Signature Series - Professor Saleem H. Ali, Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware (USA)

Signature lecture: Industrial Ecology and Systems-wide Efficiency Improvements in Mineral Extraction

Presenter: Professor Saleem H. Ali, Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware (USA)
Lead for Critical Metals
United Nations University
Martin Green Fellow, UNSW

Watch it here:

Pending — video will be added w/​o 21 Sept 2026

Abstract
The paradigm of industrial ecology has evolved over the past three decades as a systems science approach to harmonizing industrial and natural systems. This presentation will explore how this nascent interdisciplinary field of academic inquiry is being applied to minerals science and engineering as we aim to develop more ecologically efficient processes. Research on the application of industrial ecology to comparing mineral extraction processes from terrestrial ores versus deep sea mining will be shared as an example of how this approach can be more broadly utilized by the mining industry and public sector regulators alike.

Biography

Distinguished Professor of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware (USA). He also serves as Lead for Critical Metals at the United Nations University and is currently a Martin Green Fellow at UNSW in Australia. Before embarking on an academic career, Prof. Ali worked as an environmental health and safety professional at General Electric Corporation. He received his doctorate in environmental planning from MIT and a Masters in Environmental Studies from Yale. His books include Sustainability: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford)