Dennis Buchanan

Emeritus Professor of Mining Geology, Director of the MSc in Metals and Energy Finance and Senior Research Fellow. Professor Buchanan works jointly between the Department of Earth Science and Engineering and the Business School at Imperial College London.

Professor Buchanan's current research interest lies in addressing the underlying technical principles applying to mineral projects and demonstrating how these influence financial modelling. Particular interest is directed towards the treatment of key independent variables, such as grade and metal price, dependent variables, such as grade-tonnage relationships, and the way these influence the rate of mining, associated operating and capital costs, and the optimisation of the NPV of a project. These models are then applied to concepts of enhancing shareholder value for minerals companies and the related consideration of the role of gearing in maintaining an efficient balance sheet

He has 38 years’ experience teaching mining geology, mineral exploration and mineral project appraisal and is responsible for the MSc in Metals and Energy Finance. This is a joint degree between the Department of Earth Science and Engineering and the Business School at Imperial College. Professor Buchanan has worked as a Mining Geologist in both gold and platinum mines in South Africa and had wide experience as a consultant to industry, as an expert witness in legal cases and in designing and delivering short courses for industry.