CRC LEME - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University
Charles has played a significant role in the development of the Australian mineral exploration industry in the past three decades. He has over 35 years research experience as an exploration geochemist, mainly in developing procedures for gold, nickel, PGE and base metal exploration in deeply weathered terrains, and in the geology of secondary mineral deposits, particularly nickel laterites, supergene gold and calcrete uranium. His recent research has been into the composition, crystallography and micro-structure of particulate and nugget gold.
He has led many industry funded research projects in Australia, and undertaken consultancies and delivered courses and field workshops to industry, university extension and government in Australia, Canada, S. Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and Brazil.
Without doubt Charles is one of the Founding Fathers of geological and geochemical exploration methods in deeply weathered terrain. His international reputation in the field is evidence of the high esteem he is held in by both fellow scientists and industry.
In 2002 the West Australian Division of the Geological Society of Australia awarded Charles the Gibb Maitland Medal. His other career awards have included in the 1995 International Gold Medal from the Association of Exploration Geochemists (with Ray Smith) and the 1997 Science and Technology Award from the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies. He was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2004 and a CSIRO Fellow in 2007.
Charles has authored over 250 papers, edited monographs and reports.
Job Titles:
- Chairman and LEME Board Member
- Deputy Chairman, Independent, Chair Minerals Adisory Council, Darwin
Job Titles:
- Group Leader, Minerals Division, Geoscience Australia, Canberra
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Program Leader
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Executive Committee
- Onshore Energy and Minerals Division, Geoscience Australia / Program 4 Leader
- Salinity Communications
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University / Assistant Director, Canberra Jul 07 - Dec 07
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Minerals Tertiary Education Council, Minerals Council of Australia ( MCA ), Melbourne
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- CSIRO Division of Land and Water / Program 3 Leader
Dr Shand commenced at Program 3 leader on 22 May 2006. He comes to LEME / CSIRO from the British Geological Survey where he has recently completed a review of groundwater quality in the UK and is co-editing a book on water quality in Europe.
He has led, and has been involved with various projects including:
Dennis is continuing a distinguished career as a mineral explorationist both within the industry and government instrumentalities.
After the conclusion of his contract and his 'retirement' as CEO of CRC LEME, Dennis retained his interests with CSIRO Exploration and Mining as a Honorary Research Fellow for three years. He continuing his 'career' is an exploration contractor work in South America.
Dennis was appointed as CEO of LEME in 2002, after completing a four-year contract as Director of the Northern Territory Geological Survey, in the course of which he implemented the Government funded Exploration Initiative, and brought NTGS to a premier geological survey. Prior to that Dennis was MIMEX Exploration Manager for Western Australia directing gold and base metal exploration. This was his second stint with MIM, having been a Kalgoorlie-based exploration geologist for Carpentaria Exploration Company in the days of the nickel boom. Prior to MIMEX he was Exploration Manager and Technical Director of Reynolds Australia Metals, which at one time was Australia's fifth largest gold producer -drawing from Boddington, Mt Gibson and Marvel Loch.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- CSIRO Division of Exploration and Mining / Program 2 Leader
- Executive Committee
Regolith geologist and geochemist Dr Raymond E Smith is a pioneer of developing methods for locating ore deposits in areas of cover. His research with team members and industry partners has contributed to the discovery of several important Australian ore deposits, particularly through the use of laterite geochemistry. Ray and his team members recognised and described kilometre-scale 'laterite geochemical haloes' which provide a fingerprint of the ore deposits concealed beneath. Through his participation with fellow CSIRO scientists, he also helped bring about a landscape approach to mineral exploration.
Ray was a founding member and spent eight years as the Executive Director of CRC for Landscape Evolution and Mineral Exploration (LEME 1) and then as CEO of the CRC for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration (LEME 2). These two Centres have notably advanced collaboration across Australia in research and teaching of regolith geoscience. In 1998 Ray became one of only five scientists to be made a CSIRO Fellow - a prestigious award of excellence in research development.
He is an Emeritus Research Fellow with CSIRO Exploration and Mining, Adjunct Professor Dept Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Independent, Land Use Advisory Council Chair - Dept Agriculture and Food, WA
stepped down as CRC LEME Chairman, after 8 years in November 2003. He was instrumental in setting up LEME 1 (1994-95) and steered it through its highly successful and productive years of research which utilised regolith geology for the benefit of mineral exploration in Australia. Again in 2001 Ross played a leading role in renewing the Centre for its second research contract with the Commonwealth Government (LEME 2). He has continued throughout to give tremendous support and encouragement to the respective management teams. Ross undertook pioneering work on nickeliferous laterite for his PhD at Harvard, and then joined WMC. He was formerly in charge of mineral exploration for BHP and MIM Holdings and Director General of the South Australian Department of Mines and Energy. He has worked extensively in the mining exploration industry in the Americas and Asia, as well as throughout Australia. He is extremely busy in his role as Research Consultant of Fardon and Associates, where he is trying to economically extract kaolin from a giant regolith blanket in far north Queensland
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
Job Titles:
- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
- Member of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- CEO, Chair Jul 07 - Aug 08
- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Steve commenced as CEO on the retirement of Dr Dennis Gee 10 October 2005. He has been seconded from CSIRO Land and Water to Exploration and Mining for the three year appointment.
