Our Team of Experts

Axel Müller is Professor of Mineralogy and Economic Geology at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, and the Head of the Norwegian Center for Mineralogy. He has 30 years’ expertise in exploration and research on mineralized granites and pegmatites. He provides expert advice and conducts surveys on geochemical trace-element-in-quartz mapping.

Ana Cláudia Teodoro is a Geospatial Engineering (PhD) and an Associate Professor at the University of Porto, Portugal. She participates as a researcher and coordinator in several EU projects related to remote sensing and mining. She provides expert services on remote sensing and image processing for mining exploration.

Encarnación Roda-Robles is Associate Professor of Ore Deposits at the University of the Basque Country. She has made research on pegmatites and related rocks for 35 years. She and her team offer detailed petrographic characterization of pegmatites and expert advice in the study of pegmatite´s wall rock halos using whole-rock chemistry.

Alexandre Lima is an Associate Professor of Geological Exploration at the University of Porto, boasting over 25 years of research experience in pegmatites and related rocks. Together with his dedicated team, he provides extensive expertise in various exploration techniques, especially in the morphological identification of pegmatites using laser imaging, detection, and ranging. Additionally, he offers specialized guidance on the application of portable LIBS technology.

Mario Hopfner holds an MSc in Geophysics from Freiberg University of Mining and Technology. He works at IfU GmbH, where he is responsible for both ground geophysical and drone-borne services with a variety of geophysical and imaging sensors for agricultural and mineral exploration purposes. He is participating in many national and international projects and campaigns.

Associate Professor Julian Menuge is a geochemist and mineralogist with 30 years’ research experience on the geochemistry and mineralogy of ore deposits, especially rare metal pegmatites. He offers expert advice on the design and planning of soil chemical mapping surveys for rare metal pegmatite exploration.

Associate Professor Ben Williamson is a mineralogist and geochemist with 30 years’ research experience in the petrogenesis of granites and pegmatites and exploration for associated deposits. He offers field and laboratory characterization of pegmatite rocks, petrogenetic interpretation and exploration knowhow using stream sediment and soil sampling and analysis.

Frances Wall is Professor of Applied Mineralogy at Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter. Recent research has involved linking geology to responsible sourcing of critical minerals. In GREENPEG, Frances led a workpackage that used life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impacts of exploration techniques and considered community interests and concerns.

Dr Kate Taylor Smith is a specialist in social and environment best practice in mineral exploration. Kate was a GREENPEG research fellow at the University of Exeter and has 25 years’ experience in geoscience education, research and project management. Kate offers ESG training and expertise in social best practice.

Dr Marco Brönner leads the Geophysics team at the Norwegian Geological Survey. With over 25 years of experience in both industry and research as a geophysicist, he specializes in the interpretation of various geophysical data. Marco provides expert advice on exploring pegmatites using the piezoelectric seismograph.

Klaus Brauch is a geologist and since 1989 he is a managing director of terratec geophysical services Germany with branches in Namibia, Niger and Bulgaria. He has over 35 years of experience in applied geophysics and geological interpretation and provides expert advice on method selections and ground, borehole logging and airborne geophysical services.

Dr Claudia Pohl has 21 years of working experience in geology and applied geophysics. She works for terratec geophysical services since 2006 and is mainly responsible for the execution, interpretation, and project management of geophysical wireline logging. She can advise on the selection of geophysical methods for pegmatite exploration.

Dr Kerstin Saalmann is a structural geologist at the Geological Survey of Norway with over 25 years of research experience in mapping, structural geology, and tectonics in various geological settings. A significant part of research concerns the structural and tectonic controls of mineralization. She has been involved in research projects in the Arctic, Fennoscandia, Southern Brazil, and different countries in Africa.