Dr Muhammad Ahsan Mahboob, head of the Digital Mining Laboratory (DigiMine) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), was awarded his PhD in engineering from the School of Mining Engineering, at Wits, in a graduation ceremony held at the Wits Great Hall on July 8.

Mahboob's PhD thesis, “A Data Science Framework for Mineral Resource Exploration and Estimation Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning”, merges data science, satellite imagery and machine learning with the aim to revolutionise mineral exploration.

By swiftly identifying mineral-rich sites, especially in remote areas, these science and technology advancements are aimed at accelerating critical mineral extraction, as well as to contributing significantly to green technology production and advancing global sustainability and climate change mitigation.

"This PhD has a big positive impact on society, and it will truly add more value to the DigiMine facility to accelerate the research and innovation that is currently under way. It will also have a long-term positive impact on both my personal and professional goals at Wits,” Mahboob says.

Mahboob has led the Sibanye-Stillwater DigiMine at Wits since 2019, driving research and innovation in the application of digital technologies in the mining industry to enhance safety, security and sustainability.

His research interests include geoinformatics, spatial data analysis, data sciences and modelling and cyber-physical systems integration.

The DigiMine laboratory aims to make mining safer and more sustainable through digital technologies that enable a mine’s control system to autonomously observe, evaluate and respond in real-time.

Under Mahboob's leadership, the DigiMine team collaborates with commercial, academic and industry partners to transfer surface digital technologies into the underground mining environment.