Projects 2025

Projects are listed below for study commencing in October 2025 Click on the titles to load a PDF with more details of each project. A number of the projects are “CASE” awards, with close collaboration with an industrial partner, providing internship opportunities and enhanced training budgets.

Each project is fully funded for UK applicants, with fees fully paid, a budget for training and research, and stipend to be paid at the UKRI 2025 rate. 

Additional fees will apply for international applicants, and there are further costs associated with visa applications and the NHS surcharge that UKRI funds will not support.

Below each project title you will see the list of supervisors attached to each project to provide guidance and training. Each project will have at least one supervsior from a second institution to provide you access to a broad range of expertise.

We will update this list through November and December with new projects so please check back regularly.

Themes	Title (click for full project details)	Host University	Lead Supervisor	CASE Partners
Discovery. Sustainability	Mineral prospect imaging and mining environment monitoring using innovative seismological deployments and data processing	University of Aberdeen	Dr. David Cornwell	SmartSolo
Sustainability	Environmental and social sustainability of critical mineral extraction in Greenland	University of Aberdeen	Dr. Flurina Wartmann
Sustainability	Local monitoring of low-enthalpy geothermal resources in flooded mines using hydrogeophysical and citizen science methods to foster energy citizenship (UKGEOS observatory, Glasgow)	University of Aberdeen	Dr Jean-Christophe Comte
Recovery, Sustainability	Low-emission value chain for mineral processing facilities through renewable energy integration	University of Aberdeen	Dr. Lydia Sam
Recovery, Sustainability	Exploring CCUS for Enhanced Lithium Recovery from Subsurface Brines	University of Aberdeen	Dr Roozbeh Rafati
Discovery	Tracking critical minerals using ice sheet dynamics	University of Aberdeen	Prof. Matteo Spagnolo	Ontario Geological Survey
Discovery	Constraining Ore Forming Processes at the Redmoor Cu-W-Sn Deposit, Cornwall	Cardiff University	Prof. Thomas Blenkinsop	Cornwall Resources Limited
Discovery	Understanding the migration and emplacement of Lithium-bearing granitic magmas	Cardiff University	Dr. Katherine Daniels
Sustainability, Strategy	Developing a robust industrial methodology to calculate and measure carbon flux, capture and sequestration (CCS) potential in mine waste	Cardiff University	Prof. Devin Sapsford	Boliden & MEM
Discovery	Hydrothermal Processes and Metal Sources at the Odienné Cu-Au Project, Cote D’Ivoire: Insights into IOCG Mineralisation	Cardiff University	Dr James Lambert-Smith	Awale Resources
Discovery	Petrology of a new 2 km long drill core into the Mokopane gravity anomaly of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa	Cardiff University	Prof. WD Maier
Discovery	Constraining the structural, geochemical and temporal evolution of a metamorphosed Cu-Zn-Au deposit in NW Scotland	University of Edinburgh	Dr Steven Hollis	Galantas Gold
Discovery	Mineralization and metal deportment in the Redmoor deposit, Cornwall	University of Exeter, Camborne School of Mines	Prof. Jens Andersen	Cornwall Resources Limited
Recovery	Selective metal extraction from geological materials using electrokinetic leaching	University of Exeter, Camborne School of Mines	Dr Rich Crane
Discovery	Elvan dykes as sources, fluid pathways and traps of Sn, W, Cu and Li in SW England	University of Exeter, Camborne School of Mines	Prof. Robin Shail	Cornish Lithium, Cornish Metals, Cornish Tin and Cornwall Resources
Discovery	From source to deposit: Experimental and modelling constraints on copper mobilisation and deposition in sedimentary basins	Imperial College	Prof. Matt Jackson
Discovery	The precursors of porphyry copper deposits: geophysical imaging of magmatic/hydrothermal systems in the Andes	Imperial College	Dr Michele Paulatto
Sustainability, Recovery	Decoding Lithium Transformation Mechanisms in Biological Systems for Green Extraction and Waste Remediation	University of Leeds	Prof. Ian Burke
Sustainability	Tracking the Impact of Mining Activity in the Amazon Rainforest Using Satellite Data	University of Leeds	Dr Susann Ebmeier
Sustainability	Satellite measurements of deformation and the environmental impacts of Lithium mining in northern Chile	University of Leeds	Dr John Elliott
Discovery	How does fluid mixing in carbonate systems impact the formation of critical mineral deposits?	University of Leeds	Dr Frederick Pessu
Discovery	Optimising lithium-bearing reactive fluid flow in rough fractures using geomechanical measurements and flow modelling	University of Leeds	Prof. Paul Glover
Discovery	Quantifying the role of fault-related shear stress in the genesis of critical mineral deposits	University of Leeds	Prof. Dave Healy
Discovery	Seafloor Massive Sulphides: their post-formational fate	University of Leeds	Prof. Crispin Little
Recovery, Discovery	Making the most of galena: the effect of deformation on trace element distribution in galena	University of Leeds	Prof. Sandra Piazolo
Discovery	Characterisation of antimony-gold mineralisation in Ireland and Newfoundland	University of Leeds	Dr Taija Torvela	Conroy Gold and Natural Resources
Recovery, Sustainability	Recovering metals from waste through co-precipitation from hyperalkaline leachates	University of Leicester	Dr Susan Cumberland
Discovery	Understanding the controls on critical metal contents of orogenic gold deposits: a case study in the Filabusi Greenstone Belt, Zimbabwe	University of Leicester	Prof. Gawen Jenkin	Kavango Resources
Strategy	Capturing the Environmental Value and Critical Mineral Potential of Mining with Real Options Valuation	University of Leicester	Prof. Ania Zalewska
Discovery	Lithium pegmatites: a mineral chemistry approach to understanding their formation	University of Leicester	Dr Andrew Miles
Discovery, Sustainability	Energy-critical minerals in the UK and Ireland: Molybdenum in fault systems	University of Liverpool	Dr Elisabetta Mariani	SLR Consulting, Tektonic Consulting
Discovery	Reaction, deformation and fluid flow during porphyry copper formation	University of Liverpool	Prof. John Wheeler	Tektonik Consulting
Recovery, Sustainability	Angolan carbonatites and mineralogical constraints to development of low waste, optimised REE recovery methodologies	Natural History Museum	Prof. Richard Herrington	Pensana
Strategy	Climate change impact on the environmental risk of technology-critical elements	University of Southampton	Dr Nicholas Bury	International Zinc Association
Sustainability, Recovery	Sustainability and traceability of lithium supply from geothermal waters	University of Southampton	Prof. Rachael James	Cornish Lithium
Discovery	Blowing The Top: Mineralisation in Magmatic Roof Zones (Motzfeldt, S Greenland)	University of St Andrews	Prof. Adrian Finch	Elemental Rare Metals
Discovery	Exploring Platinum Group Elements (PGE) and magmatic unconformities in layered intrusions	University of St Andrews	Dr William McCarthy
Sustainability	Mining for Sustainable and Inclusive Development (MISID)	UCL	Dr Teresa Domenech Aparisi
Discovery	Undersea seismic structure imaging: from fluid flow to deep sea mining applications	UCL	Prof. Ana Ferreira
Discovery	Topographic control on copper porphyry deposits: landscape modelling and predictive potential	UCL	Dr Matthew Fox	Anglo American
Sustainability	Source to Sink: Heavy Metals in the Tinto-Odiel Mining Region	UCL	Dr Susan Little
Discovery	Investigating mineralisation processes in the Mbe gold deposit, Central Cameroon	UCL	Dr Katie McFall	Oriole Resources