA.
Yongjun Lu
Principal Geoscientist, RSC
Dr Yongjun Lu is a Principal Geoscientist at RSC with more than 15 years of experience in geochemistry and economic geology. At RSC, he leads multidisciplinary, collaborative projects with industry and government clients, delivering value across the mining value chain. His work focuses on applying machine-learning and data-driven approaches to geological mapping, mineral prospectivity analysis, and drill targeting for exploration and mining companies.
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 and mineral systems understanding.
At the Centre for Exploration Targeting (UWA), he led porphyry copper projects across Asia and pioneered a novel exploration approach using zircon geochemistry as a pathfinder for porphyry deposits. He is a recipient of the SEG Waldemar Lindgren Award and currently serves as an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at UWA and an Associate Editor of Economic Geology.
Clayton Franklin
Founder & Chief Engineer, EPCA
Clayton Franklin is the Founder and Chief Engineer of EPCA, an Aboriginal‑owned company leading Australia’s transition to zero‑emission mining. A TÜV‑certified electrical engineer with more than 25 years’ experience, he has worked across mining, renewables, hydrogen‑electric systems, and large‑scale decarbonisation projects.
A proud Wunumara man from Cloncurry, his career has been shaped by a deep connection to country and a lifelong passion for innovation. Clayton has led breakthrough retrofits, including Australia’s first 100‑tonne battery‑electric mining truck, advancing practical pathways for cleaner, more efficient heavy‑industry operations. He continues to champion sustainable technology and locally driven engineering excellence.
Patrick Noble
Lead & Control Systems Engineer, EPCA
Patrick Noble is a Control Systems Engineer at Electric Power Conversions Australia (EPCA), where he contributes to the development of advanced electric powertrain retrofit solutions for heavy mining equipment. His role builds on engineering experience gained at Teck Global and Metabolic Health Solutions, where he worked on prototype medical device design.
Mushfiq Shah
Project Engineer, Total Marine Technology
Mushfiq Shah is an Electrical and Electronic Project Engineer at Total Marine Technology. He has delivered engineering projects across urban, industrial, subsea, and aerospace environments, with expertise spanning systems engineering and mechatronics. His prior experience includes roles at Cubic Transportation Systems, Orbital UAV, and TechnipFMC. He specialises in electronic system design and multidisciplinary system integration across electrical, software, and mechanical domains.
His professional interests include industrial automation, functional safety, and electronic hardware design. Mushfiq holds a Master of Professional Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) from The University of Western Australia and continues to explore embedded platforms and intelligent systems through personal technical projects.
Jason Crusan
CEO, AROSE
Jason Crusan is a globally recognised technology executive with more than 25 years’ leadership across the space and energy sectors, spanning government, academia, and industry. His career has focused on stewarding long-term research and innovation portfolios under deep technical, policy, and market uncertainty.
A former senior leader at NASA, Jason directed the Advanced Exploration Systems Division and served as Chief Technologist for Space Operations, leading multi-decade programs in human spaceflight, lunar and Martian exploration systems, including in-space manufacturing, and the Lunar Gateway architecture for sustained operations on the Moon.
After moving to Australia in 2019, he became Vice President of Technology & New Energy at Woodside Energy, overseeing technology and investment portfolios spanning operational sustainability, remote operations, hydrogen and ammonia production, and carbon-to-products value chains. In 2025, Jason was appointed CEO of AROSE, where he leads a member-based ecosystem applying space-enabled and remote operations technologies to deliver impact across multiple industrial sectors.
Session 3 – How AI is reshaping the mining and minerals research sectors
MC
Tim Walton
Direction Research Strategy, MRIWA
Tim Walton‘s experience within MRIWA includes developing and leading the Precision and Low impact Mining (PLIM), Accelerated Mineral Carbonation (AMC), Mining Equipment, Technology, Services (METS) strategies and Intellectual Property area.
Previously he has worked in a diverse range of areas including university research strategy and partnerships, defence, conservation education, natural resources management, minerals policy and regulation, heavy industry and port logistics.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Edith Cowan University, an MBA from Curtin University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Melinda Hodkiewicz
Professor of Engineering, UWA
Professor Melinda Hodkiewicz is a leading engineering academic at the University of Western Australia, recognised for advancing maintenance, asset management, and industrial safety through data‑centric methods. Her work pioneers Technical Language Processing, applying NLP, knowledge graphs, and ontologies to unstructured engineering texts.
