Professor John Mavrogenes is a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre in Critical Resources for the Future and a member of the Centre’s Leadership Team, where he serves as Theme Leader for Accelerating Processing. He brings extensive expertise in experimental petrology and economic geology to guide the Centre’s research on mineral processing, ore genesis, and resource development.
John’s research integrates experimental, analytical, and field-based approaches to understand the processes that lead to ore formation in magmatic and hydrothermal systems, particularly in sub-volcanic environments. His work bridges fundamental geoscience with applied outcomes, supporting the development of improved processing strategies for critical and base metals.
Within CCRF, John contributes to multiple projects spanning carbonatite-related REE and niobium mineralisation, LCT pegmatite fertility indicators, critical metal tracking in mine wastes, and bioleaching of hyper-enriched black shales. He supervises PhD candidates and contributes to the training of HDR students across REE, lithium, uranium, cobalt, and indium-focused projects, reinforcing the Centre’s strengths in processing-focused research and translation.
John is internationally recognised for his influential work on sulfide saturation in mafic magmas, ore‐forming fluids, and the redox controls on metals such as Au, Cu and Ag. His highly cited research spans geochemistry, mineralogy, partial melting, and solubility, with landmark papers on sulfur content at sulfide saturation and the “magnetite crisis” in arc magmas.
As a mentor, John brings decades of broad research and supervisory experience, having guided numerous PhD and postdoctoral projects. Early-career researchers and PhD students will benefit from his deep technical expertise, global perspective, and practical insight into linking field observations with laboratory experimentation—an invaluable foundation for a successful career in critical minerals research
