Steinar L. Ellefmo is Associate Professor at the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His research and teaching interests are within the broad field of mineral resource management and mining engineering, specifically geostatistics, 3D ore body modelling, mine planning and mineral resource potential assessment. Ellefmo is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG).
Fredrik Søreide holds a PhD in Marine Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He is currently Adjunct Professor at the Department of Marine Technology at NTNU focusing on underwater technology and marine science. He has been involved in marine minerals research and ocean mining activities for the past 20 years and is currently mainly engaged in the JPIO project, Ecological Aspects of Deep-sea Mining. Søreide is the author of three other books.
Georgy Cherkashov is Deputy Director of the Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean (VNIIOkeangeologia, St. Petersburg, Russia). He holds a Dr. Sci. for research of seafloor massive sulphide
deposits of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (2004). Cherkashov is a member of the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (since 2012) and Professor of Marine Geology at St. Petersburg State University
(since 2005).
Cyril Juliani received his PhD from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Geoscience and Petroleum. His dissertation focused on quantifying undiscovered seabed mineral resources and evaluating the exploration risk for deep-sea mineral prospects. Juliani is currently involved in the NTNU oceans pilot program on deep-sea mining, a research project focusing on the different value chains of seabed mineral extraction and exploration.
Krishna Kanta Panthi is Professor of Geological Engineering at the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He holds a PhD (Dr.Ing.) in rock engineering, MSc in hydropower development and MSc in tunnelling. He has over 27 years of experience in research, design and implementation of rock engineering, tunnelling, hydropower, mining and slope engineering projects. Panthi is the author of over 70 scientific articles and book chapters published in internationally recognized journals, publication channels and conference proceedings.
Sergey Petukhov heads the analytical group Department of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean, VNIIOkeangeologia. Petukhov holds a PhD in mining engineering and is an expert in data management and
modelling of geodynamic processes.
Irina Poroshina is a senior scientist at VNIIOkeangeologia. She is an expert in geomorphology and structural analysis of mid-ocean ridges.
Richard Sinding-Larsen has been Professor of Resource Geology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) since 1980, Emeritus since 2012. His research focuses on the estimation of undiscovered
mineral resources, with particular attention to the process of discovering metals and petroleum. He has a long-standing interest in deposit modelling and pioneered probabilistic assessment of Caledonian massive sulphide resources and initiated the development of methodology and tools (GeoX, now owned by Schlumberger) used as decision support for risk, resource and economic evaluation of exploration. Sinding-Larsen’s current research interest is in how to appraise and quantify resource uncertainties within mineral and petroleum systems whose components
are logically related in complex ways – such as sulphides linked to volcanic spreading ridges beneath the oceans and petroleum systems.
Ben Snook achieved a PhD in granitic petrology after working on a variety of exploration geology projects in South America. He has continued to pursue research in Norwegian mineral deposits, specialising in the characterisation of seafloor massive sulphide ores and in automated mineralogy analytical systems.
