Meet our researchers

Behind CAMM-CRM stands a team of dedicated researchers whose work advances knowledge and drives innovation across the critical raw materials value chain.

Nils Jansson

As Director of CAMM-CRM, Nils Jansson leads the centre’s mission to strengthen Europe’s access to critical raw materials through research, innovation and responsible resource development. CAMM-CRM brings together expertise across the entire raw-materials value chain – from geological exploration and ore characterisation to processing, recycling and environmental impact. In his recent interview, Nils highlights how the centre is driving solutions that support the green transition by identifying sustainable sources of key metals and improving circular material flows.
Read the interview here.

Lena Sundqvist-Öqvist

Professor Lena Sundqvist-Öqvist has been at the forefront of rare earth element research in Sweden, serving as REE Research Pillar Leader for CAMM-CRM while also contributing decades of expertise in process metallurgy at Luleå University of Technology. In our conversation, she explores the opportunities and challenges of building a sustainable European value chain for critical materials, and shares what motivates her in this rapidly evolving field.

What do you see as the most exciting opportunity for Sweden in rare earth element research?

I think there are several exciting opportunities. Even from an overview perspective, it is inspiring that we can contribute to the entire value chain needed to enable the extraction of rare earth elements – so that this kind of production actually takes place in Sweden and Europe, and we can supply REE within the region. Achieving that would be truly exciting.

I also believe that our collaboration with industrial partners, as well as exploring the scientific aspects of the process, is really interesting. The work is driven by curiosity and by developing an understanding of how the chemical systems we use actually function. Gaining insights into each process step can meaningfully support the development of industrial processes. So, when companies work at pilot and demo scale, hopefully our research will contribute to their understanding and adoption of the various process steps.

It is also exciting to train researchers and build knowledge within our field so that we can contribute to this value chain. This is something we are actively developing through our ongoing projects. We will learn a lot, and this will create opportunities for new people to work in these applications – and eventually for companies that plan to establish extraction of rare earth elements and phosphorus.

So, in many ways, there are numerous exciting contributions we can make. And of course, it’s always rewarding to see that the research is implemented in practice. But the knowledge itself is exciting too.

Why is rare earth element research so important right now – for Europe and Sweden specifically?

I think the key reason is securing the supply for Europe and Sweden. But we also need to consider the entire value chain. At the moment, we are quite strong in mining and extraction, but less so downstream – there are not many initiatives focused on producing magnets, for example. And that will be essential in the future. We need stronger links to companies that actually produce magnets.

What motivated you personally to lead this research pillar within CAMM-CRM?

One important motivation is the collaboration we have had with industry so far – it has been really good, which makes the work both enjoyable and meaningful to continue.

Another motivation is my own curiosity. The more you learn about this topic – how the different parts of the process are composed chemically and what types of reactions occur – the more fascinating the scientific aspects become. I think most researchers are driven by curiosity, and that is true for me as well.

What impact do you think this research will have?

One important impact is that we can help secure the supply of rare earth elements for Sweden and Europe. Another is the development of competence. The expertise related to REE and phosphorus can strengthen other types of knowledge and experience that grow from this research.

For LTU, I think this work is valuable for branding and demonstrating our expertise in hydrometallurgy – not only for REE but in general. It is important for expanding our research activities, both in capacity and quality, and for putting LTU on the map.

If you could sum up this pillar’s mission in one sentence, what would it be?

I would say its mission is to contribute to a sustainable value chain for rare earth elements in Sweden and Europe – ensuring the whole value chain is in place while not forgetting the environmental aspects linked to extraction.

Maxwell Meju

Professor Max Meju is a Chaired Professor of Applied Geophysics and leads the Strategic Development Support (SDS) work package within CAMM-CRM. A world-leader in geophysical inverse theory and applications, his work focuses on advancing innovative, data-driven multi-physics approaches to better characterise the Earth’s subsurface and reduce geological uncertainty in the search for energy resources and critical or strategic raw materials. He holds the Reginald Fessenden Award (2019, Soc. Expl. Geophys. SEG) for co-inventing the transformational crossgradients joint inversion method now widely used in academia and several industries; Chinese Government Prize (2012) for work on crustal deformation in the Himalaya-Tibet collision belt being the most influential earthquake-related geoscience research; Gerald W. Hohmann Prize (2002, SEG) for excellence in applied electrical geophysics; William Bullerwell Prize (1996, UK Geophysical Association) for outstanding leadership in geophysical inverse theory and geoelectromagnetism.

