Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Italo Onederra
University of Queensland
Australia
Advancing Drill & Blast Design and Decision Support for Sustainable Mine Process Optimisation Strategies
CV:
Associate Professor Italo Onederra is the Director of the Centre for Future Autonomous Systems and Technologies (FAST) at the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, University of Queensland. Internationally recognised as a leading expert in explosives and blasting engineering technology, A/Prof Onederra holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with honours from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Master of Engineering Science and PhD from the University of Queensland.
With over 25 years of R&D experience and consulting work across Australia, South America, Africa, and Europe, he has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation in both research and industry. In addition to his role as Director of FAST, he leads a research group focused on developing advanced preconditioning and fragmentation methods aimed at enabling low-impact mineral extraction in the future.
A/Prof Onederra has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers, contributed to technical reports and books, and co-invented novel nitrogen oxide-free explosives based on hydrogen peroxide. His leading work on fragmentation modelling has been integrated into commercial software widely adopted by both industry and academia. Additionally, he pioneered the use of physics engines in blast movement modelling, significantly improving ore control and maximizing recovery in mining operations