Career Overview
Leigh joined Whittle Consulting in 2023 in the role of Technical Services Specialist. Leigh is a skilled Geologist and Research Scientist, with an active interest and expertise in critical/strategic technology metals and energy resources.
With a PhD in Geology from the Economic Geology Research Centre at James Cook University in Townsville, Leigh leverages his knowledge of geochemistry, minerology, and complex systems towards his career objective: securing and facilitating the sustainable development of natural resources and emerging technologies. Leigh is adept in the exploration of critical resources, including Technology Metals and Helium in Eastern Africa and Australia. Leigh has since complemented his academic learnings with valuable resource development, open pit, and underground production experience within the Mining Industry of Western Australia.
Most recently, Leigh worked as a Geologist for an ambitious TSX listed gold mining operation in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Here, Leigh collaborated to consolidate and expand existing geological databases and resource models to drive production and processing schedules. This experience is invaluable in his new role at Whittle Consulting, as Leigh understands firsthand the daily challenges mining operations face to maintain congruent datasets, optimise performance, deliver on strategy and ultimately, increase economic value.
Leigh approaches mining data holistically and maintains a broad, active interest in economics, supply-chains, large-scale data leverage and complex systems thinking. This, along with a principled understanding of chemistry, petrology, and tectonics enables Leigh to contextualise the extractive, processing, logistic and economic implications of mineral resources and operations.
Leigh is experienced in quality Geoscience data acquisition, validation, integration, management, and packaging for academic and industry publications. Leigh retains proficiency with a range of data modelling and visualisation programmes including Excel, Surpac and Leapfrog. In his new role at Whittle Consulting, Leigh leverages these learnings within the powerful framework of the proprietary Whittle Consulting Prober software.
Career Highlights
- Leigh’s PhD in Geology described the magmatism, rare-metal processes, and early-rift geodynamics of the Western Branch of the East African Rift.
- Leigh’s research produced an applied mineralogical framework for the exploration and identification of rare-metal systems in the global geological record. This framework also currently supports exploration and reservoir identification efforts in the Helium industry.
- Whilst in the Eastern Goldfields, Leigh made integral contributions to the resource development, pre-production and commencement of multiple open-pit and underground gold operations. Leigh’s research background and systems-based approach assisted to generate and communicate ore development and management strategies.
- Leigh contributed to the redevelopment, refinement, and updating of Whittle Consulting’s in-house block model, a key educational resource for the Strategic Mine Planning Seminar.
- Granted the Deans Award for Research Higher Degree Excellence by the James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland for his Doctoral Research.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Geology (with Honours), James Cook University Townsville, Queensland Australia.
- PhD Geology, James Cook University Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Memberships
- Geochemical Society (GS)
- Specialist Group for Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology (SGGMP)
- Geological Society of Australia (GSA)