Keynote Session


9:00 am – Noon

 

9:00 am

Welcoming: Dr. Andrea Brickley

 

9:15 am

A Word from our Copper Sponsors: AngloGold Ashanti and Komatsu

 

9:30 am

Strategic Mine Planning: The Story of an Optimization Problem

Dr. Marcos Goycoolea, Associate Professor in the School of Business at Universidad Católica, and found of Alicanto Labs, Santiago, Chile.

Marcos Goycoolea is associate professor in the School of Business at Universidad Católica, in Santiago, Chile. His research specializes in the design and implementation of large-scale optimization systems, with a focus on integer programming methodologies and natural resource management. Marcos has worked on the Traveling Salesman problem, being part of the team that has produced optimal solutions to the largest instances ever solved. During the last ten years he has largely focused on strategic mine planning, and has led the development of different software systems  proving it is possible to solve real sized instances if these problems to near optimality. He recently founded Alicanto Labs, making this optimization technology available to mining companies throughout the world. The Alicanto Solver not only is the optimization engine powering Deswik.GO, but it has been widely used for various strategic mine planning consultancies in both open pit and underground planning. He is currently working to extend these methodologies for use in tactical district planning and stochastic planning. Marcos has over 40 publications that can be accessed from his personal website. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and a degree in Mathematical Engineering from Universidad de Chile.

 

10:15 am – 10:45 am

Coffee Break

 

10:45 am – 11:00 am

TBD

Michel Serres, VP of Corporate Development, Stream Systems, Westmount, PQ, Canada

Michel SerresMichel Serres has over 20 years of experience in the mining and mineral processing industries. He has worked on several international mining projects in various roles, from project director to sales and global roles related to mining innovation and business or digital transformation. With a global reach, he has worked year-after-year to build the digital, connected, autonomous, integrated and carbon-free mining operations of tomorrow. Michel has a passion for people, developing several initiatives with local communities in his career.

To support the ambitious objectives of 2030 and 2050 of our industry, alongside his current team, he supports the development of software suites allowing decisions to be made today for the solutions of tomorrow. He holds a degree in industrial automation and robotics from the Institute of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

 

11:00 am – Noon

Panel Discussion