Erik Isokangas

Mining3

Erik Isokangas is the Research Director at Mining3, leading a multi-million-dollar research portfolio encompassing a wide range of projects, such as: developing new approaches to energy efficient haulage, mining simulation and value modelling tools, new sensor technologies, and data analytics.

Erik is also the Technical Lead for the Hydra Consortium, a project that is testing a hydrogen fuel cell and battery powertrain on mine sites in Chile, with the aim to further understand the performance, business case, challenges, and appropriate applications for the technology in mining. The Consortium is also developing recommendations for standards, regulations, and best practices for using hydrogen on mine sites.

Erik has a passion for practical research towards net zero emissions, seeking ways to improve the value, efficiency, and sustainability of mining through battery-electric and hybrid mobile equipment, dynamic wireless charging, energy management, automation, conveying systems, and mine design approaches.

Erik has worked for over 30 years in the mining industry in technology development with companies such as BHP, Thiess, Metso, and CSIRO. He holds a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and a Doctorate in Mineral Processing from the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre at the University of Queensland.