Every day, thousands of tons of rock are blasted, crushed and processed at mines around the world. Vast amounts of water move through those operations, leaving behind waste rock, tailings and wastewater that can pose long-term environmental challenges.

Now imagine some of the smallest organisms on Earth helping clean up.

That is the possibility that Dr. Susan Baldwin is addressing with her research. A professor in UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and a founding researcher at the Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining (BRIMM), Baldwin uses naturally occurring microbes already living at mine sites to help clean up mine-impacted water and waste—reducing mining’s environmental footprint by working with nature rather than against it.

“We know that we need mining to provide the metals that are essential for society,” she says. “I’d like to see it done in a way that minimizes the footprint and the impact of mining on the environment.”

Helping make research like Baldwin’s possible was exactly what Canadian Mining Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Peter Bradshaw had in mind. His philanthropic vision helped create BRIMM, where scientists, engineers, industry partners and Indigenous communities work together to reduce mining’s environmental footprint—while securing the critical minerals needed for a more sustainable future.

Dr. Peter Bradshaw

“Peter’s vision has always been about getting the good ideas happening in universities out into the industry,” says BRIMM Director John Steen. “We need more interdisciplinary research, we need more people working together across different areas, and we need to be working in partnership with government, First Nations and industry to achieve that.”

That collaborative model has helped position BRIMM at the center of major national and international initiatives, including UBC’s role in the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials—a global research partnership advancing more sustainable critical mineral production.

“None of this would happen without the donor support, without Peter Bradshaw’s vision,” Steen says. “We seed projects—we give starter grants to get projects going so researchers can apply for more funding. Without the funding, this would all be a pipe dream.”

For Baldwin, BRIMM’s ability to bring researchers together has been just as important as the research itself.

“BRIMM was started as a collaboration,” she says. “We’re all busy in our offices and labs, so having this UBC initiative brings together people working on different mining-related challenges. I’ve met new collaborators, strengthened existing relationships and worked collectively on projects that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”

Across campus, Dr. Ali Madiseh is approaching sustainability from another direction. His research focuses on helping mining companies reduce carbon emissions by improving the energy systems that power everything from excavation to mineral processing.

“It’s about sustainability, it’s about cost reduction and it’s about the environmental friendliness of our operations,” says Madiseh.

Like Baldwin, he credits BRIMM with creating connections that simply wouldn’t have existed otherwise.

“BRIMM has been the bridge between us and islands that are out there that we weren’t aware of—and they weren’t aware of us,” Madiseh says. “John Steen is very good at creating partnerships that don’t exist, finding synergies between industry and researchers.”

Those relationships continue to expand as BRIMM connects researchers with governments, industry leaders and Indigenous organizations to help shape the future of mining in Canada.

“What really excites me,” says Steen, “is putting UBC in a position where we can work with government, First Nations and industry to advance a new future for mining in Canada—one that’s sustainable, equitable and inclusive.”

“Again,” he says, “that wouldn’t be possible without the donor funding that we’ve received.”