Spotlight on Nigel Cook
Professor Nigel Cook, Director of the Integrated Mining Consortium, was featured in last week’s edition of ECMS Connect, the newsletter that connects staff from the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences.
Q. What is your role here in ECMS?
- Since 1st March 2020, member of CEME (formerly Chem. Eng.)
- Director, ARC Research Hub for Australian Copper-Uranium
- Director, PRIF Industry Consortium ‘Unlocking Complex Resources through Lean Processing’
- Central role in the Institute of Mineral and Energy Resources (IMER) working to develop strategies and projects in the frontier area of ‘Critical Minerals’.
Q. How long have you worked in ECMS/at the University of Adelaide?
A. In ECMS since January 2015, at UoA since August 2009.
Q. What does a typical day look like for you?
A. Life is never dull! Talking to industry partners, mentoring students from multiple disciplines, planning future initiatives within the IMER Group, and, almost always, a good dose of revising and editing manuscripts and abstracts and exchanging ideas on eclectic topics with people around the world.
Q. What is your favourite thing about what you do?
A. I love my research, particularly seeing our talented young researchers explore the unknown and realise the significance and ‘big-picture’ implications of what they are doing. Most of my research is in collaboration with the minerals industry in S.A. – it is always satisfying when my industry colleagues can use research outcomes and see the relevance of research not only today but potentially in the distant future.
Q. What’s one thing that most people in the Faculty wouldn’t know about you?
A. I have a BSc in Geochemistry and a PhD in Ore Deposit Geology. I was Editor-in-Chief of the journal ‘Ore Geology Reviews’ 2003-2011. Our two cats and one dog have been absolutely thrilled about the idea of working at home over the past six weeks.
Q. What inspires you about research and what is your original approach here?
A. Joining ECMS with an earth science rather than an engineering background has given me a unique opportunity to apply a truly trans-disciplinary approach to everything I do, including undergraduate teaching. Working directly with researchers in at least five of the ECMS schools on a regular basis, plus others in the Faculty of Science, probably exposes me to more ideas and expertise than many at the university. This has been a tremendous opportunity enabling me to make connections that transcend traditional research areas. I am really privileged to be able to apply my mineralogy- geochemistry background to real-world problems at the interface of earth science, mineral processing, and microanalysis.
Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
A. Australia faces some difficult times ahead. I am confident that the minerals industry and innovative research within the broader ‘Minerals’ area are going to play a major role in keeping the economy strong. I hope that prospective students will consider the opportunities in a fascinating multi-discipline area with significant growth potential.