"You'll gain a broad understanding of all the processes of a mining operation"

After a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam NY, USA, Liam Lewis enrolled in the Master Programme in Arctic Mineral Resources.

What are this Master Programmes strengths?

"This master’s programme gives the student a broad understanding of all the processes that go into opening and supporting a mining operation from the exploration and permitting all the way until the end-of-life closure and remediation. With this you can be comfortable speaking about all processes of an operation. This makes the student a completely informed individual when dealing with mining not only in Sweden, but around the world. Also, as previously stated, having knowledge in Arctic construction and infrastructure is very specialized and it is a field that not many people are willing to go into. This programme will give you life long experiences, friends and a good education that will help you succeed in your future endeavours in the mining industry or beyond that. I feel that everything I learned can be used both inside and outside of the areas of mineral processing and mining which I can take anywhere.

What opportunities, networks, and skills has this programme given you?

"I have met people of all walks of life and experience. Working with people who have been all over the world in the professions of mining, geology and mineral processing. I have learned a lot about social licence to operate in context of industries such as mining as well as deeper knowledge of geology and geological formations. Meeting people from different parts of the world here at Luleå University of Technology and DTU broadens my worldview and gives me different inputs and opinions."

What are your professional plans after completing the programme?

"I plan to stay in Europe and continue to pursue a profession involving environmental policy, remediation, and engineering. With the degree in Arctic Mineral Resources, I believe I will have an edge over other perspective employees given my deeper knowledge of arctic regions as well as problem solving skills gained from the challenges work in the Arctic poses."

What challenges and benefits have you learned from the exchange between the universities and countries?

"The exchange with DTU and being able to go to Sisimiut, Greenland with the Arctic DTU programme was an amazing experience. Having hands-on experience and input from the people living in arctic regions is invaluable. The change in lifestyle and new experiences I had were very important to me. Learning and studying arctic infrastructure and water and waste management was very useful to me. The only challenge with the exchange is the amount of moving that must be done. As someone coming from outside of Europe, living out of one or two suitcases can be a challenge when needing to move countries multiple times."

Have you gained any unexpected skills or knowledge while enrolled in the programme?

"I learned a lot more about social policy and government processes than I expected. I was happy with this since it lets you know what to expect in the real world once you work for a company."