Dr Lebogang Babedi

I am a geologist and geometallurgy researcher working at the interface between economic geology, mineralogy and mineral processing. My work focuses on understanding how mineralogical and geochemical variability within an orebody influences its response during processing. I hold a PhD in Geology from Stellenbosch University and currently work as an Innovation Fellow at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, where I conduct industry-linked research in process mineralogy, critical minerals and geometallurgy. Before joining Exeter, I spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining at Queen’s University in Canada, where my research focused on sulphide mineral processing and flotation. 

My background combines geology with practical mineral processing. My MSc and PhD research examined how changes in the chemistry of sulphide minerals affect their structure, surface properties, electrochemical behaviour and response during flotation. This work developed my interest in mineral chemistry as a source of geometallurgical information, particularly where variations within the same mineral species result in different processing responses. 

My current work extends this approach to critical-mineral systems, where I develop geometallurgical workflows that integrate mineralogical variability with processing strategies. I have experience across sulphide ores, lithium-bearing ores and complex critical-mineral systems, supported by laboratory experience in flotation, grinding, electrochemistry, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XRF, micro-XRF, hyperspectral analysis and elemental analysis. 

I also bring practical mining experience from Vergenoeg Fluorspar Mine in South Africa, where I gained exposure to grade control, pit sampling, mineralogical analysis, flotation plant operations, metallurgical sampling and laboratory analysis. This combination of geology, mineral processing and analytical mineralogy has shaped my approach to geometallurgy, with a strong interest in translating mineralogical information into data that supports ore characterisation and processing decisions.