Dr. Elizabeth Bollen is a geologist with the Geological Survey of Alabama, U.S.A. She has extensive experience in geochemistry, petrology, thermodynamic modeling, geochronology, geologic mapping, and critical minerals. Dr. Bollen has 12 years of experience researching a variety of igneous and metamorphic terranes, including Fiordland, New Zealand; British Columbia, Canada; New Mexico, U.S.A.; and Alabama, U.S.A. Her work at the Geological Survey of Alabama is centered on applying multiple datasets to analyze Alabama’s critical mineral potential. She is currently focused on a state and federally funded project in the Alabama graphite-vanadium belt, which hosts the largest known estimates of flake graphite in the conterminous U.S.A. Dr. Bollen looks forward to collaborating with Sri Lankan researchers and sharing Alabama graphite research, which could lead to a better understanding of deposit petrogenesis, exploration criteria, and processing in both Sri Lanka and Alabama.

Dr. Brent Elliot is an economic geologist and professional geoscientist. He has been involved in mining and exploration related research for the past 30 years. He has worked on several continents, publishing research related to mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, economic geology and mineral resources. Dr. Elliott taught at Universities in Alabama and Texas and has taught a wide variety of geoscience and science education courses as a university professor over the past 25 years. He worked at the Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys in Alaska mapping mineral resources preforming mineral exploration. and recently spent three years with the Railroad Commission of Texas as Director of Surface Mining Division, which regulates permitting, inspection and reclamation of mining in Texas. He is an associate research professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology (the Geological Survey of Texas and research arm of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin) where he was responsible for research and development of the Economic Mineral Resource Program. His professional background and research has included a wide variety of mining commodities, including geochemical modeling of critical element and metallic deposits, geospatial tools for predictive mapping and exploration of industrial sand, aggregate materials, and other mined materials, novel approaches to mineral extraction from brines and other feedstocks, and evaluation and inventory of mineral resources across the state of Texas, including industrial minerals, uranium and coal.

Dr. Kent Griffith is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Affiliate Professor of Chemical and NanoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego. His areas of interest include materials synthesis and advanced characterization (solid-state NMR spectroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray and neutron diffraction, first-principles modeling) of batteries and other functional inorganic materials. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge for work on the discovery and mechanisms of new fast-charging and high-power electrodes for electrochemical energy storage. His postdoctoral work was at the interface of batteries, semiconductors, and exploratory materials synthesis at Northwestern University.

Kent has more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications, patents, and book chapters on lithium-ion batteries and next-generation energy technologies. His work has been recognized with a number of national (US and UK) and international awards including the Churchill Scholarship; the Sheelagh Campbell Electrochemistry Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry; the Charles Hatchett Award from the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM3); the Early Career Award from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council; and most recently as a finalist for the Solid State Ionics Young Scientist Award.

 James D. Kubicki is an American geochemist and academic administrator who currently serves as a Professor of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He is widely recognized for his pioneering work in computational geochemistry, specifically in the molecular modeling of environmental reactions.  Dr. Kubicki currently leads the Department of Earth, Environment and Resrouces at UTEP, prior to which he served as professor at Pennsylvania State Univesity for 17 years (1998-2015). He earned a B.S. in Geology from California State University, Fullerton (1983) and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics from Yale University (1990).

Dr. Kubicki research utilizes computational chemistry and quantum calculations to understand complex environmental systems at a molecular level. Key research areas include: (1) Mineral-water interactions and surface chemistry, (2) Plant cell wall components (cellulose and lignin chemistry), and (3) Thermodynamics and reaction mechanisms in geochemical systems.

Dr. Jesse G. Mosolf is a field geologist and program manager at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology with experience in geologic mapping, geochronology, GIS systems, and data preservation. His applied research interests are broad, spanning the tectonic modification and mineralization of the continental lithosphere over deep time to surficial geologic processes that impact geohydrology and natural hazards. Most of his observations and scientific inspiration are drawn from the field, starting with detailed geologic mapping followed by appropriate laboratory measurements, including geochemistry and radiometric age dating. At the U.S.–Sri Lanka Graphite Workshop, Dr. Mosolf aims to contribute expertise in geologic mapping, which is foundational to the discovery and development of graphite occurrences; engage with collaborators from academia, government, and industry; and learn more about international graphite supply chains. 

Dr. Emily Stewart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at Florida State University. She completed a BS in Geological Sciences from Indiana University, an MA from Boston University, and graduated from Yale University with a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences in 2020. After a brief postdoctoral position at California Institute of Technology, she joined the faculty at Florida State University in 2021. Her work focuses on linking rock metamorphism to global carbon cycling using a field-based observation-driven approach in tectonic settings from subduction zones to continental collisions to contact aureoles. She is particularly excited about exploring the relationship between metamorphic fluid flow and graphite mineralization

Dr. Stowell is a Professor of Geology at the University of Alabama. His interests and research include exploration for mineral resources with recent emphasis on graphite, construction of metamorphic pressure-temperature-time paths, constraining the sources of magmas in batholiths associated with subduction, and using garnet samarium-neodymium geochronology to construct the tectonic history of mountain belts and determine the timing of ore mineralization. Dr. Stowell has worked in Alabama, several parts of Alaska, British Columbia, Fiordland New Zealand, Manitoba, and Washington state.

Current projects include mapping, metamorphic studies, and geochronology in the Alabama Graphite Belt. The metamorphic rocks in this belt contain historically significant mines and one of the largest known graphite deposits in the lower 48 states of the U.S.

Dr. Ehsan Vahidi is an Assistant Professor and the John N. Butler Endowed Professor in Extractive Metallurgy at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research focuses on sustainable extractive metallurgy, critical materials recovery, and circular economy strategies for metals and minerals. He leads projects that integrate metallurgical process innovation with environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) to enable more resource-efficient and low-carbon pathways for metal production and recycling. Before joining the University of Nevada, Reno, Dr. Vahidi was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT and earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Purdue University. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Extractive Metallurgy, providing a strong foundation in mineral processing and metal recovery.