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COSMO — Stochastic Mine Planning Laboratory
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Past Graduate Students

Liam Findlay

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Eng. (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Eng (Mining Engineering) 2020 – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Work Experience:
  • Internship, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., 2019
  • Internship, Syncrude Canada Ltd., 2017

Victor Guimaraes

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Eng (Mining Engineering) 2023 – Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Work Experience:
  • Internship, Rock Mechanics Laboratory – UFMG, Brazil, November 2021- July 2023
  • Undergraduate Research Assistance, Rock Mechanics Laboratory – UFMG, Brazil, November 2021- July 2023

 

Contact Information: victor.guimaraes@mail.mcgill.ca

Lidiia Shchichko

  • Research Assistant
  • Ph.D. (In Progress – Supply chain management) – Concordia University (joint program with McGill, HE, UQAM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • M.Sc.(Supply chain management)2022 – Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Com. (Management) 2016 – Odesa National University of Economics, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
Work Experience:
  • Research Assistant, CIRRELT (Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les reseaux d’entreprise, la logistique et le transport), Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2023 – current)
  • Tutor for Business Statistics course at JMSB, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2021 – current)
  • Supply Chain Manager, S-Engineering, Odesa, Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine (2016-2017)

 

Contact Information: lidiia.shchichko@mail.mcgill.ca

Frederick Appiah

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Sc.((Hons) Geological Engineering) 2005-2009, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa
Work Experience:
  • Internship, Golden Star Exploration Ltd., Takoradi, Ghana, June 1 – July 31, 2008
  • Grade Control Geologist, Golden Star Bogoso/Prestea Ltd., Bogoso, Ghana, November 2009-June 2011
  • Grade Control Geologist, Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., Ahafo Mine, Ghana, July 2011 to November 2011
  • Production Geologist, Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., Ahafo Mine, Ghana, December 2011 to April 2017
  • Resource Geologist, Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., Accra, Ghana, May 2017 to July 2021
  • Senior Resource Modeler, Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., Accra, Ghana, May 2017 to July 2021

Contact information: frederick.appiah@mail.mcgill.ca

İbrahim Çetin

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • -B.Eng (Mining Engineering) 2019 – Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

 

Work Experience

 

  • Senior Mine Planning Engineer, Esan, Turkey, 2023-2024
  • Mine Planning Engineer, RHI Magnesita, Turkey, 2022-2023
  • Mine Planning Engineer, Demir Export, Turkey, 2019-2022

 

Contact Information: ibrahim.cetin@mail.mcgill.ca

 

 

Victor Balboa

  • Research Assistant
  • Ph. D. (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • -B.Eng (Mining Engineering)- Universidad técnica Federico Santa María (Technical university of Federico Santa María), Chile
Work experience:
  • Researcher,  SMI-ICE-Chile – January 2024-June 2024 – Santiago, Chile
  • Junior research engineer, SMI-ICE-Chile – October 2022-January 2024 – Santiago, Chile
  • Junior project engineer, National Centre for Piloting Mining Technologies – March 2022-September 2022 – Santiago, Chile
  • Technological Surveillance Analyst,  National Centre for Piloting Mining Technologies – December 2021-September 2022 – Santiago, Chile
  • Technological Surveillance Analyst,  National Centre for Piloting Mining Technologies – March 2021 – Santiago, Chile
  • Technological Surveillance Analyst, Codelco – July 2020-October 2020 – Santiago, Chile
  • Summer Internship, Codelco – Summer 2020 – Santiago, Chile

Contact information:

victor.balboa-espinoza@mail.mcgill.ca

Ronak Vimadalal

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • -B.Sc. (Chemical Engineering) 2022 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Work Experience:
  • Graduate Process Engineer, Rio Tinto, August 2022 – July 2024

Contact information:  ronak.vimadalal@mail.mcgill.ca

Angus MacRae

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.A.Sc. and B. Comp. (Mining Engineering and Computing) 2025 – Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Work experience:
• Mining Engineering Intern at Arctic Canadian Diamond Company (Burgundy Diamond Mines) – May 2022-Aug 2023
• Long-Range Planning Intern at Kinross Gold Corp. – Summer 2024

