Dr. Gareth Kennedy is the Research Director for the Sustainable Mining Technologies program, within the CSIRO Mineral Resources Research Unit. A multidisciplinary R&D program focused addressing major challenges facing the resource sector including the development of innovative mine safety and environment solutions, sustainability, and advanced mining and automation systems. Gareth is an experienced leader, researcher, and technologist with over 23 years of experience in the coal and metalliferous mining industries in Australia, Europe and the UK. He has held senior leadership roles in the public and private sectors, driving innovation in mining safety technology, automation, underground communications, and energy management systems. He holds a PhD in Mining Engineering and a BEng (Hons) in Electronic Engineering.