Events
The AMUG User
Group meetings
Every meeting brings new and expert users together — across industry and academia — for technical discussion, workshops and direct dialogue with the technology providers.
The next meeting
AMUG 2028
The next Automated Mineralogy User Group Meeting is coming in 2028. Location, dates and program to be announced — register your interest to be the first to hear.
Previous meetings
Themed "not taking mineralogy for granted," AMUG 2026 was hosted by the University of Queensland's Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. It opened with a day of hands-on workshops, followed by two days of technical presentations, vendor showcases and interactive breakout forums spanning exploration, mineral processing, research and environmental applications.
View the full 2026 program
- Introduction stream · Room 314
- —
SEM and X-rays
Angus Netting
- —
Mineralogy
Zoe Dimarco
- Advanced stream · Room 315
- —
Complimentary techniques
Nathan Fox
- —
Mineral processing
Bevin
- Evening
- 18:00
Networking evening
- 9:00
Introduction
Matthew Ng — AMUG Committee
- Theme 1 · Foundations & Standards
- 9:10
Guest Speaker: Alan Butcher
- 9:50
Read Between the Grains: Northparkes Mineralogy
Jessie Milo — Evolution Mining
- Theme 2 · Technology Showcase
- 11:00
Rethinking Automated Mineralogy: Algorithmic Advances
Aukje Benedictus — Thermo Fisher
- 11:20
AMICS 6 Release
Chi Ly
- 12:00
TIMA
TESCAN
- Theme 3 · Interactive Breakout Forums
- 13:30
How can automated mineralogy vendors help you?
- Theme 4 · Integrated Data & Multi-Tech Workflows
- 15:30
Introduction to MinDet
Eiman Amini — Mindet
- 15:50
Building Confidence Through a QA/QC Framework
Kurt Moeller — ALS
- 16:10
AI and Machine Learning in Automated Mineralogy
Marco A. Acevedo Zamora — QUT
- 16:30
Post Processing
Pieter Botha — Rio Tinto
- 17:30
Networking dinner
- 9:00
Introduction
- Theme 5 · Applications & Industry Case Studies
- 9:10
Guest Speaker: Anita Parbhakar-Fox
Klohn Crippen Berger / University of Queensland
- 9:30
UMAP Fusion of Optical, Chemical & Electron Microscopy Data — Pigeon Pyroclastics, Canada
Zoe Dimarco — UQ
- 9:50
Sample Preparation
Jennifer Cooper — Newmont
- Theme 6 · Advanced Applications & Case Studies
- 11:00
Multi-Scale Mineralogy
Zofia / Daniel — AXT
- 11:20
Cluster Analysis for Mineralogy
Alex Walker — Curtin University
- 11:40
From Imaging to Insight: Automated Mineralogy on CIQTEK SEM
Emily Chen — MP Scientific
- Theme 7 · Emerging Applications & Technical Insights
- 13:30
GeoMineral AI Insights
Chi Ly — Bruker / Hitachi
- 13:50
A Fully Automatic Combined BSE/EDS Probabilistic Model for Phase Identification
Michael Owen — Thermo Fisher
- 14:10
Automated SEM in Exploration
Rebecca Pohrib — BHP
- Theme 8 · Feedback & Future
- 15:30
Feedback, future & open discussion
- 16:30
Close
Held under the umbrella of AMAS at The Lantern in the Curtin University Library, the 2024 meeting drew over 80 researchers, industry professionals and PhD students to Perth for two days of presentations, discussion and networking.
Topics ranged from the fundamentals through to complementary analytical techniques, computer vision for rapid mineralogy, value creation through geometallurgy, using the Heavy Mineral Map of Australia for exploration, sample preparation and unusual mineral observations.
"The user group meeting was excellent — a valuable opportunity for users and suppliers to engage in deeper discussions. I hope this continues in the future."Instrument supplier
View the full 2024 program
- 9:10
Fundamentals
Aukje Benedictus — Thermo Fisher
- 9:30
Quality Control in Automated Mineralogy
Mike MacDonald — Newmont
- 9:50
Data Integration
Will Powell — Rio Tinto
- 10:10
Cobalt deportment studies
Paige Honor — Bureau Veritas
- Vendor sessions
- 11:00
Evident · TIMA (TESCAN) · Maps Mineralogy (Thermo Fisher) · AMICS (NewSpec)
- Afternoon
- 13:30
Breakout groups — technical & vendor discussions
- 17:30
Networking event
- 9:10
Integrating petrographic optical microscopy and image analysis
Marco Acevedo — UQ
- 9:30
Integration of QEMSCAN/TIMA with complementary techniques
Qinglin Meng — ALS
- 9:50
Quantitative Downhole Mineralogy from RC Chips via µXRF
Jason Bennett — PSS
- 11:00
Unusual Cu-Zn alloys in the Australian regolith
Alex Walker — Curtin
- 11:20
Deportment study for gold-antimony at Hillgrove NSW
Jing Li — AMI
- 12:00
Analysing Graphite
Peter Austin — CSIRO
- 13:30
Advancing Archaeology through automated mineralogy
Ingrid Ward — Curtin
- 15:50
Domaining for resource definition
Rebecca Pohrib — BHP
- 16:30
Extracting mineral chemistry from TIMA & ML possibilities
Louise Schoneveld — CSIRO
A selection of the 25+ presentations across the two days. CSIRO generously supported PhD-student attendance.
AMUG 2022 in Adelaide was the first new User Group meeting in almost a decade — breaking the hiatus that had lasted since 2014 and reconnecting the automated mineralogy community.
The market had changed considerably in the intervening years. The revival re-established the User Group as a forum for technical discussion between users and, crucially, a channel for direct feedback to the technology providers — laying the foundations for the meetings that have followed.
Don't miss AMUG 2028
Register your interest and we'll keep you posted on dates, location and the program as they're confirmed.