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Ore Deposits and Commodities Senior Economic Geologist, British Geological Survey
As BGS Team Leader for Ore Deposits and Commodities, Paul is responsible for a programme of international research spanning two areas, both emphasising the security of supply of raw materials for decarbonisation of the economy and resource management: i) ore deposit formation, particularly of ‘critical’ metal deposits; and ii) mineral statistics and data analysis, to understand the supply-demand dynamics of metals and material lifecycles to inform assessment of supply risk. Paul’s own research interests have evolved from land-based mineral exploration, focussed on orogenic gold, to volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralisation and rare metal pegmatites, to modern seafloor hydrothermal systems and extinct seafloor massive sulphide deposits. His latest work focuses on the formation and critical metal potential of deep-ocean ferromanganese crusts.
Paul is a Chartered Geologist and has worked extensively in the developing world, mainly on issues related to capacity building for resource management. He is a representative of the Geological Society of London on the Pan-European Reserves & Resources Reporting Committee, an Operational Group Member of the European EIP on Raw Materials, and was a member of the Royal Society Working Group that published ‘Future Ocean Resources: Metal-rich Minerals and Genetics’ in 2017.