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Principal Investigator
Chengkai Fan, PhD
Dr. Fan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at Université Laval (ULaval). He joined ULaval in September 2024 and leads the IMOM Lab as its Principal Investigator. His current research focuses on data-driven modeling, optimization, and intelligent decision-making to advance efficient, sustainable, and resilient mining operations.
Team Members
Every milestone is shaped by the unseen effort and dedication of those who work together.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Coming soon...
Graduate Students
Mathieu Robin MSc Student (202610- ); Co-supervised with Christian Gagné; Mitacs Project
"Mitacs Accelerate (Québec) Award" WINNERMathieu has a background in AI and in business intelligence, with experience in field geology. His research focuses on mine haulage optimization based on machine learning in order to improve ore transport, maintain mining equipment health and prevent accidents at the mine site, with an emphasis on developing explainable AI models.
Brandon Wilson MSc Student (202609- ); NSERC Project
"ESSOR 2nd cycle scholarship - Fonds de bourse de la relève scientifique" WINNERBrandon holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mining Engineering from the University of British Columbia and brings over 19 years of international experience in mine operations, engineering, and continuous improvement. His research focuses on machine learning-based prediction and multi-objective optimization of mine production, with an emphasis on improving operational efficiency, reducing costs and CO2 emissions, and developing data-efficient predictive models.Linfeng Du PhD Student (202609- ); NSERC Project
"Bourse d'exemption des droits de scolarité supplémentaires" WINNERLinfeng has a background in software and mining engineering, with experience in data-driven methods, engineering blasting, and mining operations. His research focuses on AI-driven mine haulage optimization, autonomous haulage systems, and intelligent decision-making to improve mine transport efficiency and adaptability under dynamic and uncertain operating conditions.
Cristian Andrés Flórez Vergara PhD Student (202609- ); FRQNT Project
"Bourse d'exemption des droits de scolarité supplémentaires" WINNERCristian has a background in mining and metallurgical engineering, with experience in mineral processing, underground mining, and open-pit operations. His research focuses on intelligent and sustainable mine haulage, particularly optimizing mine transport systems and improving operational efficiency under challenging environmental conditions in northern Canada.Rais Seki Lenzo PhD student (202601- ); Co-supervised with Georgios Kolliopoulos; Start-up Project
"Bourse citoyennes et citoyens du monde" WINNER; "Bourse d'exemption des droits de scolarité supplémentaires" WINNERRais has a background in Earth Resources and Petroleum Engineering, with experience in geology, geophysics, corrosion, and academic research. His research focuses on physics- and chemistry-informed machine learning for sustainable mineral processing, critical mineral recovery, and CO2 mineralization, aiming to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.
Undergraduate Students
Rebecca Louise Doriane Bamoule Undergraduate student (202609- ); NSERC Project
Rebecca first joined IMOM Lab in Fall 2025, when she completed an internship project and prepared a report entitled Arpentage, la collecte de données de la mine Goldex. In Fall 2026, she continued working with the lab as a part-time intern, collaborating with graduate students on research activities related to mining engineering. Her work mainly involves data collection, organization, cleaning, and preparation for further analysis.
Visiting Scholar/Students
Dr. Jiawen Cai Visiting Scholar (2026-2027)
"China Scholarship Council (CSC) Award" WINNER
Dr. Cai is a Lectuer in Safety Engineering at Guizhou University, specializing in coal spontaneous combustion prevention, coal oxidation mechanisms, and mining hazard risk prediction. Supported by a CSC visiting scholar fellowship, he joins the IMOM Lab for a one-year research visit to work on modeling, prediction, and prevention of coal spontaneous combustion risks for mine safety.
Alumni
Eduardo Prasniewski Undergraduate Summer Student (2026); Mitacs Project
"Mitacs Globalink Research Award" WINNER
Eduardo is a senior undergraduate student in Computer Engineering from the Federal Technological University of Paraná (Brazil), who joined the IMOM lab through the Mitacs Globalink program. He works on applying interpretable machine learning to predict durability performance of low-carbon mining materials.
First position: Software Engineer at dtLabs.
Dr. Mohammed Rida Benmansour Postdoctoral Fellow (2026); NRC project
Dr. Benmansour is a mineral processing researcher with a dual PhD in flotation chemistry and broad experience in hydrometallurgy, CO2 sequestration, and process scale-up. He contributed to the IMOM Lab through his knowledge of mineral processing, low-carbon resource utilization, and applied process optimization.
First position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Mining Engineering at Queen's University.
Simon Lessard Undergraduate Student (2026)
Internship Report: Instrumentation et suivi géotechnique en mine à ciel ouvert : Stage à la mine Canadian Malartic
Zachary Gabriel Undergraduate Student (2026)
Internship Report: Transport du minerai autonome versus traditionnel
Emeric Gagné Undergraduate Student (2026)
Internship Report: Méthode d’arpentage et calibration des erreurs à la mine Éléonore
Yohan Sercia Undergraduate student (2025)
Internship Report: Optimiser l'analyse géotechnique des carottes de forages à l'aide de l'intelligence artificielle
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