Andre is an underground mine geotechnical engineer with over 30 years of experience, specialising in caving operations and projects. His expertise includes caving geomechanics, cave management, and innovative mining technologies. Andre worked for Rio Tinto for 22 years and has been involved in 10+ major caving operations, from exploration through to closure, and serves on several geotechnical review boards.

In 1997, Andre collaborated with Dr. Rob Jeffrey to introduce hydraulic fracturing to the cave mining industry, earning the CSIRO medal for research excellence. This innovation transformed cave induction and rock mass preconditioning practices globally. From 2005 to 2018, Andre was instrumental in trialling and advising on Cave Tracking technology, now widely used in caving operations worldwide.

Since 2015, Andre has taught Caving Geomechanics and Caving Engineering, leading professional development courses on cave mining fundamentals. Andre currently works at the University of Queensland’s Bryan Research Centre as Professor and group lead for ‘Deep Mining Geoscience’ research and he manages the South Gobi Underground Mass Mining Institute, sponsored by Rio Tinto Copper. Andre has authored/co-authored 40+ technical papers, advancing knowledge in his field.

Gert's professional journey began after obtaining his Master’s degree in 1996, when he relocated from his home country to Johannesburg to begin his career at the Itasca office, laying the foundation for his career in geotechnical engineering.

After two years, he transitioned to De Beers, where his caving work in the underground diamond mines began. He joined as a geotechnical engineer and gained substantial hands-on experience in some of the most iconic diamond mines such as Kimberley, Koffiefontein, Finsch and Cullinan. He was heavily involved in the International Caving Study and later, the Massive Mining Technology projects. These projects emphasized innovative mining techniques and technologies, further expanding his technical and research expertise.

In 2006, Gert took the next step in his career by joining Rio Tinto. Gert's role involved working on numerous high-profile mining operations across the globe, including Palabora (South Africa), Northparkes & Argyle (Australia), Diavik (Canada) and Oyu Tolgoi (Mongolia). He also had the opportunity to work with Freeport Indonesia at the Grasberg operations, a massive and significant mining project in the global industry.

In 2020, Gert transitioned to entrepreneurship by starting his own geotechnical consulting business, providing specialised services to mining companies and research institutions. He collaborates with leading organizations like the University of Queensland in Brisbane, contributing his expertise to the academic and research community. His consulting work now primarily focuses on two niche areas within the caving industry: draw control and ore reconciliation analyses.

Gert is particularly passionate about advancing knowledge in small and massive caving mining operations, combining decades of practical experience with a deep understanding of cutting-edge research.

Geoff Beale has worked for more than 45 years in surface and groundwater control for the minerals industry. He has worked in over 70 countries worldwide, in all major industrial commodities, and in all climatic zones. Geoff is most noted for his global knowledge of open pit and underground mine dewatering projects and has been involved with many of the world’s largest dewatering operations. He has hands-on experience in many caving operations, including the modelling of cave zones. Geoff also has broad experience in the operational and environmental aspects of leach pads, waste rock facilities and tailing systems. He has played a lead role in the implementation and monitoring of closure programs for many mine sites. In recent years, he has studied the role of water in geotechnical engineering, gathering data and experience from many underground and open pit mine sites worldwide. He has authored and edited two textbooks Guidelines for evaluating water in pit slope stability (2013) and Guidelines for open pit and waste dump closure (2025).

Dr. Steve McKinnon is a distinguished mining geomechanics engineer with over 45 years of international experience spanning academia, consulting, and applied research. He holds a Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and has built a career at the intersection of rock mechanics, stress analysis, and underground mine design, specialising in the design and layout of hard rock mines at depth.

He received a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science (geophysics option) and an M.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering (geotechnical engineering) both from the University of Toronto. His Ph.D. is in mining engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand.

He has worked as a researcher at the Chamber of Mines of South Africa (5 years), and from 1998 to 2019, Dr. McKinnon served as Professor and Chair in Mine Design at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada (20 years), where he also held adjunct appointments in the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering. He continues to contribute to academia as Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor at Queen’s, and as a Visiting Professor at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.

Dr. McKinnon’s consulting career includes leadership roles at Itasca Consulting Group in the U.S. and Chile, as well as senior positions in Sweden and South Africa. Since 2020, he has operated as an independent mining geomechanics consultant, advising on geotechnical review boards and major mining projects worldwide, including Chuquicamata Underground, Oyu Tolgoi, and El Teniente.

His research focuses on mining-induced seismicity and the characterisation of stress fields in complex geological environments. Dr. McKinnon has supervised numerous graduate students and authored influential publications on seismic stress inversion, numerical modelling, and rock mass behaviour.

In addition to his academic and consulting work, Dr. McKinnon served as a part-time Commission Member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission from 2019 to 2021.

Patrick Andrieux is a mining engineer with over forty years of experience at operating mine sites (both on surface and underground), as well as in research and development, instrumentation, technical services and support, and consulting.

Patrick is currently Principal Engineer at A2GC, a Montreal-based Canadian consulting firm established in 2015, which offers technical services in the fields of geomechanics, ground control, mine design, numerical modelling, seismicity and drilling and blasting to local and international mining, construction and civil engineering clients.

Since 2019 he is Adjunct Professor at Laval University in Quebec City in the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.

Patrick is a Registered Professional Engineer in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as a Designated Consulting Engineer in the province of Ontario.

Amélie is a geological engineer at A2GC with more than twelve years of consulting experience. Her fields of interest are geomechanics in support of underground mine design and advanced numerical modelling. She has been lecturer at the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal for the rock mechanics course for mining engineering students.

