MDRU was initiated in 1989 by the minerals industry to fulfill a need for improved research, training and professional education directed towards minerals exploration geoscience. MDRU was established through the establishment of a research partnership with The University of British Columbia, with financial start-up assistance from the minerals industry and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). MDRU was founded by Prof. Alastair Sinclair, Dr. Peter Bradshaw and Dr. John McDonald.
In 2013, MDRU developed the Exploration Geochemistry Initiative and hired a Research Chair to facilitate increased research and training in this discipline. In 2015, MDRU celebrated 25 years of industry-supported research with a two-day technical meeting and gala. In 2017, the Bradshaw Research Initiative for Minerals and Mining was implemented to increase the breadth of MDRU’s activities towards geometallurgy, mining, mineral processing and tailings.
MDRU has been led by Directors John McDonald (Founding), John Thompson, Ian Thomson (interim), Richard Tosdal and Craig Hart.
MDRU History