Steve was Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Land & Water, based at the Waite Institute Adelaide, where he was also Stream Leader of Advanced Analytical Biogeochemistry .
Steve obtained his Masters in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, London, and his Ph.D in Environmental Microbiology at the University of Kent. Steve joined the CRC for Soil and Land Management in 1992 as a postdoctoral fellow and CSIRO Land & Water in 1997. He joined LEME in 2001, and became Program Leader in 2004. Steve has a background in research management and leadership, having served as Executive Assistant to the Chief of CSIRO Land and Water.
His research interests lie in the areas of biogeochemistry, microbial transformations in the cycling of nutrients, transport of sulfide minerals in landscapes, and relationships between soil chemistry and bioavailability of inorganic elements. He pioneered the application of bacterial molecular gene expressions to the study of environmental biogeochemical functions.
His current LEME research involves acid-sulphate soil mechanisms in the Murray floodplain, and element mobility in acidic drainages in the WA wheatbelt. Steve has built up the business base in Program 3 by establishing strong relationships with several state NRM agencies. Recently he has been successful in fostering cross-program linkages with projects within LEME, and establishing cooperative projects with mineral explorers.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief, CSIRO Exploration and Mining, Perth
- Deputy Chief, Operating and Research Support, CSIRO Exploration and Mining, Perth
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Ad Hoc Exec Member, the University of Adelaide
- Executive Committee
Steve is one of the great success stories of CRC LEME. Originally a PhD student at the Australian National University in LEME 1, he was awarded his PhD titled "Regolith and Landscape Evolution of the Broken Hill Block, western NSW" in 2002. In 2003 Steve took up the LEME funded Regolith Geoscience Senior Lectureship at The University of Adelaide and in 2004 was appointed LEME Program 5: Education and Training Leader. In early 2007 Steve won a tenure- track position as Lecturer in Regolith Geoscience in Geology & Geophysics, within the School of Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide.
Steve has been an outstanding advocate and contributor to the CRC's undergraduate, short course, MTEC and postgraduate training. The recommendation by the CRC external 5th year review panel that ‘LEME's Education and Training program is an outstanding highlight' is testament to Steve's leadership.
Steve's reputation as a student supervisor and lecturer is evidenced by the large number of Honours (17 since 2003) and the PhD students that he currently supervises (10 since 2003), and has graduated over the last four years.
Whilst his academic background is in regolith geology, landscape evolution, biogeochemistry, geochemistry applications, regolith induration, regolith- landform mapping, neotectonics, he is most recognised for his pioneering work on the application of native vegetation biogeochemistry to the development of the now widely recognised biogeochemical exploration technique.
More importantly, he has pioneered the integration of plant and animal biogeochemistry with regolith-landform mapping and landscape evolution.
The success of this technique at locations such as the Pinacles Pb, Zn mine, near Broken Hill and the application of biogeochemistry to Uranium exploration in the Northern Flinders-Frome Embayment have earnt Steve a significant reputation with the Australian Exploration industry and international academia. Also a star of stage and screen, appearance in this seasons (April 2008) ABC TV Catalyst program.
Steve has always been an advocate of cooperation and collaboration across the CRC, demonstrated by his enthusiastic involvement in the CRC Executive Committee whilst Program Leader, and the involvement of his students in the Thomson Orogen, Tanami, Curnamona Minex and Central Gawler Landscapes projects.
Steve is a senior lecturer in Regolith Geoscience, Geology & Geophysics Dept, University of Adelaide since 2003. He was LEME E&T Program leader from 2004 to 2006.
Previous Experience
BSc(Hons) University of Melbourne (1992)
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Scientist
Job Titles:
- Independant, Minerals Industry
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- Associate Director, Research & Development, Curtin University of Technology, Perth
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary of the Board
- Business Manager and Board Secretary CRC LEME, Perth
- Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Board Chair, Independent, Perth
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Assistant Director, Adelaide / Principal Geologist, Mineral Resources, PIRSA
- Department of Minerals and Energy, Primary Industries and Resources, South Australia / Assistant Director, Adelaide
- Executive Committee
John has 35 years geological experience mainly in non-metallic and industrial minerals including 10 years as co-project leader in collaborative research projects at CSIRO Land and Water on characterisation and modification of fine-grained industrial minerals.
John was appointed interim Assistant Director for the LEME 2 Adelaide node in early 2001, and appointed CRC LEME Assistant Director in May 2002.
A stalwart of the CRC LEME Executive, John has also been Project Leader of the SA Sediments project and later the central Gawler Craton project, and a research contributor on the Mineral Mapping SA project, the Curnamona Minex project. He also led a small project on natural asbestos in the environment.
