“My work focuses on the movement of critical raw materials across value chains, addressing system-level challenges in policy, processing, and circularity.”

My Perspective

A young woman smiles and looks over her shoulder while carrying a young child on her back in a brightly colored patterned wrap. They are outdoors with a field of tall green plants in the background.

I grew up in post-apartheid South Africa, where policy wasn’t abstract, it shaped everyday life. Access to land, water, and resources wasn’t just technical. It was political. Social. Human. Geology doesn’t operate in isolation, it sits inside systems of power, trust, and decision-making.

I’ve since worked across both resource-rich developing contexts and highly industrialised European systems, seeing firsthand how differently materials are valued, managed, and ultimately lost.

That contrast shaped how I think. Whether in emerging economies or advanced industrial systems, the challenge is the same:

We are not short of materials — we are short of systems that retain them!

From the Field to the System

A smiling man wearing a yellow safety helmet with a mining headlamp, safety glasses, and a blue work uniform with reflective patches.

As an exploration geologist in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, I’ve worked in some of the most remote, fragile and mineral-rich places on Earth.

That experience has changed how I see my role.

Resource decisions are not just about what is in the ground,
but about who benefits, what’s lost, and what happens next.

I see how technical work feeds into much larger economic, political, and social systems, where even small decisions can have long-term consequences.

It is clear that technical expertise alone is not enough.

See my work
See my work

Key Achievements & Impact

  • Resource Impact

    Identified new ore-forming events in the Kalahari manganese field and the Rustenburg platinum belt, and established the first robust age for Irish sulphide mineralisation, shifting the model from MVT to SEDEX

  • Funding & Research Delivery

    Secured over €134,000 in research funding grants and awards.

    Awarded the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence for Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Fellowship proposal

  • Programme Management

    Supported the management and delivery of a €700M+ national research portfolio, contributing to performance oversight, risk management, and ministerial reporting across large-scale, interdisciplinary programmes.

Experience & Training

Grounded in geology, shaped by policy, and applied across research, government and industry

Professional Experience

Scientific Programme Coordinator—Research Ireland

Exploration Geologist— iCRAG Research Centre

Senior Policy Analyst — Parliamentary Library

Policy Lead — Geothermal Association of Ireland

Exploration Geologist — Eramet South Africa

Education

PhD, Geology — University of Johannesburg

MSc, Geology — University of Johannesburg

BSc, Geology & Environmental Science — University of Johannesburg

PG Dip. Public Science Communication — University College Dublin

Advanced Cert. Project Management — University College Dublin