Dr. Uwe König is Business Development Manager for the Mining and Metals industry at Malvern Panalytical, based in Almelo, Netherlands. With over 30 years of experience in mineralogy and ore analysis, he focuses on innovative analytical solutions- including real-time, digital, and automated technologies - to support sustainable mining operations. Uwe holds a Ph.D. in mineralogy and geology from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, with research spanning iron ore quantification and manganous layered double hydroxides. He is an expert in X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Rietveld method, and serves as editor and lead author of the book “Value of Mineralogical Monitoring for the Mining and Minerals Industry.”

Project Geotechnical/Tailings Engineer at WSP Australia with over 8 years of experience in geotechnical engineering applied to mining infrastructure, with a strong focus on tailings and mine waste. His expertise spans geotechnical design, site investigation, construction support, and QA/QC, with additional experience in instrumentation, monitoring, and process innovation. Matheus has been involved in medium to large-scale mining projects, contributing to the design and assessment of tailings storage facilities, foundations, earthworks, and slope stability analyses. His professional background includes hands-on experience with filtered tailings applications, landfill design, and tailings disposal operations, as well as participation in dam decharacterization projects and interaction with Independent Tailings Review Boards (ITRBs). Prior to joining WSP Australia, he worked at major mining companies including Samarco Mining and Equinox Gold, as well as engineering consultancies such as Tetra Tech Brazil, where he developed experience in geotechnical modelling, dam and waste dump design, stability analyses, and compliance with regulatory frameworks. His work also includes site investigations, laboratory data interpretation. Matheus holds a Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering from PUC Minas and a postgraduate specialization in Mining Geotechnics from Fundação Gorceix, where his research focused on the compaction behaviour of filtered tailings with varying sand and fines content. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), including an academic exchange at Ohio Northern University (USA).

Sjoerd has more than 40 years of postgraduate experience in the mining industry in the areas of mineral resource estimation (MRE), operations-based (open pit and underground) mining and open pit mining scoping, pre-feasibility (PFS) and definitive feasibility studies (DFS). Sjoerd’s areas of expertise are open pit mine planning, pit optimisation, productivity studies, equipment fleet determination, operating cost and capital expenditure estimates, production scheduling and financial modelling. Sjoerd worked on the South African open pit, Finsch Mine, and underground (Kimberley, Koffiefontein and Finsch (transition to underground) diamond mines and on a deep level underground gold mine (Western Deep Levels – Teutona). Since 1998, Sjoerd has worked as a mining consultant, both in Australia and internationally. His open pit mine planning and mining knowledge has seen him working on many projects for various commodities, including bauxite (Australia, Guinea, Indonesia, Vietnam), chromite (Zimbabwe), copper (Australia), diamonds (Australia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa), gold (Australia, Brazil, Philippines, South Africa), heavy minerals (Australia, South Africa), iron (Australia, Malaysia) , lead (Ireland), lithium (Australia), manganese (Australia), nickel (Indonesia, Philippines, Zimbabwe), niobium (Tanzania), platinum (Zimbabwe), rare earths (Greenland) and zinc (Ireland). Sjoerd is a graduate of Delft University of Technology (DUT) in Delft, The Netherlands (Ir degree [mining Engineering, 1982] and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa (MSc degree [Mineral Economics 1991].