CIM Distinguished Lecturers
Mustafa Kumral is an associate professor in the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering at McGill University. He has extensive experience in research and teaching in the mining engineering discipline. He is the principal investigator of the Mineral Economics, Mine Reliability and Asset Management Laboratory at McGill. He has taught courses in mineral economics, surface mining, and reliability analysis of mining system for over 20 years. In line with his teaching profile, his research focuses on mineral economics, asset management, and mine planning and design. Canadian funding agencies and mining corporations have funded his research. Kumral has published his research outcomes in various technical journals. He supervised more than 20 master's and Ph.D. students to completion. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds. Kumral is an executive member of CIM's Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society.
Distinguished Lecturer 2023-24
Mining Policy, Strategy and Innovation in the Transition to the Decarbonization Age
Lecture Abstract
The mineral industries are on the brink of a new era. Emerging technologies to fight climate change require a multitude of mineral resources. The transition to renewable energy cannot be managed without the mineral industries. Consequently, this transition brings significant opportunities and challenges to mining stakeholders (e. g., mining corporations, governments, policymakers, regulators, local and Indigenous communities, and investors). Many governments have their critical and strategic minerals list. How these minerals will become available is not clear. Novel exploration, mining and processing techniques will be needed to meet increasing demand. There is not yet a detailed strategy on how, and under what rules, these mineral resources can be accessed. This lecture will discuss why it is necessary to establish an international policy and will focus on the need to develop responsible mining indicators, standards and best practices to achieve decarbonization. The industry needs to harmonize legal and regulative frameworks internationally. Policy and strategy development must be done in collaboration with sustainability and ecology initiatives. Finally, a robust innovation strategy will be required to keep a competitive edge for sustainable mining.
