Today we are talking to Dr Sarah Weihmann and Dr. Frank Charlier at RWTH Aachen University’s chair of Repository safety.

Who are researching how to safely manage, store and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. 

Understanding how this waste is managed is critical for the future of nuclear energy in Europe, regaining public acceptance and building awareness is perhaps even more critical now that other energy sources are coming under pressure from the Iranian conflict.

So, it is a great opportunity to catch up with them while I’m here in Aachen and learn about more about repository safety what research is underway and how that may impact us all.

It will also be interesting to hear how this downstream activity could impact the upstream mining exploration, extraction and processing activities of uranium in Europe. 

We will also discuss how the perception of the nuclear industry along with mining is changing and why this is a great opportunity for students to build a career in the industry.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sarah-weihmann-39793369/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-charlier-a31457124/

For more information on RWTH Aachen University’s chair of Repository safety, its projects and education opportunities please use this link  http://www.els.rwth-aachen.de/

Other RWTH institutes involved with the EMC program;

Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies https://www.amt.rwth-aachen.de/en/home.html

Institute of Mineral Resources Engineering https://mre.rwth-aachen.de/en/?noredirect=en_US

Advanced Mineral Processing Technology center  https://www.amr.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/eaty/?lidx=1

Today we are talking to Professor Tobias Vraetz at RWTH Aachen University’s department of Advanced Mineral Processing Technologies at the faculty of Geo-resources and Materials Engineering.Tobias recently joined RWTH, so it is a great opportunity to catch up with him and see what he has planned. What research topics he is focused on and where he sees mining education developing in the coming years. It will also be interesting to hear how collaboration with industry is helping to drive research and why Mining and raw material processing is so important for the green transition and meeting the supply needs of future European industrial activity. Links:Prof. Tobias Vraetz https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvraetz/FEMP and European Mining Course https://femp.org/about-the-european-mining-course/For more information on the Advanced Mineral Processing Technology center, its project and education opportunities please use this link https://www.amr.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/eaty/?lidx=1Other RWTH institutes involved with the EMC program;Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies https://www.amt.rwth-aachen.de/en/home.htmlInstitute of Mineral Resources Engineering https://mre.rwth-aachen.de/en/?noredirect=en_US

The 2025 cohort of the EMC (European Mining Course) have arrived in Aachen for their 2nd semester.

They share their insights into the program and thoughts on the future of mining in Europe.

If your interested in learning more about the program please visit https://femp.org/about-the-european-mining-course/

2025 has been an important year for the mining industry in Europe, the critical raw material act starts to gain some real results, so I'm looking back on 2025 and thinking about what it might mean for the future.

Sources / reading for show notes (key references):

·       JRC / Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) — supply/demand analysis and battery raw-materials commentary. RMIS - Raw Materials Information System+1

·       IEA — Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 (supply-demand figures for lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, rare earths). iea.blob.core.windows.net

·       European Commission / Critical Raw Materials pages and policy targets (CRMA 2030 targets context). Internal Market and SMEs+1

·       Representative project stories (Vulcan Energy / Greenland Amitsoq graphite) for concrete production examples. 

• European Commission — list of 47 Strategic Projects (March 25, 2025). European Commission+1
• Sandvik press release and European Investment Bank loan (November 2025, €500m). Sandvik Group+1
• Vulcan Energy financing announcement (December 2025 reporting). Financial Times
• Greenland’s Amitsoq graphite permit / GreenRoc (December 2025). Reuters

·       EIT RawMaterials — ERMAcademy and education initiatives (May 2025). eit.europa.eu+1

Dr Ben Wilson is a senior Scientist at Aalto Universities School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering.

We discuss article he recently co-write with Professor Mari Lundström title "Five things everyone should know about the materials powering the green Transition" and he share his insights into the critical raw material processing, recycling and into how BATCircle 3.0 is impacting the industry.

We also discuss the future of the industry and importance of education.

If you want to read the article please use this link https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/five-things-everyone-should-know-about-the-materials-powering-the-green-transition

Prof. Rodrigo Serna is the head of department for the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at Aalto University, and also chair of FEMP so has a unique perspective share with us on how mining education is evolving to better suit the needs of both industry and students.

We also discuss innovation and what is driving the future of mining within the critical raw material processing sector.

If you are interested in learning more about Aalto University school of Chemical and metallurgical engineering you can use this link https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-chemical-and-metallurgical-engineering

I always have to laugh when I hear that Tesla are going to be launching their autonomous taxi, I think Musk has been says it’s just around the corner for the last 10 years.

Meanwhile Autonomous haul trucks have already moved billions of tons of material at mines in multiple continents. 

So this week I’ve been think about how Autonomy will impact potential students entering the industry.

I start of by looking the status of Autonomous equipment and vehicles in the industry today and what is around the corner. Also think about how this will impact the labour market which has its own constraints here in Europe. 

I’m confident the increase in use and the sophistication of these technologies will help revitalise the industry in the EU, creating enormous opportunities the next generation of Mining Engineers, as they develop the future of mining in Europe.

Recently geopolitical tension has really highlighted the need for action to secure our supply of critical raw materials and reindustrialise Europe. 

I was encouraged by my recently visit to the Raw Material Summit in Brussels, where the call to action is gaining momentum.

So this week I’ve been think about how the act will impact potential students entering the industry.

I’m confident the introduction of the Act will help revitalise the industry in the EU, creating enormous opportunities the next generation of Mining Engineers, as they develop the future of mining in Europe.

The Future of Mining podcast episode 1. Mining Education for the future: Attracting new talent to the industry.Thinking about how Academia and Industry can work together to attract the next generation of Mining Engineers?For more information about FEMP click here https://femp.org