Our Journey

2005 – 2007

The CET was founded in 2005, with $2.1M State Government funding secured for long-term sustainability, enabling strategic hires and infrastructure.

The shared goal of the founders was to create a research centre based on a long-term business model with a strong emphasis on industry-driven research in areas such as gold, nickel, iron ore, geophysics, and risk and value analysis.

Photo from left to right: A/Prof Cam McCuaig (Inaugural Director), Prof. Steffen Hagemann (Deputy Director), Dr. Jim Ross (Inaugural Strategic Advisory Board Chair), Dr. Jon Hronsky (Strategic Advisory Board Chair)

2007 – 2015

Between 2005 and 2015, the Centre expanded rapidly, growing its staff, students and research programs, launching the MSc in Ore Deposit Geology, and investing in world-class analytical facilities.

This period also saw major research outputs, innovative exploration tools, and the establishment of large-scale national and international collaborations, strengthening the Centre’s leadership in mineral systems science and exploration research.

2015 – 2025

From 2016, the Centre entered a new phase marked by leadership transition and renewal, with successive Directors guiding its strategic direction and the establishment of the Technical Working Group to strengthen coordination and delivery.

The Centre led and contributed to major, long-running research initiatives across Africa, Australia and South America, while integrating data science, AI and machine learning into exploration workflows.