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Our Team

Met4Tech brings together world-leading researchers to maximise opportunities around the provision of technology metals from primary and secondary sources, and lead materials stewardship. We will create a National Technology Metals Circular Economy Roadmap to accelerate us towards a circular economy.

If you’d like to connect with any of our team to discuss any aspect of our project please email enquiries@met4tech.org

Professor Andy Abbott

Professor Andy Abbott

Theme Area 3 Co-lead

I co-lead theme area 3 and am Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Leicester. My research focus is on ‘green chemistry’, particularly electrochemical processes and developing novel processes using ionic liquids.

Dr Megan Barnett

Dr Megan Barnett

Co-Investigator

As a geomicrobiologist at the BGS my research includes investigating the role of microorganisms in the mobilisation and precipitation of rare earth elements and other more minor elements. My research also involves the effect on microbial when the subsurface is disturbed.

Eimear Deady

Eimear Deady

Co-Investigator

I am an economic geologist with the BGS alongside researching for a PhD at CSM on understanding the thermal and fluid history of the antimony and tungsten-bismuth deposits of south-west England.

Dr Gavin Harper

Dr Gavin Harper

Researcher Co-Investigator

I am research fellow at the University of Birmingham, where I was previously the Energy Development Manager. I work in Theme 3 developming recycling processes for battery/magnet materials.

Wan-Ting Hsu

Wan-Ting Hsu

Researcher

I am a Material Flow Research Analyst at the British Geological Survey, working in Theme 1 to develop material flow models for a range of technology metals. My research interests include industrial ecology and sustainable resource management, particularly using material flow analysis to identify potential pathways towards a circular economy.

Dr Pierre Josso

Dr Pierre Josso

Researcher

I am a minerals geoscientist at the British Geological Survey. My research interests include geochemistry and geology of ore deposits for critical raw materials, mineral processing, and geochemical modelling.

Professor Bob Lee

Professor Bob Lee

Co-lead of Policy & Governance

I am emeritus Professor at the University of Birmingham Law School. My research is focused on environmental law and I have advised/worked for the UK government and Parliament, and the EU Parliament and Commission.

Dr Eva Marquis

Dr Eva Marquis

Researcher

My research in Met4Tech is focussing on developing circular economy geomodels for technology metals. I have a background in geochemistry, mineralogy, critical metals, and mineral deposit geology.

Carol Pettit

Carol Pettit

Senior Impact and Partnership Development Manager

I am the Project Manager for Met4Tech, and also leading on the policy impact activities. My experience covers regulatory, sustainability, and chemicals management in the mining, metals/chemicals, and energy sectors.

Dr Narendra Singh

Dr Narendra Singh

Researcher

As a Sustainable Resource Management Specialist at the BGS, my research focused on recycling waste electronics (e-waste), material flow analysis, life cycle analysis, and sustainable mineral supply chain in the UK and beyond.

Professor Rustam Stolkin

Professor Rustam Stolkin

Co-Investigator

I am Chair in Robotics and Royal Society Industry Fellow at the University of Birmingham. My research focusses on robotics: vision & sensing, grasping & manipulation, vehicles, human-robot interaction, AI & machine learning.

Carl Watson

Carl Watson

Co-Investigator

I am geo-information business analyst at the BGS and my research interests include environmental model linkage and visualisation.

Dr Jyoti Ahuja

Dr Jyoti Ahuja

Researcher

I am a research fellow at Birmingham Law School, where my research focuses on the regulatory and other legal structures necessary to construct an effective circular economy. 

Professor Frank Boons

Professor Frank Boons

Theme Area 4 Co-lead and Co-lead of Social & Responsible Innovation

I co-lead Theme Area 4 and the Responsible Innovation/Social Science cross-cutting action. I am Professor of Innovation & Sustainability and SCI Director at the University of Manchester.

Professor Andrew Dove

Professor Andrew Dove

Co-Investigator

I am Professor of Sustainable Polymer Chemistry and lead the Dove Research Group at the University of Birmingham. My research focuses on polymer degradation and sustainability of polymer science.

Dr Xiaocheng (Sam) Hu

Dr Xiaocheng (Sam) Hu

Researcher

My research focus in Met4Tech is Life-cycle Assessment (LCA). I have previously worked on assessing the carbon footprint of anaesthetics using LCA, and have a PhD in economics from the University of Southhampton.

Professor Josh Ignatius

Professor Josh Ignatius

Theme Area 4 Co-lead

I am a Professor of Business Analytics at Aston University and I co-lead Theme Area 4. I aim to overcome supply chain decision making challenges by developing operations research and statistical models.

Professor Emma Kendrick

Professor Emma Kendrick

Co-Investigator

I am Chair and Professor of Energy Materials at the University of Birmingham. The reuse and manufacture of existing battery technologies are research interests of mine, along with novel battery technology.

