Rate My Professor Pat Foster

Professor Pat Foster serves as Head of Camborne School of Mines and Professor in Mine Safety at the University of Exeter, part of the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. In this leadership role since 2022, he oversees mining education and research at the Camborne campus in Cornwall, including the relaunch of the undergraduate Mining Engineering degree programme in 2024. Previously, he held positions as Director of Education and Associate Professor in Mine Safety at Camborne School of Mines. Foster is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM). He engages with industry and policy, hosting ministerial visits for the UK Critical Minerals Strategy launch in 2025 and co-leading the Critical Minerals Challenge Centre. As an Editorial Board Member for the journal Safety, he contributes to advancing safety standards in mining.

Foster's academic interests focus on mine safety management, health and safety, risk assessment, accident analysis, ergonomics, and disaster risk reduction. His research addresses environmental and social dimensions of mining, including climate change impacts on facilities such as groundwater control in colliery spoil tip failures, gas emissions from closed shafts, flooding from spoil heaps during heavy rainfall, and sustainability of switch-on/switch-off mining operations. Notable publications include 'Using a Safety Maturity Model for Safety Planning and Performance Measurement in the Mining Industry' (2013, Minerals), 'TEXMIN HANDBOOK: A Guide to Managing the Risks Posed to Working and Abandoned Mining Facilities, and to the Surrounding Environment, Caused by Climate Change' (2022), 'Low-cost leaky feeder communication for mines rescue' (2020), 'Modelling the Control of Groundwater on the Development of Colliery Spoil Tip Failures in Wales' (2024, Land), and 'Criteria-driven socio-environmental maturity modelling for mining: driving positive sustainability attitudes and perceptions at diverse operational scales' (2025, Resources Policy). With over 600 citations, his work influences safety practices, sustainable resource production, and education in the global mining sector. Foster delivers plenary sessions at conferences such as Materials, Minerals & Mining for People, Places, Planet.