2024 Speakers

Dr. Alexei Rukhlov

Speaking At:

• Advances in Geoscience

Dr. Alexei Rukhlov, P.Geo. has been studying carbonatites of the Fennoscandian shield through his undergraduate and graduate theses at the St. Petersburg State University. His post-doctoral research at Carleton University focused on isotopes in carbonatites worldwide, and Alexei has enjoyed exploring for carbonatite-hosted critical metals in British Columbia. As a Provincial Geochemist with the BC Geological Survey, Alexei continues to investigate Cordilleran carbonatites.

Rowena Gunn

Speaking At:

• Commodities and Financial Markets

Bio coming soon.

Melanie Werdon

Speaking At:

• Regional Overviews

Melanie Werdon has worked as an industry exploration and mine geologist, a geologist with the U.S.G.S., and since 1999, as a geologic mapper and geological scientist for the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. She currently serves as chief of the Mineral Resources section, which focuses on providing industry with regional airborne geophysical surveys, geologic maps, and supporting geoscience databases for Alaska’s mineral districts.

Gabriela Brandao

Speaking At:

• Theme Session

Gabriela Brandao is the Director of Orebody Knowledge at Teck Resources. She is a Resource Geologist with 18 years of consultancy and industry experience predominantly in base and precious metals in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Chile. Gabi is enthusiastic about bringing people with diverse skillsets together to lead change.

Thomas Branson

Speaking At:

• BC, Yukon & Alaska

Thomas is an EGBC-registered professional geologist with over 15 years experience. He earned his B.Sc. from UBC and an M.Sc. in Exploration Geology from Rhodes University in South Africa. To date, Thomas has helped organize, manage, and oversee >$80M in exploration expenditures and >210,000 m of greenfield and brownfield drilling.

David R. Cooke

Speaking At:

• Precious Metals

Professor David Cooke is the Director of CODES, the Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences at the University of Tasmania. In collaboration with his students, postdoctoral research fellows and research colleagues, David has been researching hydrothermal and magmatic processes that lead to porphyry copper and epithermal gold ore formation since the mid-1980s.

David’s team have also been studying mineralogical and geochemical halos to porphyry and epithermal deposits for almost two decades, developing new geochemical exploration tools for the minerals industry, which was recognized with the inaugural AMIRA International Award for Geoscience Research Excellence in 2012.

David received the Society of Economic Geologists’ Thayer Lindsley lecturer award in 2005, the SEG Silver Medal in 2013, the Australian Academy of Science’s Haddon Forrester King Medal in 2018, the Association of Applied Geochemists’ Cameron-Hall Copper Medal in 2020 and was the SEG Distinguished Lecturer in 2021. He has been an Associate Editor of Economic Geology since 2001.

Dr. Thomas Mumford

Speaking At:

• BC, Yukon & Alaska

Dr. Mumford – VP Exploration of Scottie Resources, is a registered professional geologist with Engineers and Geoscientists – British Columbia (EGBC) with a comprehensive field, technical and academic background in the Golden Triangle mining district. Dr. Mumford has served as a lecturer at Carleton University and British Columbia Institute of Technology. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from University of New Brunswick, and was awarded the Leopold Gélinas medal for the best M.Sc. thesis from the GAC Volcanology and Igneous Petrology division. He also holds a Ph.D. from Carleton University focused on magmatic controls for the Thor Lake REE deposit in the Northwest Territories.

Gordon Clarke

Speaking At:

• Regional Overviews

Bio coming soon.

Jill Tsolinas

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session

Bio coming soon.

Melissa Render

Speaking At:

• Precious Metals

An exploration geologist with 15 years’ experience focused on orogenic gold. Managed exploration projects worldwide from grassroots to advanced stages in greenstone belts including the Abitibi, Eastern Goldfields, Hope Bay, Central Lapland and Banfora for companies such as Kinross Gold, AngloGold Ashanti and TMAC Resources. 3 years as a consultant specializing in target generation, 3D modelling, data management and exploration program design.

Cooper Quinn

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session

Bio coming soon.

Andrea Rutley

Speaking At:

• Theme Session

Bio coming soon.