Careers for Next Generation Minerals at the Natural History Museum

The Critical Minerals Association (UK) and Natural History Museum have partnered to host the second edition of their “Careers for Next Generation Minerals”. Following the success of last year’s event, we’re excited to bring you a bigger and better afternoon of inspiring and engaging activities, held at the iconic Natural History Museum in South Kensington.

This event is designed for students, parents, and teachers who are interested in the geosciences, engineering, and sustainability. It's a unique opportunity to engage directly with representatives from industry, academia, and government to learn more about the exciting opportunities available in the UK’s critical minerals sector.

Critical minerals such as tin, tungsten, lithium, nickel, and rare earth elements are the raw elements that power our modern world – from mobile phones and electric cars to wind turbines and satellites. They’re essential for building a greener future and play a key role in reaching Net Zero. But there’s a big challenge: the UK doesn’t yet have enough people trained to work in this field. That’s why we’re inviting young people to discover the wide range of exciting careers available.

From exploration geologists uncovering the UK's critical minerals potential and chemical engineers who discover innovate ways to recycle magnets, to social scientists who map our global supply chains and ESG consultants who track life cycle assessments — the opportunities in critical minerals are endless. This event will feature leading companies and universities sharing insights on their career paths, current roles, and why the UK is a thriving hub for critical minerals.

• Hear from real-life scientists, engineers, and industry experts about their jobs and how they got started

• Meet representatives from universities, companies, and government who are working on transforming the UK’s green, industrial and digital economy

• Enjoy our interactive exhibition, including:

• Cornish Metals – see and handle real tin samples from their South Crofty mine down in Cornwall

• SLR Consulting – play the Minerals Mission game, solving clues and unlocking secret codes to locate the missing mineral

• A live re-creation and screening of VECTOR’s documentary '100 Perceptions: Raw Materials'
• And many more organisations, including Cornish Lithium, Imerys British Lithium, Satarla, SRK Consulting, Unimetals Group, Vale Base Metals, and Women in Mining UK.

12:00 –14:00 – Session 1

• 12:00–12:15 | Arrivals

• 12:15–12:20 | Welcoming Remarks - Prof Richard Herrington, Natural History Museum

• 12:20 –12:35 | Raw Materials: 100 Perceptions - Interactive Survey

• 12:35 –12:45 | Once in a Generation: The Opportunity for Critical Minerals
• 12:45 - 13:00 | Careers Talks: PhD Pioneers at the Natural History Museum

13:00–14:00 – Lunch and Interactive Exhibition

Tea, coffee, juice, fruit, and sandwiches provided

14:00 –17:00 – Session 2

• 14:00–14:20 | Careers Talk: A Global Journey into the Mining Industry - Rafaela Dellarossa, Principal Metallurgist - Imerys British Lithium

• 14:20 –14:40 | Careers Talk: Grace Lee, Developmental Engineer - Unimetals Group

• 14:40 - 15:00 | Careers Talk: Vale Base Metals
• 15:00 - 15:20 | Careers Talk: SRK Consulting

• 15:20 –15:40 | Careers Talk: TBD
• 15:40 - 16:15 | Raw Materials: 100 Perceptions – Results & Documentary Screening

• 16:15–17:00 | Interactive Exhibition & Networking

The finalised agenda will be announced soon. Check out our LinkedIn for more frequent updates.

Registration is free and open to students, parents, teachers and industry. Please register using your academic or corporate email address so we can verify your ticket status.

If you would like to organise a class trip, please contact us ASAP due to limited capacity. Additionally, if you are interested in speaking, exhibiting, or sponsoring the event, please do not hesitate to reach out to eileen@criticalmineral.org