John's leadership and key contribution to a number of highly successful LEME projects is universally recognised by the Regolith geoscience community. These include: Early models developed for heavy mineral accumulation in the Eucla Basin, and the Palaeodrainage mapping across South Australia; Hyperspectral mapping of alteration associated with gold mineralisation, and spectral mapping of kimberlites in the Flinders Ranges; and collaboration with Chinese researchers on electro-geochemical techniques.
John, took a lead role in organising the annual CRC LEME Symposia held in Adelaide (2003 - 2006) and is a member of the organising committee of the annual Mineral Exploration Through Cover Conferences held at Adelaide University (2005 - 2008).
In the absence of a LEME Symposium in Adelaide in 2007, John accepted an invitation from the GSA to organise a regolith theme for the biennial Sprigg Symposium. This took place in November last year and was a showcase for LEME research, with strong participation from LEME students.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
Keith was a research geoscientist with CSIRO Exploration and Mining for 34 years (until mid 2004), working mainly in the area of regolith geochemistry throughout Australia, but particularly in the Mount Isa Inlier, Yilgarn Craton, Drummond Basin and the Lachlan Fold Belt of NSW and Victoria.
Keith has been part of LEME 1 and 2 since 1995. He served as the Deputy Program Leader for the Tasman Fold Belt Program in LEME 1 and Acting Leader for Program 2: Mineral Exploration in areas of deep cover in LEME 2 until February 2004.
Keith has been very supportive of LEME Education and Training activities, and participated in Exploration Geochemistry MSc Short Courses at CODES for LEME and then in LEME-sponsored MSc courses. Within LEME, he has sought to break down barriers between researchers from different institutions and at different locations. He has also sought to encourage students at the LEME-core universities by providing an industry perspective on their studies. This is recognised by his appointment as Visiting Fellow at the Dept of Earth and Marine Sciences ANU (now Research School of Earth Sciences) since 2004, as well as an Honorary Fellow at CSIRO.
During his career, Keith has championed the concept of integration of mineralogy and geochemistry to better understand how geochemistry can be used more effectively during exploration using regolith materials. He developed techniques to enable resistate minerals, especially rutile to be used as an indicator of mineralization in weathered material.
From 2001, until its publication in 2005, he was part of the editorial team which compiled the regolith case histories (as well as contributing 13 articles himself) which resulted in the very popular LEME Thematic Volume: Regolith Expressions of Australian Ore Systems. From 2004 to early 2006, Keith was editor of CRC LEME Minerals Brief - a quarterly electronic newsletter providing a succinct scientific report on progress in LEME mineral exploration projects.
In 2006 he was commissioned(coerced!) to edit a reference book outlining advances in Regolith Science made by CRC LEME. This latter endeavour (in which he was joined by Colin Pain) challenged all his persuasive skills! but that product is currently (June 08) being typeset by the CSIRO Publications, and will be released late 2008.
Job Titles:
- Director, Geological Survey of NSW, Department of Primary Industries. Maitland
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Department of Minerals and Energy, PIRSA, Adelaide
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Executive Committee
- Program 1 Leader and CEO Aug 08 - Dec 08
Job Titles:
- Centre Visitor ( Ex - Officio )
CRC LEME has benefited immensely from the wise counsel and the scientific guidance of Prof Gerry Govett. He first came into LEME as Chair of the very-important Fifth Year Review of LEME 1 in 1999. This paved the way for the successful reincarnation into LEME 2. He was formally appointed as the Visitor to LEME under the CRC Program, in January 2001. In this move he became a HOPO (Holder of Public Office), and was subject to the usual declarations, reporting and reimbursement protocols of an Australian government agency. His designated role was to offer independent advice and mentoring to all those in LEME, and be a link between LEME and the CRC Program.
Through an act of dubious wisdom, the CRC Program decided to discontinue the formal Visitor Program. But so valuable was Gerry's contribution to the well-being of LEME and its people, the Board asked that he continue as "visitor". In this process he changed from a HOPO to a HEHE (Holder of High Esteem).
In these various capacities he has participated in all Board Meetings, Advisory Council Meetings, project reviews, Regolith Symposia in LEME 2. He has been proactive in offering sound advice to the full range of people in LEME, including the Chair(s), Participant representatives, the CEO, the Program Leaders, researchers and students. It is in this latter respect that he has made his greatest contribution in the encouragement and guidance to students and young researchers. And he has done this in his own time, and in his own inimitable way.
He certainly has the credentials to do this, for beneath that deceptively serene facade is a person of resolution and achievement. He has run geochemical mineral exploration programs in 15 countries, held the Chair of Geology at UNSW for 19 years, edited 7 volumes (and wrote one of them) in the series Handbook of Exploration Geochemistry, and been a Director of Delta Gold Ltd and its successor Aurion Gold Ltd - and Chairman of the Board during a period of reorganisation - during exciting times. (Speech by Dennis Gee)
Job Titles:
- Head, Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide, Adelaide
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Scientist