Dr. Celeste Cunningham, an Earth and Environmental Sciences professor at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), is leading innovative research to help Nova Scotia and Canada secure sustainable sources of critical minerals the metals essential for clean energy technologies, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.
A sedimentary geologist, Dr. Cunningham studies how and where these minerals such as nickel, cobalt, zinc, copper, and manganese form in the region's rocks, with the goal of developing a local, environmentally responsible supply chain.
"Critical minerals are vital to everyday technologies and to the green technologies we're trying to develop," says Dr. Cunningham. "We need them, but they're limited globally. My work aims to identify sources here in Nova Scotia and determine how we can access them sustainably."
Her research focuses on two main sources: former coal mines and ancient seabeds exposed on land. In the coal mine study, she's investigating whether mineral-rich mine waste could be repurposed in a more sustainable way. In the seabed project, she's exploring whether ancient seabeds contain the same mineral deposits as modern ocean floors without the environmental disruption of seabed mining.
Since 2023, Dr. Cunningham has already identified critical minerals in these seabeds and is expanding the project with funding from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and Research Nova Scotia.
Her field sites include Sydney (Cape Breton), New Glasgow, Liscomb, and Bridgewater, and the work has provided hands-on research opportunities for six undergraduate students so far.
Originally from Kingston, Ontario, Dr. Cunningham joined StFX in 2022 after completing her PhD at the University of Ottawa. She teaches courses in natural hazards, sedimentology, geomorphology, and introductory earth sciences. "We need critical minerals for environmentally friendly technologies, but we also need to protect the environment in the process," she says. "That's why I'm looking at old mine waste and exposed seabeds environmentally responsible ways to meet the needs of a green future."
Dr. Cunningham's goal is to develop a local, environmentally responsible supply chain for Nova Scotia and Canada.
