Tectonics and Structural Geology for the Mining and Minerals Industry

Plenary Speaker line-up

 

​Brett Davis

Brett is widely regarded in the exploration and mining industry for his application of applied structural geology to numerous commodity types and mineral deposit styles. The approach Brett has brought to understanding mineralising environments globally is a product of integrating modern structural geology and techniques with several decades of applied research. Brett runs his own international geology consultancy, Olinda Gold Pty Ltd. He currently holds an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow position at James Cook University, and is on the editorial boards of the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences and the world’s largest virtual drilling publication, Coring Magazine. His structural geology training courses have been run in many countries as multi-client programs and for individual companies. Brett has an extensive list of publications in peer-reviewed international journals, and his Olinda Gold publications can be found on mine and exploration sites globally. Brett is widely known via his LinkedIn contributions, having garnered over 38,000 followers.

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Julie Rowland

JR Rowland is a structural geologist interested in ore-forming hydrothermal systems in active margins. She has worked primarily in New Zealand, as well as in Chile, Montserrat, Ethiopia, Antarctica, and Indonesia. Her work on the active epithermal environment in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, together with Stuart Simmons, was awarded the Society of Economic Geologists 2013 Skinner Award. Currently, she is leading a multi-institutional consortium focused on shifting New Zealand’s minerals ecosystem toward more sustainable practices. She is the Pro Vice-Chancellor Global and Graduate Research at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and previously served as Academic Head, School of Environment; Deputy Dean, Faculty of Science; and inaugural Director of a flagship research centre: Ngā Ara Whetū | Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society. Julie is a past Vice-President, Regional Affairs, of the Society of Economic Geologists.
 

Nick Hayward

Nick Hayward is currently the Director and Principal Consultant for PredictOre Pty Ltd and an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with the Centre of Exploration Targeting, UWA. Nick has extensive industry experience in global technical leadership, project generation and project management for base and precious metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Au, Fe). Recent industry roles included Director, Global Project Generation (Exploration); Regional Chief Geoscientist; Global Zinc Specialist for Teck Resources; and Global Practice Leader – Structural Geology and Resource Targeting for BHP Billiton. His current research passions are improving industry discovery rates through multi-scale predictive structural targeting for buried giant ore deposits and spatial periodicity and self-organisation in both mineral and structural systems. He’s keen to foster the next generation of ore discoverers through coaching and mentoring. Nick obtained a PhD in Structural Geology and Tectonics in 1993 at James Cook University (Queensland). 

 

Ben Mather

Dr Ben Mather is an ARC Industry Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at The University of  Melbourne. He specialises in fusing Earth evolution models with data to understand how groundwater mobilises critical minerals through the landscape, with broader interests spanning volatile cycling, lithospheric thermal modelling, and the origin of enigmatic volcanoes. Dr Mather's research has a proven track record of industry impact. His 3D basin thermal modelling framework was adopted by the Irish Government and Geological Survey of Ireland to underpin a major geothermal development program. Working with BHP, he built AI-powered workflows that link plate kinematics, fluid flow, and geochemistry to porphyry and sediment-hosted copper prospectivity. His groundwater models of the Sydney–Gunnedah–Bowen Basin directly inspired a Geoscience Australia pilot on water sustainability across the Great Artesian Basin.

 

Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones began her academic journey in earth sciences at Otago University, New Zealand. After completing her MSc in the mid-1990s, she moved to Western Australia to begin her career as an exploration geologist in the Eastern Goldfields. By the end of 2001, she had earned a PhD from CODES, focusing on a VHMS deposit in Canada, before returning to the Eastern Goldfields to join the GSWA as a regional mapping geologist. It was during this tenure that she began investigating the broader tectonic setting of the region. Since 2006, Sarah has operated as a structural geologist, primarily within the gold mining sector. This role has afforded her extensive access to both underground and open-pit exposures of gold-bearing structures. Her ongoing research effectively integrates mine-scale geology with the larger regional context of gold deposits. In 2019, Sarah returned to New Zealand to establish her own structural geology consultancy, SJGeology Ltd, based in Cromwell, Central Otago. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys walking her border collie, gardening, and pursuing creative outlets such as making mosaics and felt animals. She also assists with the operations of her twin sister’s art gallery.