With extensive experience spanning academia and industry, Professor Meju’s research has significantly contributed to the development of large-scale three-dimensional anisotropic electromagnetic and seismic tomographic imaging of the deep structure of complex geological environments. His work is especially relevant as the exploration for natural resources moves deeper in the underground and targets become more challenging to identify.

In this interview, Professor Meju shares insights into the strategic development directions of CAMM-CRM, the importance of innovation in deep exploration, and how international collaboration and interdisciplinary research are shaping the future of sustainable critical raw materials supply.

You are leading the Strategic Development Support (SDS) activities within CAMM-CRM. What is the main goal of this work package and how does it support the broader mission of CAMM-CRM?

The main goal is to provide decision-support materials for the CAMM-CRM management and board on the strategic matters that fall outside the scope of the current work-plan but are under consideration for future program development, mainly research infrastructure requirements, strategic recruitments, scoping studies for new research pillars, research calls and preparatory actions that can inform future work plans, organisational development, and investment decisions. Its core areas of activity (new research pillars, strategic recruitment and research infrastructure requirements) are tailored to support the broader mission of CAMM-CRM.

A key focus of your work is advancing innovation in deep exploration. Why is developing new methodologies for deep exploration important for discovering critical raw materials?

Easy to find, shallow-occurring, critical raw and/or strategic materials no longer exist. Consequently, exploration has now moved deeper and into complex geologic terrains with heterogeneous overburden where the resource system dynamics are largely unknown. It has therefore become necessary to integrate diverse geophysical, geological, geochemical and other data to reduce uncertainty when exploring such deep heterogeneous environments. Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges in deep exploration is finding reliable ways to combine different techniques for measuring the Earth’s properties. Each method provides a different view of what lies beneath the surface, and these views often conflict, making interpretation uncertain. My work focuses on advancing multi-scale quantitative data fusion and model integration. These innovations help to reduce uncertainty, support better decision-making, and enable more accurate identification of deeply hidden critical raw materials.

Your research integrates 3D seismic imaging and electromagnetic tomography with geological data. How can combining these methods improve our understanding of where critical raw materials occur in the Earth’s lithosphere?

Individual geophysical methods on their own provide non-unique (i.e., conflicting) models of subsurface property distribution but integrating them quantitatively leads to a consistent multiphysical representation of the True or Common Earth model. This significantly reduces the uncertainty in the interpretation of deep exploration models and allows better decision-making during the selection and ranking of prospective CRM targets for eventual financial investment decisions!

CAMM-CRM is developing collaborations with researchers in countries such as Chile, Brazil, India, Australia and Canada. Why are international partnerships important when advancing exploration research for critical raw materials?

These countries have large CRM endowments and some of them present excellent opportunities for testing new subsurface imaging technologies as well as testing competing hypotheses on the origin and distribution of critical mineral systems.

Your team has been working on pilot studies in Brazil focusing on carbonatite and lithium pegmatite systems. What insights can these case studies provide for future exploration efforts?

Brazil is a natural laboratory for studying several world-class mineralisation systems, from their source to the point of deposition (i.e., the so-called source-to-sink analysis in industry). Using the robust structurally-consistent 3D images from combined large-scale electromagnetic and seismic tomography, we obtain a more accurate and more holistic understanding of the deep geological processes that controlled the genesis, migration and accumulation of these mineralisation deposits. The lesson learnt from these ‘controlled studies’ of world-class mineralisation systems gives us the know-how and confidence in identifying new yet-to-be discovered world-class deposits elsewhere using innovative Multiphysics imaging.

One SDS activity is inviting leading international researchers, such as Professor Michael Bau, to LTU. How do guest lectures and academic exchanges contribute to strengthening CAMM-CRM’s research environment?

