Prof Frances Wall

Impact

Deep Digital Cornwall project - ERDF-funded and working with 40 small and medium-sized business in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly until 30 June 2023 to encourage more research and innovation and create a brilliant globally competitive digital sector connected to the underground. Check out the website for more details.

Spin off company and examples of industry research partners

CrEAM - EPSRC Network on Critical Elements and Materials - produced a Birmingham Policy Commission report on technology-critical metals.

Examples of previous projects:

  • Impact Accelerator Award. To exchange knowledge gained as the result of the NERC-funded catalyst grant Geology to Geometallurgy of Critical Rare Earth. Ed Loye was part time associate research fellow.
     
  • Tellus South West high resolution geophysical survey and TellusHow NERC innovation project
  • ImpactMin FP7 project (Impact Monitoring of Mineral Resources Exploitation), leading WP3 on socio-economic aspects of mining, including public perception of mining and the carbon footprint of the mining industry.(completed)

Recently completed PhD and MSc by Research projects:

  • Socio-Economic Sustainability of Mining and Minerals Operations. PhD being carried out by Rezki Syahrir, co-supervisor  Penda Diallo, Kip Jeffrey,
     
  • Mineralogy and mineral processing to optimise recovery of synchysite-(Ce) and apatite from carbonatite at Songwe Hill, Malawi. PhD project by Safaa Al Ali, co-supervised by Richard Pascoe, and in collaboration with Mkango Resources Ltd.
  • Targeting concentrations of mid and heavy rare earths in alkaline provinces. PhD project by Sam Broom-Fendley, co-supervised by Gus Gunn, Britiish Geological Survey. Funded by NERC, CASE partner Leominex (Mkango).
  • The geological controls on the heavy rare earth element enriched alteration zone at Area 4, Lofdal, Khorixas, Namibia. MSc by research by Ed Loye, funded by Namibia Rare Earths Inc
  • A geological study of the potential for rare earth element by-product recovery from Greek and other bauxite deposits. MSc by Research project by Evangelos Mouchos
     
  • Improved liberation and energy utilisation in materials breakage using high voltage pulses. PhD project  by  Klaas Peter van der Wielen in collaboration with SELFRAG AG.  
     
  • Geometallurgy of iron ores. PhD project by Kelvin Anderson, with logistic support from Afferro Mining
     
  • Using carbonate volcanism to understand mantle processes. NERC CASE PhD by Emma Humphreys-Williams, co-supervised by Professor C.J. Hawkesworth FRS and the late Professor D.K. Bailey. 
     
  • Postmagmatic Mineralisation and Fluid Processes in Carbonatite systems. PhD project, completed by Emma Dowman, joint with Kingston University, co-supervised by Professor A.H. Rankin, Professor Peter Treloar.
     
  • The Geology, Mineralogy and Geochemical features of the primary HREE-enriched Carbonatite Complex at Lofdal, Namibia, PhD project completed by Vicky do Cabo, Geological Survey of Namibia. Co-supervisor Professor Hilary Downs, Birkbeck College, London.
     
  • Developing exploration tools for high purity quartz and rare metals in the south Norwegian Bamble-Evje pegmatite cluster PhD project completed by Ben Snook. First supervisor Ben Williamson Co-funded by Norwegian Geological Survey.