All About Rare Earths
15 Apr 2026
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Prof Frances Wall, Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter
The talk will cover the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ of the extraction, processing and use of the rare earth materials that are critical to computer hardware, and discuss what we need to do to ensure responsible sourcing and good stewardship of these amazing elements.
Biography
Professor Frances Wall is a Professor of Applied Mineralogy at the Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter. She specialises in technology raw materials, especially the rare earth elements, lithium and cobalt needed for decarbonisation, with interests in geology, processing, responsible sourcing and circular economy. Professor Wall was named one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining 2016 and awarded the William Smith medal of the Geological Society of London for applied and economic aspects of geology in 2019.
