Mining technology company Petra Data Science is backing the next generation of researchers by providing access to its proprietary technology and expertise for PhD students from the University of Adelaide.
The company seeks to empower mining professionals to continuously improve and make better decisions by prioritising geological uncertainty. It aims to minimise frustration for engineers who are required to design and plan with inputs that have a high level of variability.
As a founding industry partner of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Integrated Operations for Complex Resources, Petra is seeking to equip PhD students with industry experience and high-quality data for advanced mining research.
Established in 2020, the ARC Training Centre brings together industry, universities, and government to address the challenge of securing future resources.
Petra’s software is purpose built by mining professionals seeking opportunities in creating value through geological variability. The name “Petra” is from the Greek feminine word ‘petra’ meaning ‘stone, rock’.
Company founder and CEO Dr Penny Stewart says the mining tech company’s global leadership contributes towards orebody learning software, using data fusion, ore-tracking, and machine learning to solve complex mining challenges.
“For the mining industry to thrive in the future, we must empower the next generation of data scientists with real-world experience in analytics, AI, and mining automation,” Stewart says.
“The value of data fusion in transforming disconnected datasets into a format suitable for the mine value chain optimisation is immense – it’s the backbone of intelligent, data-driven mining operations.”
Beyond placements, Petra says it contributes to academic development through regular lectures and discussions with students.
Two PhD students benefiting from Petra’s involvement are Sultan Abulkhair and Milena Nasretdinova – both originally from Kazakhstan.
Abulkhair, who is in the final stages of his PhD in mining engineering, has completed three placements with Petra since 2022.
His research explores how integrating real-time data into orebody models can improve mine planning by enabling real-time decision-making. Petra’s proprietary data fusion ore-tracking technology has enabled him to simulate real-time updates of block models.
Nasretdinova recently completed her first placement with Petra in March 2025. Her PhD research focuses on integration of high-resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) data to quickly analyse core samples and predict processing characteristics – such as grain mineral size, clay and quartz content, hardness and energy requirements – without the need for extensive geometallurgical testing.
Petra is a global leader in the development of orebody learning software that leverages data fusion ore-tracking and machine learning. This kind of technology allows mining professionals to optimise the mining value chain, increase overall equipment efficiency and benefit from revolutionary accuracy of ore body knowledge at the granular level.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Petra