Dr Molly Keal

Dr Molly Keal

Researcher

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Leicester investigating the recovery and recycling of technology critical metals. Prior to this, I completed my PhD at the University of Birmingham where my research focused on the electrochemical recovery of critical metals using nano-impact techniques.

Dr Sampriti Mahanty

Dr Sampriti Mahanty

Researcher

I am a PDRA at the University of Manchester. My PhD research was focussed on a theoretically grounded understanding of the evolution of CE concept and the practices associated with it. As a PDRA in this project I aim to provide a social science perspective to achieve a tech metals CE system.

Dr Krishan Mohan Thazhathu Valiyaveettil

Dr Krishan Mohan Thazhathu Valiyaveettil

Post Doctoral Research Fellow

As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter my research focuses on developing an Agent-Based Model of a technology metals circular economy in the UK.

Professor Karl Scott Ryder

Professor Karl Scott Ryder

Co-Investigator

I am Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Leicester. My research interests include electrochemical deposition and dissolution processes, surface and interfacial structure.

Dr Dan Smith

Dr Dan Smith

Co-Investigator

I’m an Associate Professor in Applied and Environmental Geology at the University of Leicester. My interests are in copper and gold ore deposits and their associated technology metals.

Professor Frances Wall

Professor Frances Wall

Principal Investigator

As the Principal Investigator I have the pleasure of leading the project to make sure we deliver our aims. I have a geological background and have increasingly enjoyed interdisciplinary research since joining CSM.

Dr Xiaoyu Yan

Dr Xiaoyu Yan

Environmental Lead

I am responsible for the Environment & Sustainability action, which will be assessed using Life Cycle Assessment. My aim is to help governments/industry/the public make informed decisions about environmental sustainability.

Dr Paul Anderson

Dr Paul Anderson

Co-Investigator

I am a Reader in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry and leader of the Materials Chemistry Research Theme in the School of Chemistry, University of Birminham.

Professor Aleksandra Cavoski

Professor Aleksandra Cavoski

Theme Area 2 Co-lead and Co-lead of Policy & Governance

As a Professor of Environmental Law, I am particularly interested in regulatory issues surrounding the use of technology to alleviate environmental problems. To that end, I explore difficulties in translating science into law in order to identify different possible explanations for translation ‘failures’.

Dr Simon Gregory

Dr Simon Gregory

Co-Investigator

I lead the geomicrobiology work at at BGS focussing on microbial aspects of decarbonisation and resource management. Current projects include biomining, carbon capture and storage, gas storage, geothermal energy and radioactive waste disposal.

Professor Karen Hudson-Edwards

Professor Karen Hudson-Edwards

Theme Area 2 Co-lead

I’m Professor in Sustainable Mining at the ESI and CSM, University of Exeter and co-leader of Theme Area 2. I work on the environmental impacts of mining and promoting sustainable mining practices.

Professor Gawen Jenkin

Professor Gawen Jenkin

Co-Investigator

I am Professor of Applied Geology at the University of Leicester. My background is as a mineral deposit geologist and geochemist. I now work on green solvents for mineral processing.

Sam King

Sam King

Project Manager

I am the Birmingham-based Project Manager for the Met4Tech activities of the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements & Critical Materials, looking at industrial partners and contracts. My experience covers a wide range of project management activity from finance and contracts, through to strategy, reputation and research information.

Juan Pablo Mardones

Juan Pablo Mardones

Researcher

My PhD research sets out to develop a systemic understanding of the embedded flows of cobalt products and their fate at end-of-life. The project will explore value leakages and assess value creation opportunities. The project will provide new data that can be utilised to develop tailored CE policy, together with quantitative targets associated with secondary cobalt supply.

Dr Evi Petavratzi

Dr Evi Petavratzi

Theme Area 1 Co-lead

I am a senior mineral commodity geologist in the British Geological Survey. My research interests include tracking material flows and understanding the value chains of mineral commodities, mineral waste utilisation, and the circular economy.

Richard Austin Shaw

Richard Austin Shaw

Co-Investigator

I am an economic geologist at the BGS. My research interests include resource recovery from waste, Li-mineralisation in pegmatites, and REE-mineralisation in hydrothermal systems.

Victoria Smyth

Victoria Smyth

Met4Tech Project Coordinator

With a background in environmental consultancy and technical services my passion is resource efficiency through the circular economy. My Master of Chemistry focused on quantum dot sensitised nanoarchitectures for photovoltaics.

Professor Allan Walton

Professor Allan Walton

Theme Area 3 Co-lead

I am Professor of Critical and Magnetic Materials, and Co-Director of the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials, at the University of Birmingham. In this project I co-lead Theme 3.

Markus Zils

Markus Zils

Theme Area 1 Co-lead

As a Professor for Circular Economy and Management Science my research includes business model innovation in the circular economy, and large scale business and system transformations towards a circular economy.