:: Marco Vera awarded JK Centre's 100th PhD

Year 2002 graduate Marco Vera landed a special place in JKMRC history when he became the 100th person to receive a PhD awarded through the JK Centre. His thesis, entitled 'A touch of froth: How bubble-particle aggregates take the strain', was completed after almost five years of research at the JKMRC, and co-supervised by Professor i-P Franzidis and Dr Emmy Manlapig.

Marco Vera and his thesis

"Initially the topic was not very well defined because being a part of the P9 project the ideas kept coming as we went along," Marco said.

"But everything changed when the project started putting more emphasis on studying the froth phase in flotation."

Marco required a methodology to deal with the froth phase in a systematic manner. Developing the methodology based on 'touching' the top of the froth (TOF) became an important contribution of his thesis. Along the way, Marco also developed a test rig to conduct experiment under well-controlled conditions. His appointment as a full time research staff member in 1998 provided more time to think about the problem.

"The froth phase in flotation is something that has concerned researchers for a long time, and it still does," Marco said.

He says it would be naive to believe that this problem could be tackled just by one PhD project.

"I'm happy with what I did because it has contributed to the understanding of the froth flotation phase, while also providing a starting point for those who will follow this research with their own PhDs."

The fact that Marco happened to be the 100th recipient of a PhD from the JKMRC is important in terms of the JK Centre reaching a milestone over a long period.

He said he was lucky to submit his thesis just at the right moment, but it doesn't mean anything to him personally. He says it doesn't make the thesis any better or worse because it was the 100th: "It's just a coincidence."

Not only was Marco Vera's PhD the 100th produced at the JKMRC, it was also the basis upon which he won the 2002 Pasminco Prize for his contribution to the minerals industry. The award carried an AUDS 1600 prize, which he says came as a complete surprise.