Dr. Qian Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining at Queen's University in Canada. He leads a research group fostering a roadmap of green mining in Canada and internationally through strategic management of sustainability and resilience challenges in the mining value chain.

Zhang's main research interests are climate change mitigation, mineral resource management, and urban sustainability. His research focuses on greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, carbon footprint analysis, and policy-oriented modelling of other environmental pressures (natural resource depletion, water scarcity, air pollution, solid waste, etc.) on the built environment using data-driven analytical methods, such as input-output analysis, material flow analysis, and life-cycle assessment.

Previously, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Victoria and the University of Tokyo. He has consulting experience in the area of climate and energy for the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Zhang earned a Ph.D. in Urban Engineering from the University of Tokyo, where he was a recipient of the Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship. He also holds an MSc in Environmental Science, a BSc in Environmental Science, and a Minor in Economics, all from Peking University.

Mr. Nicolas Pagé is an aspiring environmental consultant for the mining industry. He holds a BSc (Honours) degree from Queen's University, majoring in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Computing. This unique academic background equips him with a solid theoretical foundation in environmental topics as well as practical data analytical skills. 

Nicolas is set to commence his research-based master's degree in September 2023 under the guidance of Dr. Zhang in his lab. His thesis is on identifying Optimal Sites for Aquaculture in Southern Ontario Aggregate Pit Lakes: A Sustainable Post-Mining Land-Use Alternative.

Nicolas joined Pinchin Ltd. as an Environmental Project Technologist in April 2025.

Awards:

CIM 2025 Student Registration Award (sponsored by Hatch) 

The Komatsu Graduate Scholarship (2025)

Mitacs-JSPS Summer Research Fellowship (2024)

The R.S. McLaughlin Fellowship (2023, 24)

The Mel Williamson Scholarship (2023)

Graduate Entrance Tuition Award (2023)

Publications:

Demystifying the Landscape of Carbon Quantification and Reporting Standards: A Practical Note for the Financial Sector

Kailyn is a third-year undergraduate mining engineering student at Queen’s University with a strong commitment to improving sustainability in the mining industry. 

In the Summer of 2025, she is excited to work on a mine waste recycling research project, exploring innovative ways to reduce environmental impact. In September 2025, she will begin working as a reliability engineer at Canadian Natural Resources, where she will focus on equipment scheduling and risk management. 

Awards: 

Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship (2025)

Dr. Yvette Baninla is a lecturer from Cameroon who works at the University of Bamenda's Department of Geology, Mining, and Environmental Science. She holds a BSc degree in Geography from the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon, an MSc in Marine Affairs, from Xiamen University, China, and a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), China.

Dr. Baninla received a Chinese Government Scholarship (2013-2015), a fellowship from the World Academy of Sciences (2015-2019), and the Queen's Postdoctoral Fund (2022-2024). In 2020, she was specially appointed as a visiting assistant professor at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Japan. Her research interests are broadly focused on global and regional patterns and drivers of mineral production and consumption, with a particular emphasis on the African context. She also investigates the progress of climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa and its implications for peace and sustainability. She contributed to an IRP-UNEP report (2021) titled “Governing Coastal Resources - Implications for a Sustainable Blue Economy”.

She joined Zhang's research group as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2023. Her research focuses on revealing societal and technological challenges from ores to finished products in the cobalt value chain. Dr. Baninla has been appointed an adjunct assistant professor at Queen's University and has taught several courses in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Recently, Dr. Baninla was reappointed as a visiting professor at Hiroshima University (2025-2027), with funding from the University's Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability. She is also a fellow of the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN).

Dr. Yvette Baninla joined Prof. Mabee's group (Queen's Geography and Planning) as a postdoctoral fellow in May 2025.

Awards:

Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) Fellowship (2025-2027)

SGSPA Postdoc Travel Award (2024) 

Queen's Postdoctoral Fund (2022-2024)

Publications:

Evaluating the progress and identifying future improvement areas of mining's contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dr. Siavash Hedayati Nasab is an accomplished mechanical engineer with a passion for innovation and problem-solving. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tehran, Iran, where his fascination with the complexities of machines and systems began to flourish. Driven by a desire to contribute to the advancement of technology, he pursued higher education and earned his Master's and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics, at Concordia University.

Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Hedayati Nasab's research focused on developing novel methods to enhance energy efficiency in industrial processes. His work in Computational Fluid Dynamics and numerical simulations has garnered recognition and accolades from his peers, leading to several publications in reputable scientific journals.

Beyond academia, Dr. Hedayati Nasab has actively collaborated with industry partners, playing a pivotal role in translating theoretical concepts into practical applications.

He joined Zhang's research group as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2023, co-supervised by Dr. Jianu (UWindsor). His research focuses on life-cycle assessment and energy system modelling for carbon capture and valorization processes.

Dr. Hedayati Nasab joined Dr. Sari's group as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2025.

Mr. Batur Tokaç is a mining engineer who received his BSc degree in Mining Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey, in 2019. After graduation, he actively worked in mine planning and cost optimization in the industry.

He joined Zhang's research group as a MASc student in September 2021. His main research interests are mineral economics, surface and underground mine planning, mine optimization, mine systems analysis, and mine sustainability. His thesis works on "Environmental and Economic Comparison of Diesel and Electric Trucks in Open-Pit Mining Operations." 

Batur completed his master's degree in August 2023 and joined Dr. Sari's group as a PhD student at Queen's University.

Awards:

The Paul D. D. Chick Memorial Scholarship (2023)

Publications:

Environmental and economic comparison of diesel and electric trucks in open-pit mining operations

Nick is a 5th year applied mathematics and computer engineering undergraduate student originally from Vancouver, BC. He has previous experience in data science, software engineering, and sustainability consulting. As a volunteer research assistant, he is interested in applying analytical techniques to better understand the structure of global mineral supply chains and their environmental footprint. 

Nick graduated from Queen's University in May 2023 and joined Deloitte.

Dr. Da Huo is a geospatial specialist who received his Ph.D. degree in Geography from Texas A&M University in 2020. He also holds an MSc degree in Geoscience from Rice University and a BSc in Geophysics from Tongji University, China.

His Ph.D. dissertation facilitates our understanding of climate-glacier sensitivity in the Himalayas based on numerical simulations and satellite remote sensing. He has worked at the Center for Geospatial Sciences, Applications and Technology at Texas A&M University, where he developed remote sensing and geospatial applications to support carbon sequestration and bioenergy projects funded by the United States Department of Energy. He has strong modelling skills and experience in geographic information systems (GIS), satellite image processing, spatial statistics, and machine learning.

As a postdoctoral fellow, he worked with Drs. Zhang and Sari from July 2021 to August 2022. His primary research at Queen's University is investigating how much GHG emissions can be reduced by AI-powered transportation in open-pit mining operations.

Dr. Huo joined the University of Toronto as one of the Rising Stars in Clean Energy Postdoctoral Fellows in September 2022.

Publications:

Smart dispatching for low-carbon mining fleet: A deep reinforcement learning approach

Reinforcement Learning-Based Fleet Dispatching for Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction in Open-Pit Mining Operations