NAME: Mark Pearce
CURRENT TITLE: Research Scientist / Team Leader: Geoscience to Geometallurgy ORGANISATION: CSIRO Mineral Resources AREA OF EXPERTISE: Geology – especially rock deformation and fluid-rock reactions, Microstructural characterisation using X-ray and electron microscopy techniques. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 8 years post PhD EDUCATION: I graduated with an MGeol in Geological Sciences from the University of Leeds in 2005 which included spending a year abroad at the University of California, Davis. I was awarded a PhD in geology from the University of Liverpool in 2009. WEBSITE/TWITTER: CSIRO Profile |
What does your job involve?
My job is primarily focused on how and why mineral deposits form and how we can find them more efficiently. My role in this search is to explore the world of microanalytical geoscience to find the best ways to answer these often complicated questions. If I am lucky I get to go and collect my own rocks from the field, which can be anything from a mine site core yard to the middle of nowhere in outback Australia. I run my own projects liaising with industry to understand their problems and then put together a team that will be able to address them. The multiscale nature of the work means that I have to work other geoscientists to make sure the microanalysis is targeting the right parts of the mineral system. I also work on developing analytical methods and workflows that industry customers don’t even know might be useful yet. These include linking in nano to atom scale processes, which are usually neglected in mineral exploration, using the amazing facilities available in Perth. As a team leader at CSIRO I have 4 other people to look after, make sure they complete their expense reports, approve their holiday and help plan their future projects.
My job is primarily focused on how and why mineral deposits form and how we can find them more efficiently. My role in this search is to explore the world of microanalytical geoscience to find the best ways to answer these often complicated questions. If I am lucky I get to go and collect my own rocks from the field, which can be anything from a mine site core yard to the middle of nowhere in outback Australia. I run my own projects liaising with industry to understand their problems and then put together a team that will be able to address them. The multiscale nature of the work means that I have to work other geoscientists to make sure the microanalysis is targeting the right parts of the mineral system. I also work on developing analytical methods and workflows that industry customers don’t even know might be useful yet. These include linking in nano to atom scale processes, which are usually neglected in mineral exploration, using the amazing facilities available in Perth. As a team leader at CSIRO I have 4 other people to look after, make sure they complete their expense reports, approve their holiday and help plan their future projects.
What’s a typical day like?
I start the day at a local café having a coffee with my husband and then head to work. As with many researchers, days are quite varied depending on what projects I am working on. I might spend the day looking at new samples on the SEM or setting up chemical maps on our Tornado μXRF mapper. A kit if these task are semi-automated so once they are running then I can get on with processing existing data, writing reports, turning project results into papers or preparing presentations for the industry customers depending on where we are in the project. I also have to look after my team and we have regular team meetings with plenty of cake or I have a bit of a wander round their offices for a chat. My desk is in an open plan office so there is plenty of discussion that goes on about a whole range of things that you don’t get when you’re locked away in an office. All this is punctuated with regular visits to the coffee machine and visits to the local sushi train for lunch!
I start the day at a local café having a coffee with my husband and then head to work. As with many researchers, days are quite varied depending on what projects I am working on. I might spend the day looking at new samples on the SEM or setting up chemical maps on our Tornado μXRF mapper. A kit if these task are semi-automated so once they are running then I can get on with processing existing data, writing reports, turning project results into papers or preparing presentations for the industry customers depending on where we are in the project. I also have to look after my team and we have regular team meetings with plenty of cake or I have a bit of a wander round their offices for a chat. My desk is in an open plan office so there is plenty of discussion that goes on about a whole range of things that you don’t get when you’re locked away in an office. All this is punctuated with regular visits to the coffee machine and visits to the local sushi train for lunch!
What’s challenging?
Convincing people that the microscale matters. When you look at a gold mine that might be up to 1km deep with 200 tonne trucks moving piles of rocks around it is easy to see how people are sceptical that we can add anything with chemical analysis at a scale 10 orders of magnitude smaller. However, our work has shown time and again that microscale processes control macroscale element distributions and X-rays are part of the analysis story at all scales. |
Any advice to people looking for a career in X-ray/neutron/electron analysis?
Don’t get too obsessed with one type of analysis. The old saying that when you have a hammer every problem looks like a nail is very true in research. Different radiation/particles are good for different materials and problems. Be open minded because in my experience the best results come from a carefully chosen combination of analyses. |
What do you love about working with X-rays?
I am always amazed at how many different things you can do with X-rays. Most of my time has been spent looking chemistry using XRF but coupling that with diffraction means that you can pretty much nail down what’s in a material and how it’s arranged. We are currently in the final stages of testing a brand new μXRF element mapping system, the Maia Mapper, which is a lab instrument based on CSIRO technology developed for synchrotrons. It is generating huge datasets that mean we can see chemical variations in drill core like never before and it’s mind-blowing. |
Why is it good to be involved with AXAA?
AXAA provides a network of passionate, extraordinarily clever researchers who are both interested in what you have to say about your science, and offer advice to solve your problems. Geoscience problems are generally much more poorly constrained than many materials characterisation studies but the interface that AXAA provides means that we can make progress using the most up to date techniques and ideas. |