On the 3rd of July from 12:00 to 5:00pm (BST), the Critical Minerals Association (UK), in partnership with the Natural History Museum and the NERC-UKRI TARGET Mineral Resources Centre for Doctoral Training (TARGET), was delighted to welcome over 100 students, parents and teachers from all over the UK to the iconic Natural History Museum in London for our event, ‘Call to Action: Careers for Next Generation Minerals’.
Critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, rare earth elements, tin and tungsten, are the building blocks of the modern and green economy. Without these minerals, our manufacturing, aerospace, technology and renewable energy sectors cannot function. The UK’s fast-growing skills gaps are a major concern not just to industry, but to the UK’s long-term national security and economic growth. Reports such as the CMA (UK)’s 2022 paper ‘Who will Build the Green Economy? A Talent Pipeline for Critical Minerals’ and IOM3’s subsequent ‘The Talent Gap: Critical Skills for Critical Minerals’, outline in significant detail why attracting young people to work in this sector is crucial for the emergence of our future green and circular economy. From exploration geologists uncovering critical minerals in the ground and materials engineers who discover innovate ways to recycle magnets, to social scientists who map our global supply chains and ESG consultants who track life cycle assessments-- the opportunities in critical minerals are endless.
To deliver our careers event, the CMA (UK) was pleased to receive offers of collaboration from a diverse range of stakeholders across the critical minerals value chain, including mining companies, consultancies, trade associations and UK universities. Our presentations of the day ranged from hearing about the far-flung and adventurous fieldwork undertaken by researchers at the Natural History Museum, to hearing about the day-to-day lives of professionals working in academia, business development, exploration geology, due diligence, sustainability science, technical consultancy and geochemistry.
The event commenced with welcoming guests to the Flett Foyer which overlooks Earth Hall, housing one of the Museum’s most incredible dinosaur specimens — the most intact Stegosaurus fossil skeleton ever found. We were honored to hear from incoming GCSE, A-Level and university students (as well as their accompanying parents and teachers) how far they’d travelled for the event, with many coming in from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Cambridge, Coventry, Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford, and as far as Edinburgh and Dundee.
The presentations of the day started at 12:30pm with welcoming remarks from Richard Herrington, the Natural History Museum’s Science Lead on Resourcing the Green Economy. As the former Head of Earth Sciences at the Museum for over ten years, Richard is well-known in the sector. As a researcher, he investigates the behaviour of metals and minerals critical for the functioning of our modern economies. The results of his research and collaborations with industry have unveiled better and more sustainable mining techniques — a vital contribution to our pathway to Net Zero.
Eileen Maes, event organiser and Communications Manager at the CMA (UK), then gave a brief introduction to critical minerals. Mining is perceived by many as an industry of the past, when in fact it is an industry of the future. To reach Net Zero, we need to build an immense amount of renewable energy sources, infrastructure and technologies, which all require critical minerals mined from the Earth. Ensuring that we source our minerals in a responsible way is one of the great challenges of our time— and one of the most exciting opportunities for young people to make a change. Eileen set the stage for the day’s presentations, exploring exactly what critical minerals are, how they will help us achieve Net Zero, how the mining sector is transforming, and the many more ways it can continue to improve with the passion and innovation of younger generations entering its workforce.
Chris Stockey, Nature Lead, Climate Change Specialist and ESG Consultant at Satarla and also Chair of the CMA (UK)’s Perceptions and Engagement working group followed with his presentation. Chris took the audience on a small tour of the sector’s outreach work, highlighting some of brilliant projects and programmes here in the UK that encourage and uplift young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, improve social perceptions, community relations, and public engagement with the mining sector. He also shared with the audience his own career journey, starting out as a Biology undergraduate at Imperial College London and completing his Paleobiology PhD at the University of Leicester, to finding himself being a project advisor on the award-winning Netflix nature documentary series Life On Our Planet, directed by Steven Spielberg and narrated by Morgan Freeman, to eventually discovering his true passion: sustainability in mining.