Such leading scientists can help us close any perceived knowledge gaps in our research portfolio. For example, the appointment of Professor Michael Bau will strengthen CAMM-CRM’s core competence in understanding the chemical principles governing the behaviour, partitioning, and mobility of trace and critical elements across various environments. This expertise will support the integration of advanced analytical techniques – such as high-resolution mass spectrometry and microanalytical geochemistry – across multiple CAMM-CRM Research Pillars.

Another initiative under SDS involves collaboration with CH2ESS and international partners on a Hydrogen–CRM scoping study. Why is it important to explore the links between hydrogen technologies and critical raw materials?

The transition towards hydrogen-based energy systems is a cornerstone of Sweden’s and the European Union’s decarbonisation strategies. Achieving this transition depends critically on access to materials that enable hydrogen production, storage, transport, and conversion. It is therefore important to examine the role that critical raw materials play in hydrogen technologies. The established collaboration with CH2ESS and Professor Bruno Pollet’s group at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Canada will enable us identify the research needs, opportunities, and strategic pathways that can strengthen Sweden’s position in the emerging hydrogen economy. Bruno Pollet is regarded as one of the most prominent Hydrogen experts and one of the Hydrogen “influencers” in the world making this a very high-profile strategic collaboration.

Looking forward, how do you see CAMM-CRM contributing to innovation in exploration and the sustainable supply of critical raw materials in the coming years?

Innovation in exploration and sustainable supply of CRM are two important parameters for assessing the contribution of CAMM-CRM to Sweden and Europe in the coming years. In the former case, it is expected that CAMM-CRM will have facilitated the development of our own cutting-edge technology and/or workflows, for example, a platform for quantitative integration of diverse multi-disciplinary and multiscale data necessary for reducing predictive uncertainty in deep exploration. In the latter case, CAMM-CRM will have made considerable contributions to Swedish and EU CRM resilience from the numerous research activities that we have implemented across the value chains for many different critical raw materials.

Michael Bau

Rare earth elements (REEs) have moved from the margins of scientific curiosity to the center of global discussions on technology, sustainability, and resource security. Once considered exotic trace elements with limited practical use, they are now essential components in everything from renewable energy systems to medical technologies – while also raising new environmental questions.

During his visit to Luleå University of Technology, Professor Michael Bau – Professor of Geoscience at Constructor University in Bremen, Germany – shared insights from decades of research on these critical materials. His work focuses on rare earth elements and yttrium (REY), exploring their behavior across the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere through a holistic lens that connects resources, environmental impact, and long-term biogeochemical cycles.

Professor Bau’s research has been instrumental in identifying the presence of anthropogenic rare earth elements in natural waters, drinking water, and even everyday products, highlighting their emerging role as environmental contaminants. His findings have contributed to a growing awareness that these once “exotic” elements must now be considered in environmental monitoring and policy.

In this interview, he reflects on his journey into rare earth element research, the growing importance of these materials in the global energy transition, and why a holistic approach is essential to understanding both their benefits and their risks.

Your lecture is titled “Rare Earth Elements: From Exotic Trace Elements to Critical Raw Materials and Micropollutants.” What inspired you to focus your research on rare earth elements and their changing role?

When you look at the periodic table of the elements, there are a lot of very strange elements that go by very exotic names. When I was a student, these elements didn’t have any real industrial use, so they were mainly of academic interest.

But in geochemistry, the interesting thing is that you find almost all elements from the periodic table in natural samples – minerals, rocks, water. For a geochemist, that means all elements are of interest, though some are more popular or more exotic than others.

It was more or less by chance that, during my undergraduate studies, I worked on a volcano in the Philippines for my diploma thesis. At that time, new data and papers were emerging, and I thought it would be great to work with those methods. However, there were no facilities at the Technical University of Aachen where I could do that.

Then, by chance, I was offered a summer school position in West Berlin. That group specialized in rare earth elements – and that’s where I got hooked.

It’s an exciting group of elements, and you can do a lot with them in research. Over the past 40 years, things have changed significantly. What used to be exotic trace elements are now critical raw materials. Today, they are seen as cornerstones for enabling and green technologies.

This has created interest not only in research but also in industry. That means resources must be developed and mined – but in an environmentally responsible way. At the same time, increased use means more rare earth elements are released into the environment.

So, in the end, we need a much better understanding of how these elements are distributed in water, rocks, soils, plants, and even in our own bodies. That’s the motivation: it’s time to do more comprehensive research on rare earth elements.

