Exciting news! After three fantastic years with the Geological Survey of Canada, I’m heading west for new adventures – in April 2025 I’ll be joining the faculty at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan campus (UBCO) as an Assistant Professor of Economic Geology, and I’m looking for enthusiastic students to join my team!
If you are interested in doing a PhD or MSc on deformation, mineral deposits, and resources for the green energy transition, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss potential projects.
I currently have one PhD project available, looking at critical metals in remobilized sulfides (more info on the Prospective Students page), to start in September 2025. If you are interested, please email me by 1 December 2024 (to allow one-on-one discussions before the UBCO registration deadline of 31 January 2025).
I also have various other potential projects in the works (mostly focused on the emplacement and deformation of lithium-bearing pegmatites), contingent on funding. Feel free to reach out if you are interested in these topics.
My research interests are broad, but currently my main focus areas include:
- What are the tectonic and structural controls on where mineral deposits form (be they massive sulphide, orogenic gold, or rare metal pegmatite)?
- What happens when these mineral deposits are deformed and metamorphosed (in particular, what happens to any critical and precious metals they contain)?
- And what determines how the crust deforms? (I’m talking all things rheology, strain localization, and shear zone geometry here)
I particularly enjoy borrowing methods and ideas from a variety of fields to tackle complex questions, and to try identify overarching controls on geological processes. If you find my work interesting and have any questions, or are interested in collaborating, feel free to contact me!
You can also find me on:
- ResearchGate
- Twitter: @RockMunki
- Instagram: @RockMunki
- Email: [email protected]