Dr Jonathan Cloutier

Biography

I obtained a PhD in economic geology from Queen’s University, Canada, in 2009. My PhD research project focused on determining the critical differences between unconformity-related uranium mineralized and barren alteration systems of the Athabasca Basin, Canada. After completing my PhD, I worked for a junior exploration company in Canada until I joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in late 2010 where I worked as an embedded researcher at the St Ives Gold Mines, Western Australia. My research there focused on documenting the nature, composition and textural relationships of gold and alteration associated with orogenic gold deposits using a multiscale approach. During my time with CSIRO, I also acquired a good comprehension of the industry approach to mineral exploration, their research interests and how to manage relations with an industry sponsor. From 2013 to 2015, I undertook postdoctoral research at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, focusing on the structural, chemical and hyperspectral reconstruction of Zn-Pb-Cu and Cu-rich VMS deposits.

Research Interest

My research interests are in the areas of geochemistry, isotope geochemistry, economic geology, petrology, mineralogy and hyperspectral geology. In particular, my research aims to increase our understanding of the genesis and geodynamic setting of economic mineral deposits using a multidisciplinary and multi-scale approach, supported by fieldwork and various high-precision analytical techniques. In addition to the immediate ore deposit environment, my research also focuses on weakly mineralized and barren alteration areas, as understanding these systems is key to understanding the processes leading to ore deposition, but also why some areas are not endowed with mineralization.