Richard then returned to the stage to introduce the session on ‘Geoscience at the Natural History Museum’. The first speaker was Neda Tomlinson, one of Richard’s PhD students at the University of York and based at the Museum. Her research revolves around finding microorganisms that can be used in biomining-- the extraction of metals from mine waste using bacteria or fungi. Biomining is a sustainable alternative to traditional extraction methods and a commercially viable way to access resources locked up in mine waste. Neda shared the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of biomining, as well as why she chose this discipline and how she hopes her research will contribute to developing mining technologies.
Following Neda was Dr Alla Dolgopolova, Principal Researcher on Mineral Deposits and currently leads the project on ‘Resourcing Low-Carbon Technologies for the Green Economy of Uzbekistan’, funded by the World Bank. She is also contributing to the VECTOR project-- funded by the EU’s largest funding programme for research and innovation-- which investigates the sourcing of raw materials from inside the European Union (EU) where suitable environmental, social and political regulations could be implemented. Her time working at the Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS) also has her examining mineral deposits across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, China and Mongolia.
One of Alla’s colleagues on the VECTOR project, Robin Armstrong, Mining Consultancy Lead at the Museum, concluded the session with a presentation on the costs of shifting from a fuel-intensive economy to a material-intensive economy. With statistical diagrams and infographics, he charted the soaring demand and dwindling supply of critical minerals such as copper that are critical to the success of the energy transition, as well as the implications and impacts of this disparity. Robin is also a mineral deposits geologist who studies the nature of economically significant mineralisation and its distribution across geological time and space. As the Mining Sector Lead, Robin oversees the Museum’s consultancy services and has authored over fifty consultancy reports for the mineral exploration and mining industry.
Once Robin’s presentation was completed, attendees were guided out of the lecture theater back into the Flett Foyer for lunch. Guests had the chance to roam around the interactive exhibition and engage with the exhibitors, exploring opportunities that exist here in the UK to pursue meaningful and rewarding study and work in the critical mineral realm, including university courses, internships and career opportunities.
The floor featured a booth hosted by Cornish Metals, who brought along tin samples from their South Crofty mine and water samples from their mine water treatment plant in Cornwall. It also featured a multimedia exhibition on African mining history and social impacts by Madeline R. Young, PhD researcher and lecturer at the Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter, one of our event sponsors. Madeline’s booth on ‘Distinguishing African Identities: Colonial-era mining images, maps, & textiles" displayed archival photos juxtaposed with colonial era maps and vintage and modern African textiles linked to her own mining industry career and African heritage journey.
An additional photography gallery on the exhibition floor was hosted by the Mineral Products Association (MPA), who presented the winners of their annual Natures and Quarries photo competition. The selection revealed some of the beautiful flora and fauna in mines and quarries across the UK that have been successfully returned to nature since closure. Mine closure is crucial for ensuring environmental rehabilitation and community safety after mining operations cease, preventing long-term ecological damage and socio-economic disruptions. Professionals in this field are essential for the design and implementation of effective closure plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and sustainable land use for future generations.
SRK Consulting, another one of our event sponsors, also hosted a booth showcasing their ‘Minerals Briefcase’ full of ores, mineral products and applications, which they built using EIT RawMaterials’ conceptual ‘Briefcase Game’ co-funded by the European Union.
Other exhibitors on the floor included the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials, the Institute of Quarrying, Minviro, Women in Mining UK, Minerals Matter, and our final event sponsor, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). Our media partner Critical Productions was also on-site filming footage and interviewing industry professionals, led by PhD student Lily Dickson, Head of the Society of Economic Geologists’ student chapter at the University of Leeds and volunteer at the CMA (UK).
The second session of the day commenced after lunch at 2:30pm. To illuminate some of the brilliant research and innovation projects unfolding across higher education institutions in the UK, Dr Dan Smith and Dr Eva Marquis delivered separate presentations on potential pathways through postgraduate research to a packed audience, as well as sharing experiences of their own. Dan is an Associate Professor in Applied and Environmental Geology at the University of Leicester, and his journey as a researcher has taken him from chairing the UK’s Mineral Deposits Studies Group to now leading an exciting project as the Director of the Training and Research Group for Energy Transition Mineral Resources (TARGET), a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) NERC Centre for Doctoral Training. Eva has investigated rare earth elements in the Ampasibitika Peninsula of Madagascar to cobalt in the Zambian Copper Belt, and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow developing circular economy geomodels as part of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Technology Metal (Met4Tech).