Dr Willem de Beer is an experienced professional in the fields of geophysics and geomechanics, currently serving as the Manager for Asia Pacific at ESG Solutions since August 2016, focusing on the development of the ESG Australasia business and client support. Prior experience includes a role as Principal at Golder Associates from 2004 to July 2016, providing senior technical direction in the Geomechanics group and leading a team of geophysicists. De Beer has also held directorship at iGeo Ltd, managed seismic data processing at ISSI, and instructed at the University of the Witwatersrand, where a PhD in Theoretical Physics and a Master of Science in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics were attained.

Dr. John Player has more than 30 years of experience in mining and geotechnical engineering. His experience has been broadly covered by 3 distinct episodes – 10 years of sites-based open pit and sublevel caving in mining production and geotechnical roles. 10 years at the Western Australian School of Mines undertaking his doctorate in the Dynamic Testing of Reinforcement Systems, in conjunction with undertaking other research work and building of testing equipment, and 10 years as the Director and Principal Engineer for MineGeoTech. Initially focused on site support roles for open stoping mines and then undertaking geotechnical pre-feasibility and Feasibility Studies for open pit and underground operations.

His technical specialties include:

• Dynamic testing and analysis of rock reinforcement and support systems, resulting in a vast knowledge of reinforcement response to dynamic energy, and using this knowledge in designing ground support schemes for these environments.
• Rock mass and ground support scheme response and design in a seismic and non-seismic environment.
• Statistical methods for rock mass description and analysis improving confidence in the results.
• Identifying and applying technology to forecast and assess rock mass response to excavation and utilising this information to implement sustainable mine designs.
• Open stope dilution/performance/sequencing and development.
• Longitudinal sublevel caving design, implementation, recoveries, and ground response to production.
• Assessment of rock mass conditions to forecast response to mining, then utilising this knowledge to establish better mine design and sequencing.

After completing his studies at the WA School of Mines (including his Doctorate on the Corrosion of rock reinforcement in underground excavations in 2008), Rhett has worked in underground mining across Queensland and Western Australia across a range of commodities including Lead, Silver & Zinc, Gold, and Diamonds. While having had a strong geotechnical focus, his roles have also encompassed drill & blast, scheduling and geology across sub-level open stoping and caving operations.He is currently Manager Operations and Technical Services for Mining and Civil Integrity Testing.

Dr John McGaughey is the founder and president of Mira Geoscience. He has extensive mining industry experience, focusing on quantitative, multi-disciplinary 3D and 4D analysis for mineral exploration and geotechnical decision support. Prior to founding Mira Geoscience, John spent 10 years in the Noranda Technology Centre as a senior scientist in their rock mechanics group. He obtained an MSc in geological engineering and a PhD in geophysics from Queen’s University in Canada.

In 2024, John was awarded the Grahame Sands Award by the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG). His work has consistently aimed to bridge the gap between geophysics and geology, ensuring that cutting-edge software solutions and methodologies better serve industries such as mineral exploration and geotechnical hazard assessment in mining operations.

Associate Professor Italo Onederra serves as the Director of the Centre for Future Autonomous Systems and Technologies (FAST) at the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. He leads a research group focused on improving mineral extraction methods with reduced environmental impact through advanced preconditioning and fragmentation techniques.

Recognised internationally as a specialist in explosives and blasting engineering technology, Italo holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with honours from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Engineering Science and PhD from the University of Queensland. With over 25 years of R&D experience and consulting work in Australia, South America, Africa, and Europe, Italo has demonstrated exceptional leadership and impact in both research and industry. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, contributed to technical reports and books, and co-invented novel nitrogen oxide-free explosives based on hydrogen peroxide. Italo is also known for developing fragmentation modelling techniques, which have been incorporated into commercial software used globally by industry and academia, as well as pioneering the use of physics engines in blast movement modelling to improve ore control and maximise recovery.

Dr D J (Rick) Brake is a Chartered Practicing Mining Engineer, based in Brisbane, Australia, with 50 years’ experience in mining. Rick graduated from the University of Queensland with First Class Honours in Mining Engineering, completed an MBA from Deakin University in 1991 and a PhD in Biophysics from Curtin University in 2002, where he developed the now globally recognised Thermal Work Limit heat stress index. He was Adjunct Associate Professor in the Resources Engineering discipline at Monash University from 2017 to early 2020. He is a Fellow of the AusIMM, a Registered Professional Engineer in Queensland and a member of the Mine Ventilation Society of Australia. He was Ventilation Superintendent for the four Mount Isa underground mines in the mid-1980s and subsequently had other senior management positions in mine technical services and operations. In 1999, he established his own very successful consulting firm, Mine Ventilation Australia, and has been sole director since that time. He has been a member of the Editorial or Organising Committees for many mine ventilation conferences in Australia, North America and South Africa. He has consulted on more than 150 mining projects globally and he been called as an expert witness in several legal proceedings. He has presented over 100 training courses on mine ventilation, egress and entrapment, heat stress, airborne contaminants and mine cooling and heating, has published 60 technical papers in these areas, and has been invited to present keynote speeches at many conferences. Recently, he published a highly-regarded, two-volume technical reference book Mine Ventilation—An Engineer's Manual. In 2017, he was conferred with the Howard Hartman award by the Society of Mining Engineers for “Outstanding Service in the Field of Mine Ventilation Engineering”, the first non-North American to be honoured with this distinction.