Keynote speaker

Dr Chris Vernon

Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO

Keynote title

Now or Never: Designing Critical Minerals R&D for Maximum Impact 

Keynote synopsis

To achieve Australia’s economic, social, and strategic goals for the critical minerals industries, we must invest in research and development. Given the urgency of building our downstream capabilities, we need to act quickly and conduct the R&D quickly. Our R&D efforts must also align closely with the aspirations and capabilities of Australian minerals companies, government, and society. This keynote examines how we can prioritise research areas, stay grounded in practical realities, and design our R&D from the outset to deliver maximum benefit. 

Biography

Since completing a PhD in radiation chemistry and spectroscopy 37 years ago, Chris has been performing and leading applied R&D in minerals processing and refining, principally hydrometallurgy, both in industry and for the last 28 years, at CSIRO.  His experience in leading CSIRO’s processing program has given him a broad understanding of the application of R&D to almost every mineral commodity in Australia.  Chris is currently Chief Research Consultant at CSIRO, specialising in critical minerals, and with a view to downstream processing.  He chairs the National Critical Minerals R&D Hub’s Operations Group and Advisory committees, is a member of two Standards Australia committees, and contributes broadly to the national conversation on developing critical minerals and associated value-adding industries.