Professor Carl Spandler is a Deputy Director and Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre in Critical Resources for the Future (CCRF) and a geoscientist in the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences at Adelaide University. Within CCRF, he provides strategic leadership in petrology, geochemistry, and critical mineral systems, strengthening the Centre’s capability to understand how and where critical metals are concentrated within the Earth’s crust and regolith.
Carl is internationally recognised for his research on the evolution of the Earth’s crust and mantle and the geological processes responsible for the formation of metalliferous ore deposits. His work integrates field-based studies with advanced microanalytical techniques for trace elements and isotopes, enabling high-resolution characterisation of mineral systems, metal transport pathways, and enrichment processes. This research has particular relevance to rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical metals, including lithium, uranium, cobalt, and tantalum, across a range of Australian geological environments.
A key focus of Carl’s current research is understanding critical metal enrichment processes in regolith, carbonatites, pegmatites, and sediment-hosted systems. This work supports the development of improved exploration models and resource development strategies, with the aim of identifying new mineralisation provinces and better predicting metal behaviour in complex near-surface and altered environments.
Within CCRF, Professor Spandler supervises PhD research examining the geological controls and enrichment processes of rare earth elements and other critical minerals across diverse Australian settings, from regolith-hosted systems and carbonatite deposits to province-scale mineral systems. He also contributes to CCRF projects investigating the expression of Li–Cs–Ta pegmatites in the critical zone and the role of marine silicate alteration in the formation of sediment-hosted critical metal deposits.
In addition to his research leadership, Professor Spandler participates in the Centres Leadership Team, chairs the Centre’s Student Experience Sub-Committee and serves as a Mentor in CCRF’s Mentoring Program, providing experience-based guidance informed by extensive academic leadership and strong industry collaboration. Through these roles, he plays a key part in advancing CCRF’s integrated, geology-led approach to critical mineral discovery, evaluation, and long-term resource security.