She has held prestigious roles, including BHP Fellow for Engineering for Remote Operations, visiting fellow at the Alan Turing Institute, and contributor to ISO industrial data and asset‑management standards. A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, she is widely awarded for her lifetime contributions to industry, including the MESA Medal.
Session 4 – MRIWA PhD Showcase
MC
Melissa Cianfrini
Education & Workforce Development Program Lead, MRIWA
Dr Melissa Cianfrini joined MRIWA in 2024 as a Principal Project Officer. Having spent over a decade in the Higher Education sector, she has extensive experience in research, program evaluation and project management for not-for-profit organisations, universities and the private sector, both in Australia and overseas. Experienced in providing strategic advice to senior executives in large and complex organisations, Melissa takes a holistic approach to her work and further utilises her skills in futures thinking to identify optimal solutions for stakeholders and projects.
Melissa holds a PhD in Community Psychology from Curtin University and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours) from the University of Notre Dame Australia.
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 Al‑Hemyari is a PhD researcher in Exploration Geophysics at Curtin University, supported by the 2024 MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship. His work develops advanced seismic‑while‑drilling and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) techniques, integrating machine learning to improve real‑time subsurface imaging for mining and resource exploration.
Before moving to Australia, Emad spent a decade as a geophysicist with Saudi Aramco, contributing to major seismic acquisition and processing innovations. He holds degrees from KAUST and KFUPM, and remains active across academic and industry collaborations, publishing on SWD, 4D seismic monitoring, and subsurface signal processing.
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Bishenka Mahaulpatha
MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women (2022)
Feasibility of effective metal recovery from tailings material via electrokinetic in-situ leaching
Bishenka Mahaulpatha is a PhD researcher at the University of Western Australia and recipient of the prestigious 2022 MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women. Her work focuses on developing electrokinetic in‑situ leaching technologies to recover valuable metals from mine tailings, offering a low‑impact alternative to conventional extraction and helping reduce Western Australia’s mining environmental legacy.
Her research has earned broad recognition, including joint second place in the 2023 MRIWA Science Communication Awards for her project From Waste to Wealth. Bishenka’s work positions her as a rising voice in sustainable mining innovation.
Neil James
MARS Program PhD Scholarship (2025)
Psychological Capital – The Last Line of Defence in Psychosocial Safety in the Mining Industry
Neil James is an MBA‑qualified executive with more than 30 years of general management and leadership experience across multiple sectors. Based in Perth, he currently works with BHP, where his roles have centred on safety, operational leadership, and organisational performance. His recent position as Global Product Owner – Safety at BHP reflects his focus on improving global safety outcomes and leading cross‑functional teams.
In 2025 he was awarded a MARS Program PhD Scholarship by MRIWA at Edith Cowan University to lead the project “Psychological Capital – The Last Line of Defence in Psychosocial Safety in the Mining Industry.” His research examines how enhancing psychosocial safety climate (PSC) can strengthen workers’ psychological capital (hope, efficacy, resilience, optimism) to reduce psychological distress and improve wellbeing outcomes across WA mining. Neil’s dual focus—enterprise safety leadership and evidence‑based psychosocial research—supports safer, high‑performance cultures across the resources sector.
Neil also holds certifications in brain‑based coaching, agile leadership, and advisory practice, complementing his commitment to people‑centred leadership and continuous improvement.
Benjamin Walsh
MARS Program PhD Scholarship (2025)
Occupational Hygiene Dust Sampler Comparison Study in Western Australian Mining Operations
Benjamin Walsh is a PhD researcher at Edith Cowan University and recipient of the 2025 MRIWA MARS Program Scholarship, focusing on occupational hygiene and worker safety in Western Australia’s mining sector. His research compares dust‑sampling technologies to improve exposure measurement standards across mining operations, with findings expected to influence international guidelines for workplace aerosol monitoring.
Walsh’s work contributes to the state’s Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program, supporting safer, more sustainable mining environments. His research is recognised as part of WA’s broader effort to strengthen workforce wellbeing and operational safety across the resources industry.
Yasamin Hamidian
MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women (2025)
Development of a Gas-Assisted Ion-Selective Membrane for Lithium-Ion Extraction from Tailings
Muzammil Khan
MRIWA PhD Scholarship
Towards decarbonisation in steelmaking: Modelling and optimisation of green and sustainable metallurgical coke production from biomass
Page was last reviewed 13 March 2026