Professor Watkin recently presented at several conferences in the United Kingdom, including the Natural History Museum in London. Credit iStock: Claudiac8
Professor Elizabeth Watkin from Edith Cowan University's School of Science realised a life-long dream when she recently lectured at the famed Natural History Museum in London.
Invited by the Elemental Engineering Hub – a collaboration of research groups that work to make mining greener - Professor Watkin gave an insightful look at the role of microbial biotechnology in transforming biomining processes.
The event brought together researchers, professionals and students interested in exploring innovative approaches to sustainable resource recovery.
For Professor Watkin, it was a defining career milestone.
"When I learned that I would be presenting at the Natural History Museum, the significance of the opportunity really struck me," Professor Watkin said. "It is such an honour to be invited to present at such an iconic scientific institution.
"It was a lovely acknowledgement of the impact the study from my research group has had - and the many brilliant PhD students and post-docs and research assistants - that we've been able to move forward the frontiers of science in this particular area."
Professor Watkin presenting at the Natural History Museum.
With growing global demand for critical minerals and the declining grade of accessible ores intensifying the search for more sustainable metal extraction technologies, bioleaching (method using bacteria to release metals from their ores) has emerged as an alternative to energy-intensive conventional processes.
Dedicating the past 20 years of her career to this area, Professor Watkin said by enabling extraction under mild conditions, bioleaching offers significant potential for reducing the environmental footprint of mineral recovery.
"I'm coming towards the end of my career, and I still always get really chuffed when I'm asked to be a keynote speaker.
"But presenting on this topic at the Natural History Museum felt like a particularly meaningful milestone in my research career."
While in the United Kingdom, Professor Watkin also presented at the University of Glasgow and was the keynote speaker at a conference at the University of Manchester. Mineralogical Society at 150: Past Discoveries and Future Frontiers, celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
