Upcoming TALKS

Title: Good Physics Isn't Enough: Why Exploration Technologies Live or Die

Date: Tuesday, October 13th at 4PM Eastern

Speaker:  Andrea Rutley, BHP

Location: University of Toronto, Department of Earth Sciences, Room ES2093 (22 Ursula Franklin Street) and online. Register for the virtual session here - Register

Abstract: 

For every exploration technology that becomes an industry standard, others with equally sound science either quietly disappear or never get used in anger. As the search for new deposits moves under deeper cover, the industry needs better tools more than ever, and research keeps delivering new geophysical and geochemical techniques. With many that don’t make it into routine use, despite promising trials, what decides which ones make it?

BHP's FALCON™ gravity gradiometer went from feasibility study to commercial surveys in six years. Rival systems with similar ambitions spent close to two decades in development and never became commercial. Methods such as Typhoon™, muon tomography and PhotonAssay™, are in different stages of development and/or use, in relatively short timeframes. What did they get right?

This talk looks past the hardware to the people, organisations and market forces behind each story, and reaches some surprising conclusions about what really takes a technology from the lab to the field.

Author Biography: 

Andrea Rutley is a globally experienced mining executive with over 30 years shaping technical excellence and leadership across the industry. Most recently, as Vice President of Technical & Analytics at Anglo American, she led mine planning, geoscience, geotechnical engineering, and analytics across large, diverse teams, driving transformation and strengthening operational performance.

She has contributed to industry innovation through her board role with Australian Coal Research Limited and as part of Anglo American’s Steelmaking Coal Executive Leadership Team. Andrea is known for her ability to unite technical vision with purposeful leadership, fostering safer, more resilient, and more sustainable operations.

Recognised as runner-up for the 2025 Exceptional Woman in Resources Award and recipient of the ASEG Geophysical Service Award, Andrea is a former President of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Andrea is a Director of Women Geoscientists in Canada focused on supporting and developing diversity within the geoscience community. She is currently embarking on a Ph.D. on mining risk and organizational design at the University of British Columbia and is working with BHP on benchmarking global resource characterization effectiveness.