Serkan Saydam received his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Mining Engineering from the Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey and completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He then worked at De Beers for 3 years as project manager in Johannesburg, South Africa. Serkan joined the School of Mining Engineering as a Senior Lecturer in 2006 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012. Serkan then was then promoted to the Professorial role in 2017 and he is currently working as a Professor and Director of Research at the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering at UNSW. A key focus of his research is to address the current needs and future challenges faced by the mining industry. These are generally very complex engineering problems, as mining environments become more extreme and constraints are imposed due to increasing social, environmental, and health and safety standards. His fields of research include ground control, mine planning & design, technology integration, new mining methods and off-Earth mining. In addition, he established research collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory & Kennedy Space Center, and Luxembourg Space Agency as well more than 20 research organisations and universities globally. He has more than 250 publications and graduated 18 PhD students. Serkan is currently Fellow Member of Australian Institution of Mining and Metallurgy; President of the ISRM Commission on Planetary Rock Mechanics; Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research (ACSER) at UNSW; Deputy Secretary General and Council Member of the SOMP (The Society of Mining Professors).

Stephen Durkin is CEO of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), the peak body representing the 65,000 professionals who work in the Australian resources sector. Stephen is a civil engineer by qualification and throughout his 30-year career has worked in a wide range of industries around the world. His experience encompasses association management and business leadership, including CEO of Engineers Australia for 5 years and AusIMM CEO since May 2017. Stephen is passionate about transforming associations so that they continue to lead the way in upholding professional standards and supporting members’ careers. He is a champion of professionals and their vital role to provide trusted advice to the communities and organisations they serve.

Keith Pitt was sworn in as Minister for Resources and Water on 2 July 2021. He was first elected to represent the Hinkler electorate in the Australian Parliament in September 2013 and was re-elected at the 2016 and 2019 elections. Mr Pitt has previously served as Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Keith was born and raised in Bundaberg, after finishing high school he undertook an electrical apprenticeship and went on to complete a Bachelor degree in computer and electrical engineering. Before entering politics the Minister owned a consulting and training business (including a registered training organisation) delivering Vocational Education and Training across the east coast of the country, but particularly in rural Queensland. He is a former registered professional engineer in Queensland, and also owned two cane farms in Bundaberg. An active member of the Hinkler community, Keith was heavy involved in local sports such as touch football and surf lifesaving, interests he maintains today. Through his previous business interests he supports a wide variety of local community groups and events. Mr Pitt is married with three children.

Professor Foster is Dean of Engineering, UNSW Sydney. He received his PhD from the University of New South Wales in 1993 and has over 35 years’ experience as a structural engineer in practice and in teaching. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, Fellow of fib, Honorary Member of the Concrete Institute of Australia (CIA), elected Deputy President of the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib) and a member of Standards Australia Committees for Concrete Structures and Bridges. Stephen has over 350 publications in the field of structural concrete and concrete materials, with textbooks on Reinforced Concrete and Prestressed Concrete. His main research interests are in the fields of bringing new materials technologies to the design concrete structures, including fibre and ultra-high-performance concrete, low carbon construction materials such as Geopolymer and alkaline activated concretes and high strength reinforcing steels.

Cam is currently Head of Geoscience Excellence in BHP’s Resource Centre of Excellence. Cam graduated with Honours in Geology and Energy and Fuel Science from Lakehead University, followed by a PhD in Geology from the University of Saskatchewan. He then enjoyed 10 years with SRK Consulting, becoming a Director of the Australasian practice. In 2005, Cam became the inaugural Director of the Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) at the University of Western Australia. At CET Cam built and led a team of up to 90 staff and students focused on applied research with the minerals industry. Cam joined BHP in 2016. As the Head of Geoscience Excellence, Cam leads a team of experts that works globally across all commodities to ensure thought leadership in geoscience across the entire value chain, from exploration and discovery to closure. Cam’s career has taken him to 43 countries on six continents, working in a wide variety of commodity systems from discovery through to production. He has trained >2500 geoscientists and remains an active mentor. In 2013, Cam received the Gibb-Maitland medal from the Geological Society of Australia for his contributions to WA geology and mineral exploration.

Gustavo PILGER is a Mining Engineer/Geostatistician with over 20 years’ experience in the global mining industry and with a strong background in mineral resource modelling and uncertainty analysis, holding a PhD and a MSc degree in geostatistics and a specialisation degree in Mining Geostatistics from the Paris School of Mines. Gustavo has worked for large mining corporations and consulting organisations, where he has been working with a vast range of commodities located in several parts of the globe in collaboration with multidisciplinary groups. He has also experience in all aspects of Technology Development for the mining industry. As Head of GEOVIA R&D within Dassault Systèmes, Gustavo manages the strategic definition and development of GEOVIAs’ portfolio. He provides strategic views to define the technology vision for modelling and simulating the planet in a responsible manner. With leadership teams across Dassault Systèmes he contributes to defining transformational technologies to enable companies to overcome their challenges, improving predictability, efficiency, safety and sustainability whilst maximising shareholder value.