AusIMM Metallurgical Society 2025 Elections
The AusIMM Metallurgical Society has opened for committee elections for 2025.
You can review individual candidate biographies below to learn more about each candidate before casting your vote here.
Thomas Taylor
I am an early career professional who has worked within mineral sands, pyrometallurgical research, copper/gold flotation & leaching & magnetite processing operations with additional experience in commissioning and short term projects. I am currently working as a senior plant metallurgist at Iron Bridge and manage a team of 7 to achieve processing goals. With a position at the AusIMM metallurgical society committee, I would appreciate the opportunity to engage with our membership base through initiatives such as the Delprat Lecture Series, MetFests, newsletters and major conferences. For improvements to the technical offering of the metallurgical society, I would be eager to further develop the on-line toolbox for new professionals which I have a relatable perspective on and have created a draft on key skills which I have experienced as lacking from university graduates (e.g. metals accounting/plant survey skills/advanced data processing and statistics). I have been running similar initiatives with the New Professional Network for 3 years now with highlights being chairing and MCing the Young Professionals Day at the IMGC 2024 conference which I have been asked to chair again in 2025. I have also been involved with the AusIMM through the student chapter which I was an events coordinator for and a recipient of the EEF scholarship. From these experiences, I have become familiar with the AusIMM event hosting processes as well as the excellent calibre of metallurgists within the society. It would be an honor to volunteer my time to enrich the career of our fellow professionals and increase the technical acumen of the field in Australia and internationally.
Tendekayi Tapera
As a Senior Advisor - Process Development at Rio Tinto, I am an integral part of the Technical Development team, where I address some of the company’s unique processing challenges. My expertise is in hydrometallurgical processing, and I have provided technical input on projects involving lithium, boron, copper, gold, potash, and critical elements. My career also includes significant experience in direct iron reduction (DRI) and nickel/copper refining. I hold a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering, with a focus on the mechanisms of copper leaching from primary copper sulfides at ambient conditions. Throughout my career, I have been a key member of numerous multidisciplinary teams, contributing to the development of innovative methods for extracting value and supporting company objectives. If selected as a Metallurgical Society Committee member, I would like to help advance knowledge sharing and collaboration on matters of common interest and importance to the wider mining industry. I currently co-lead the Hydrometallurgy Community of Practice at Rio Tinto, and I believe that I am equipped in organizing webinars to enable knowledge sharing within the community.
Tristram Fyfe
I'm a recent graduate of Adelaide University (B. Eng Chemical & B. Finance), currently at BHP Carrapateena as a Project Metallurgist (FIFO). In the four years since graduating I've worked in a variety of roles both technical and commercial. I have a keen interest in piloting and demonstrating new technologies. In my time on the Metallurgical Society Committee I'd like to create more opportunities for metallurgists to form networks and improve innovation/collaboration between mine sites (e.g. informal get togethers and social events).
Bianca Foggiatto
I am a dedicated metallurgical engineer with a robust background in mineral processing and a passion for sustainable resource management. With extensive experience in designing and optimizing comminution circuits, my work has focused on integrating innovative technologies and comminution flowsheets that enhance operational efficiency while minimising environmental impact. I am particularly interested in joining the AusIMM Metallurgical Society Committee because I believe in the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing within our field. I am eager to contribute my insights and expertise to help shape initiatives that promote best practices and drive innovation in mining. I am also committed to fostering a community that supports emerging professionals and emphasises the importance of sustainability. Through my involvement in the Committee, I would like to advocate for excellence in our profession with focus on the latest advancements in mineral processing technologies. I believe it is crucial to enhance networking opportunities for professionals across various sectors of the industry, encouraging collaboration that can lead to groundbreaking solutions for the challenges the mining industry faces today.
Lindsey Killer
With six years of experience spanning four different gold and copper-gold operations, I hold a Chemical and Metallurgical degree from the University of Queensland. During my university years, I was actively involved with AusIMM and MAMA. My passion lies in process improvement and collaboration, and I thrive in team environments. I have worked across SABC, 3 stage crush ball mill, CIL, gravity, ultra-fine grinding to gold-copper flotation. I enjoy completing surveys and the practical side of onsite metallurgy roles. I am passionate about the mining industry and I look forward to having a long rewarding career within it. I am eager to see the Metallurgical Society foster strong engagement between industry and academia, ensuring best practices are shared among all professionals in metallurgical roles that are practical and insightful. I am particularly interested in providing this to NWQ.
Frances Burgess
I have worked as an operations metallurgist most of my life and now I work in Engineering Consulting. I have been devoted and passionate about metallurgy from a young age. I enjoy the challenges of metallurgy and I am keen to support existing and future metallurgists. The Met Society can influence our cohort to be the best they can be by presenting papers at conferences and Metfests across the country. I see the future of the Met Society to be more closely involved in education of our people who are predominantly Chemical Engineers and are often unskilled at metallurgy unit operations (both primary and secondary metallurgy) when they start roles at sites. The Met Society could set up mentoring of our new graduates and new professionals to support them as they develop their careers. My vision is that every graduate has a mentor and that the mentors be metallurgists. Influencing our young people is critical to developing their progression in the industry to be successful and wanting to stay in the industry. For the more experienced people the Met Society could possibly offer more targeted training opportunities or pathways for example how to go from a flotation Met to a hydromet. Other examples of development are: Learning modelling eg METSIM or encouraging people to doing a post graduate degree related to an area of metallurgical study. Other future opportunities for the Met Society is to develop activities for the metallurgists in our branches - both social and technical. Encouraging our metallurgists to share technical information on a regular basis (as presentations of 20 mins) to assist in encouraging mets from all companies to share their knowledge and ideas. Also the Met Society could develop training programs for Mets on sites - what should they be and where to source the training. My belief is that developing metallurgists is critical to having strong companies and a strong industry.
Mohsen Yahyaei
Professor Mohsen Yahayei is a renowned academic and researcher in metallurgy and process automation for mining, with a proven track record of accomplishments at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) at the University of Queensland. His interest in the AusIMM Metallurgical Society Committee stems from his commitment to advancing the field of metallurgy and his belief that the committee can play a key role in furthering this goal. Through his participation in the committee, Professor Yahayei hopes to see the committee achieve several objectives, including promoting industry collaboration in advanced technologies development and implementation, fostering relationships between industry and academia, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise within the field.
Ben Wraith
I am a Metallurgist with over 10 years experience in Gold and Base metal plants. Operational experience in a technical leadership roles troubleshooting, optimising, de-bottlenecking, budgets/forecasting and mentoring. Project experience in developing design criteria, scope of works, design review, procurement, site engineer during construction followed by commissioning new equipment and process flows. Capable of developing and managing test work programs, as well as participating in laboratory test work and plant surveys. I have spent the last two years in the METS sector supporting the mining industry in engineering studies, developing flowsheets and promoting pre-concentration. I would like MetSoc to continue developing interesting content to educate and share our experiences as metallurgists across a broad resource industry, I believe we should be asking Mets onsite to contribute more at all levels from Graduate through to Principals with a few vendors and consultants thrown in for good measure. I believe Mets in general need to be publishing more site data and analysis more often and sharing these stories between companies to promote innovation and collaboration, potentially this is something MetSoc can facilitate as a host and administer of a community of practice, either via the AusIMM website or LinkedIn.