Shaun Barker is the Director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at UBC. Shaun has a background of geochemistry, mineralogy and structural geology. Shaun's research focuses on the application of geochemical and isotopic tools to understand the flow of hydrothermal fluids through the Earth's crust, with a particular focus on hydrothermal ore deposits. Shaun is involved in a diverse range of research projects and has worked on a variety of gold and copper deposits. Shaun has particular research expertise on vectoring within the cryptic alteration footprints of various carbonate-hosted ore deposit types, including Carlin-type gold deposits in Nevada, and the Mount Isa Cu deposit in Queensland. Currently, he also leads the AMIRA P1206 research project, on the application of resistate indicator mineral chemistry in exploration for sedimentary-hosted Cu deposits. 

Ken received his Ph.D. from James Cook University, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at The University of British Columbia. Ken began his research career as a structural/metamorphic geologist analyzing deformation and metamorphic mineral growth in rocks from a range of metamorphic belts around the world. Following a move to UBC in the early 2000s, Ken's research interest transitioned to the flow of metalliferous fluids and the genesis of hydrothermal mineral deposits. He uses a multidisciplinary approach, integrating structural geology, regional geology, paleogeography, thermochronology, geochronology, and geochemistry to build a more complete picture of ore-system evolution and ore-deposit genesis. Field relationships are a core requirement for understanding the geological framework of any mineral deposit and much of Ken’s research is based around geological mapping. Ken has worked extensively on the Carlin Au-deposits of northern Nevada, USA, and currently has projects focused on fluid flow responsible for the Carlin-type gold system of the Nadaleen region in the Yukon, and on the structural evolution of the Zn-Pb deposits of the eastern Selwyn basin, Yukon.

Andrew Steiner is a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia (UBC). His thesis focuses on unravelling the processes that form carbonate-hosted hydrothermal deposits and centres around the Nadaleen trend Carlin-type gold deposits in Yukon. Andrew’s research couples classic field geology techniques with novel geochemical methods such as clumped isotope thermometry, carbonate U-Pb geochronology, and luminescence. He received his B.Sc. Hons. degree from the University of Glasgow in 2017.