Chris graduated from the South Australian Institute of Technology with a Metallurgical Engineering degree in 1990, and was awarded his PhD from the Ian Wark Research Institute of the University of South Australia in 2002.

Chris has work within the mining industry in a variety of roles from shift foreman at the Teutonic Bore copper/zinc operation to Principal Technologist with Pasminco. He was employed by Magotteaux as Manager Minerals Processing Research, and leads their technical efforts investigating the effect of grinding chemistry on downstream processes until August 2024. He now works part time for Magotteaux at the Global Mineral Processing Specialist as well as consults through Mineralis Consultants.

Presentation Title

AI & Data Visualisation in Processing Plants

The processing industry is being flooded with AI tools, dashboards, digital twins and “smart” analytics, all promising better recovery, higher throughput and faster decisions. But separating genuine value from noise is becoming harder, not easier. This practical, operations-focused panel discussion will explore the real world application of AI and data visualisation in mineral processing plants, with a focus on flotation, gold recovery, comminution and plant optimisation.  

Bringing together operators, metallurgists, technology vendors, OT and data specialists, the session will examine what actually works on site, what doesn’t, and why. Topics will include implementation pitfalls, operator adoption, data governance, trust in AI recommendations, and the gap between proof of concept and sustainable operational value. The 1 hour session will feature brief presentations from each panellist, followed by an extended 45 minute moderated discussion and audience Q&A. Deliberately centred on plant level reality and metallurgical decision-making rather than theory, exploration or corporate reporting, the session aims to provide practical insights for processing professionals navigating the rapidly evolving digital landscape.