 

Contact information: angus.macrae@mail.mcgill.ca

Ivan Carvalho

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • M.Sc. (Geoscience) 2023-2025 – University of Sao Paulo (USP), SãoPaulo-SP, Brazil and B.A.Sc. (Geology) 2017-2022 – University of Sao Paulo (USP), São Paulo-SP, Brazil

Work experience:

  • Geologist Intern at WSP Brazil – Jan 2021-Dec 2022
  • Environmental Analyst at Nickol do Brasil  Jan 2023 – Sep 2023
  • Researcher at Integrated Technology for Rock and Fluid Analysis  (iNtra) Jan 2025 – aug 2025

 

 

 

Contact information: ivan.carvalho@mail.mcgill.ca

Isaac Mabala (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc. in Mining Engineering (Applied Geostatistics), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa – 2021
  • B.Sc. (Eng.) in Mining Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa – 2009
  • PGCE (Mathematics Education), University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa – 2016

Work experience:

  • Lecturer at the School of Mining Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. July 2022 – current
  • Graduate Research Trainee at Stochastic Mine Planning Laboratory (COSMO), McGill University, Montreal, Canada. November 2025 – April 2026
  • Junior Lecturer at the Department of Mining, Minerals and Geomatics Engineering, UNISA, Johannesburg, South Africa. June 2021 to June 2022
  • Associate Lecturer at the School of Mining Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. March 2018 to March 2021
  • Training Manager at Auctus Skills Development and Consulting, Rustenburg,  South Africa. February 2013 – February 2018
  • Graduate Mining Engineer at Kroondal Platinum Mines, Rustenburg, South Africa. November 2009 – January 2012

Contact:

mahlomola.mabala@mail.mcgill.ca

María Fernanda Álvarez Restrepo

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc. (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Eng. (Mining and Metallurgical Engineering) – Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia, 2019 – 2025

Work experience:
• Mining Services Engineer, Zijin-Continental Gold – Buriticá, Antioquia, Colombia, October 2025 – June 2026
• Drilling and Blasting Engineer – Assistant, Exergetica S.A.S – Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, March 2025 – Present
•Engineer/Trainee, CORANTIOQUIA (Regional Environmental Authority) – Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, July 2024 – December 2024

Contact information:maria.alvarezrestrepo@mail.mcgill.ca

Ishaan Kapoor

  • Research Assistant
  • Ph.D. (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • M. Sc (Mining Engineering) 2022 – University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
  • M. Tech (Mining Engineering) 2020 – Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
  • B. Tech (Mining Engineering) 2019 – Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

Work experience:
• Data Analyst II, Ore Control, Rio Tinto – Kennecott, USA; January 2023 – March 2026
• Solutions Architect, Bajaj Finance Limited – Pune, India; June 2020 – June 2021

Contact information: ishaan.kapoor@mail.mcgill.ca

Rustam Zhanabayev

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc. (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Sc. (Mining Engineering, Minor in Geology) 2026 – Nazarbayev University (School of Mining and Geosciences), Astana, Kazakhstan

Work Experience:
• Software Developer, Kazdream IT Holding – Astana, Kazakhstan, March 2026 – August 2026
• Internship, Solidcore Resources – Astana, Kazakhstan, December 2024 – July 2025
• Internship, Pallas Resources – Astana, Kazakhstan, October 2023 – March 2024

Contact Information : rustam.zhanabayev@mail.mcgill.ca

Nazanin Joorabchian

  • Research Assistant
  • M.Sc. (In Progress – Mining Engineering) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • B.Eng (Mining and Mineral Resource Engineering) 2020 – British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Work experience:

• Open Pit Mining Engineering Consultant, SRK Consulting – Vancouver, Canada, June 2023-ongoing
• Open Pit Planning Engineer, Nevada Gold mines – Elko, USA, Sept 2021-February 2023
• Junior Metallurgist, PMC – Maple Ridge, Canada, April 2020-January 2021
• Metallurgist Intern, PMC – Maple Ridge, Canada, June 2019-September 2019

Contact information: nazanin.joorabchian@mail.mcgill.ca

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