After the Higher Education session, the focus of the presentations passed on to industry. The final session began with a presentation on the ‘opportunities in a changing material world’, delivered by Dr Diane Aston, Head of Education & Professional Development and Membership Development Manager at IOM3. Diane illuminated some of the exciting opportunities available in the materials, minerals and mining sector; their importance in the transition to a low-carbon, resilient and resource efficient society; and the ways in which IOM3 can help support students throughout their education and career.
We then heard from Adriana Zamora, a sustainability scientist at Minviro, about the many and emerging opportunities in cross-sector collaboration. Adriana shared narrated a day in her life at a startup (though she confessed no day is ever the same!), balancing office work with extensive travel for conferences, project meetings, and client visits in the critical minerals sector. She explained how her background in mining engineering led her to pursue this career, as well as highlighting what makes her job exciting and meaningful, accelerating her personal growth and offering ample opportunities for innovation and responsibility.
Afterwards, Elly Shaw was invited to the stage to speak about ‘Geologists: The Bedrock of Society’, the many careers' paths available to Earth Scientists and why each one is crucial to the success of the green transition. Elly’s degree in Environmental and Applied Geology, as well as her roles at First Quantum Minerals, Anglo American and now as the Principal Geologist and Technical Consultant for the EMEA region at ERM, has whisked her away to remote corners of the globe: the Andes mountains of northern Chile, the steppes of Mongolia, the southern highlands of Tanzania and the sand dunes of Mauritania. She also recommended a list of transferable and technical skills that are valuable to possess for economics and geography graduates looking to go into sustainability consulting.
Finally, Melanie Cox and Richard Oldcorn wrapped up the day’s presentations by illuminating the exciting work that SRK Consulting undertakes within the mining industry to support the green energy transition and the soaring demand for critical minerals. Serving as a Senior Consultant in Geochemistry and Corporate Consultant in Due Diligence (respectively), Melanie and Richard provided an overview of their career paths as well as an insight into their day-to-day experiences and responsibilities supporting the transformation of mining in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Kirsty Benham, Founder and CEO of the CMA (UK), thanked everyone for attending the event before inviting everyone to return to the exhibition floor for the final hour of the event. CMA (UK) was also delighted to announce the launch of its TikTok account during this final hour, which will aim to promote positive messaging around the mining of critical minerals and how far it has come, especially the ESG standards it pioneers in local engagement, waste recycling, and circular economy. It will also aim to bring awareness to all the aspects of our lives that are dependent on critical minerals, particularly the energy transition, and why young people should pursue a career in the geosciences. The content we promote will be fast-paced, informal, experimental and fun, and aims to provide a relatable, personable and young-spirited voice for the industry that proves its relevance for the future.
Thank you to our event partners who helped to organize this marvelous outreach event, especially Richard Herrington, Alla Dolgopolova and Dan Smith. Thank you to our event sponsors IOM3, SRK Consulting and the Camborne School of Mines. Thank you as well to our partners that helped get the word out to schools and other stakeholders across the UK, particularly Christopher Jackson, Sian Davies-Vollum at University Geoscience UK (UGUK), Pete Loader and Ryan Lawson from the Earth Science Teachers’ Association (ESTA), and Andrew Fulton and Pauline Hunt from the UK Mining Education Forum (UKMEF).
Thanks as well to the CMA (UK) team and our volunteers on the day: event organiser Eileen Maes, Kirsty Benham, Jeff Townsend, Lily Dickson, Tiffany Sarfo, Helen Bargmanm and Tomasz Wierzbiansk from Critical Productions.
Article by Eileen Maes, Critical Minerals Association (UK)
Video and Photos by Critical Productions
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