Rare earth elements were once mainly of academic interest. What developments have made them so central to modern technology and the global energy transition?

One important factor is the move toward electromobility and renewable energy. For example, large wind turbines – especially offshore ones – require permanent magnets. These magnets rely on elements like neodymium and dysprosium. There is huge demand from that sector.

Another long-standing driver is the petroleum refining industry. Rare earth elements such as lanthanum are used as catalysts to convert crude oil into diesel and petrol.

And then there’s healthcare. When we undergo MRI scans, the contrast agents used are often based on rare earth elements like gadolinium.

So we cover a wide range – from fossil fuels and traditional engines to electromobility and medical technology. Rare earth elements are everywhere, which makes this an exciting field to work in.

You emphasize a holistic approach in your research. Why is it important to study rare earth elements across interconnected systems rather than in isolation?

When we talk about a holistic approach in geoscience, it can mean different things. Many researchers distinguish between marine and terrestrial systems – oceans versus land. In our group, we don’t make that separation; we study both.

Another distinction is between those who study solids – rocks, minerals, ores – and those who focus only on water chemistry. We do both.

For example, if you study limestone, you can analyze its geochemistry – but limestone forms from water. To understand how it forms, you need to study both the water and the solid. Only then can you understand how trace elements are distributed between them.

This is also critical when thinking about resources and the environment. We need resources – without them, our economies and social systems would collapse. But we also need a healthy environment.

That means we must ensure that resource extraction is done in a way that minimizes environmental impact. We also need to understand what happens to these elements once they enter the environment – how they move through soil, water, groundwater, oceans, plants, animals, the food chain, and ultimately into our own bodies.

So a holistic approach means considering all these interconnected systems together.

How difficult is it to balance environmental protection with the need for resource development and extraction?

There is no general answer to that. Different raw materials have different importance and different environmental impacts. Different regions also have varying sensitivities to modification and pollution.

We need to define areas where mining should not take place, and others where it can be allowed. It’s about balancing and compromising.

But we cannot have everything at once – we have to make decisions. And sometimes those decisions are unpleasant. Not making decisions at all, however, is not going to help.

Europe is working to strengthen its access to critical raw materials. What role do you see for research institutions like LTU and CAMM-CRM in this effort?

They play a very important role. As a German, I find it surprising that Germany does not have something similar to CAMM-CRM.

In several countries, institutions like this have been established because people understand that critical raw materials are essential for economic well-being in the coming decades.

CAMM-CRM is extremely important, especially considering that northern Scandinavia – Sweden, but also Norway and Finland – is very rich in these resources.

Deposits of critical raw materials need to be developed in an environmentally responsible way, and CAMM-CRM is ideally positioned to contribute to that. That’s one of the reasons I’m very happy to be involved.

During your visit to Luleå University of Technology, you are also giving a short course on rare earth elements. What key insights do you hope participants will gain?

This brings us back to the holistic approach. I will teach the course together with Frances Wall from the UK. Her focus is on the resource and mining aspects of rare earth elements, while mine will be on their environmental impact.

Together, we will cover the fundamental chemistry and geochemistry of rare earth elements. Students will learn about their basic behavior, their role as resources, and their environmental implications.

We will also cover both terrestrial and marine systems, since deep-sea mining may become important in the future.

In addition, we will look at both solids – rocks, minerals, ores – and liquids, such as water. So we aim to cover the full spectrum, which I think will be very exciting for students.

In your opinion, what are some of the most exciting current research directions in rare earth element geochemistry?

Of course, this is a personal perspective. Researchers tend to find their own work the most important because they are so enthusiastic about it.

What I find particularly interesting is the interface between the lithosphere and the biosphere – between rocks and minerals on one side, and living organisms on the other. Similarly, the interaction between natural waters and aquatic organisms.

We study how rare earth elements and other critical metals are taken up by organisms from water, rocks, and soils, and how they behave within these organisms.

For example, consider a mussel or a snail. At some point, they form a shell made of calcium carbonate, which brings us back to a mineral. During this biomineralization process, very interesting geochemical processes occur.

This intersection between geosciences and life sciences is currently a very exciting area of research for me.