Lucas Bullen, CEng MIChemE MAusIMM Process Engineering Manager, Altris Engineering Lucas is a Chartered Chemical Engineer and Process Engineering Manager at Altris Engineering, specializing in hydrometallurgy and critical minerals refinery design. He brings project experience spanning early stage economics through to commissioning and operations across rare earths, nickel, cobalt, lithium, vanadium and battery precursor processing. A board member of IChemE Australia, Lucas is active in minerals policy, asset decarbonisation, and the development of the next generation of process engineers in the critical minerals sector. His current work focuses on emerging ex-China rare earth supply chain development, including feasibility level engineering for ionic adsorption clay in-situ recovery projects

Faith Agbenyo holds a BSc Mineral Engineering from the University of Mines & Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana (2009), a Professional Certificate in Operations from the University of Melbourne, Australia (2012), and an MSc Process Systems Engineering from University of Surrey, Guildford, England, UK (2016). Faith has 15 years of mining industry experience with a demonstrated record in safety compliance, laboratory management, plant operations, optimisation, coaching, data analytics and project management. He worked as a Metallurgist and Business Improvement Analyst at Goldfields Ghana Limited, Damang Mine (2009-2013), Business Improvement Specialist at Gold Fields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa Mine (2013- 2023) and Plant Metallurgist/Relieving Senior Metallurgist at Newmont Africa, Akyem Mine (2023 -2025). He is a member of Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), USA and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). He is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University with research interests in "Beneficiation of Rare Earth Minerals from Clay-Hosted Ores", sponsored by the Trailblazer Resources Technology & Critical Minerals Scholarship

James is a Senior Hydrometallurgist with over 15 years’ experience in the minerals industry. James is responsible for the management of desktop, laboratory and pilot plant scale commercial studies, principally in the areas of solvent extraction and ion exchange, with particular focus on uranium, rare earths, lithium and zirconium/hafnium. James has developed and applied modelling techniques for rare earth solvent extraction circuits as well as uranium ion exchange plants. His main areas of expertise are in design and optimisation of ion exchange and solvent extraction circuits, with a focus on data analysis.

Iqra Arshad and Aafaq Ahmed are final-year undergraduate students in the Mining Department at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, Pakistan. Passionate about sustainable mineral processing and Pakistan's critical minerals potential, they are actively involved in research on eco-friendly beneficiation techniques for domestic ores. Their current project focuses on developing an integrated, green flowsheet for scheelite ore processing, achieving tungsten recovery targeting ~50% WO₃ grade while co-extracting rare earth elements from flotation tailings to maximize resource value and minimize environmental impact. As young researchers, they have conducted laboratory experiments on grinding, flotation, leaching with novel green reagents, and tailings re-processing, emphasizing scale-up feasibility and ESG alignment. This work aims to contribute to Pakistan's energy transition goals and responsible mining practices. Iqra and Aafaq are excited to present their findings at the Critical Minerals Conference 2026, sharing insights from student-led innovation in critical minerals processing. They are eager to connect with industry experts, academics, and policymakers to advance sustainable solutions in the sector.