About

About us

RGS specialises in mine waste geochemistry and water management

RGS Environmental is an owner-operated, leading, environmental consulting company that has been operating successfully for over 12 years. We provide our clients with timely and cost-effective solutions to complex environmental management issues.

RGS specialises in environmental geochemistry and hydrogeochemical services for mine waste and water management for projects from exploration though to rehabilitation and Closure. RGS has completed over 500 projects in Australia, China, SE Asia, Micronesia, South Pacific, South America and Africa.

meet us

Our team

Dr David Faulkner
Principal Geochemist
David is a Principal Environmental Geochemist with a background in environmental science, soil science and remediation technologies. David holds a doctorate for research into electrokinetic mobilisation of inorganic contaminants in soils and sediments and has published in this field. He is skilled in hydrogeochemical modelling and systems modelling software for generating simulations and predictions of environmental hazards. David possesses advanced data processing, automation, and presentation skills using Excel/VBA and Python programming language. He is also an experienced field scientist and has designed and conducted field sampling programs including the sampling of soils, sediments, rock, coal seam gas, surface water and groundwater. He is an experienced project manager and has a strong track record in business development and client-facing roles.
Laura Long
Laboratory Assistant
Laura has recently joined the laboratory team as an assistant, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to safety and teamwork cultivated throughout her years in the veterinary field. With a background as a Veterinary assistant and as a former business owner, Laura is eager to contribute to the success of our endeavors at the RGS laboratory and to further develop her professional career within the dynamic environment.
Koshik Gounder
Laboratory Technician
Koshik graduated with a Bachelor in Science (majoring in Wildlife and Marine Science) from Griffith University in July 2023. Koshik is eager to learn and develop new skills to make a meaningful impact and is committed to tackling challenges with creativity and innovation.
Paul Hilton
Laboratory Technician
Paul graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Queensland, has worked in coal petrography and physical coal testing for 3 years. Assisted with research on coral morphology in the Great Barrier Reef while in university. He has recently started at RGS and is assisting on a mix of coal and hard rock projects which is a nice change to learn something new.
Dr Chandima Nikagolla
Consultant Geochemist
Chandima has completed a Post Doc and a PhD in Environmental Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Chandimas’ post-doctoral research included investigating subsurface contaminant dispersal and migration from on-site wastewater treatment systems. Her PhD involved developing an integrated approach of geochemistry, stable environmental isotopes, and particulate organic matter for comprehensive groundwater characterisation and devising a low-cost filter using mining waste for rural communities. She has also completed a BSc honours in Geology at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Chandima actively collaborated with the Australia Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) during her research projects at QUT. Chandima is an expert in the circular application of mining waste and has investigated iron-rich mining waste as an economic sorbent for fluoride and chromium removal. Chandima is also interested in groundwater contaminants and contaminated pathways.
Patti-Anne Burgess
Administration Officer
Dr Przemek Nalecki
Associate - Principal Modeller
Dr Przemek Nalecki is an independent hydrogeologist and petroleum engineer. He has over 20 years of experience in hydrogeology and 8 years in petroleum engineering, including working for academia, consulting and the oil and gas industry. He is currently the managing director at Energy & Water Pty Ltd. Przemek’s hydrogeology experience includes projects from Australia, Europe, South-East Asia, Pacific and South America. He has extensive knowledge and experience in constructing groundwater & surface water conceptual and numerical models for mine water management, mine dewatering, water supply and water balance projects, broad range of decision support models as well as probabilistic modelling and statistical analyses. Przemek has extensive experience in uncertainty analyses, Monte Carlo simulations and integration of these methods within GoldSim package. He is also an author and co-author of a number of papers discussing application of GoldSim to mine water management projects. Some of those papers are referenced in the GoldSim technical papers library.
Peter Long
Consultant Geoscientist
Peter graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology (Honours) from the University of Queensland. Peter has a background in geology and geochemistry, including the impact of microorganisms on the geochemistry of deposits and waste rock dumps. Peter specialises in the collation of data, CAD and computer aided modelling using the Deswik software suite and GIS.
Dr Alan Robertson
Director and Principal Geochemist
Alan has over twenty-five years industrial and consulting experience in completing geochemical and Acid and Metalliferous Drainage (AMD) projects for the mining and mineral processing industry. He has provided input into a wide variety of studies for major mining companies ranging from stand-alone reports to integral components of Feasibility Studies. He has worked on projects in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and South America and is regularly called upon to Peer Review AMD work completed by other consultants. Alan has particular expertise in mine waste characterisation, development of AMD management plans, and design of mine waste storage facilities from project conception through to mine closure. He has experience of potential downstream impacts of mining activities and project specific mitigation measures. Alan is also an experienced Environmental Auditor and regularly assists clients with due diligence and compliance audits.
Dr Melinda Hilton
Consultant Geochemist
Melinda has completed a PhD in Environmental Geochemistry at the Sustainable Mineral Institute at the University of Queensland, which involved the characterisation of coal mine spoil and an assessment of salt leaching rates for different types of spoil over time. She has also completed a BSc honours in Environmental Science, at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, majoring in geology and chemistry. The honours thesis was an analytical study of environmentally hazardous trace elements in thermal and coking coal. Melinda has worked extensively under the microscope, in plane-polarised and reflected light, as well as SEM. Her technical experience also includes small and medium scale leaching experiments with mine wastes, including developing new methods in the use of tracers to measure water residence times and detect the presence of preferential flow paths. Melinda has been a strong connections with the land rehabilitation industry and has written and presented material in her field of expertise at several conference events. Melinda's recently published article: Hilton, M and M. Shaygan, N Mcintyre, T Baumgartl, M. Edraki, (2019) The effect of weathering on salt release from coal mine spoils. Minerals 2019, 9(12), 760.
Dr Matt Landers
Director & Principal Geochemist
Matt has over 15 years’ experience in project management, development, implementation and delivery of multi-disciplinary programs for mining and energy industries. Matt specialises in the hydro-geochemical characterisation of mine waste and development of solutions for mine waste and water management for projects from concept through to Closure. Matt has extensive experience in constructing hydro-geochemical models for the assessment of acid and metalliferous/ saline drainage, surface and groundwater quality assessments, waste storage facilities and final void/ pit lakes. Matt is also experienced in design, modelling and performance monitoring of Closure options (e.g. mine waste cover systems, final voids/ pit lakes and waste storage facilities). His experience extends throughout projects in Australia, Laos, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Philippines, Indonesia and New Caledonia. In addition, Matt has co-authored over thirty peer reviewed international journal articles or conference outputs.
Veronica Canales
Laboratory Manager
Veronica has over 15 years experience working in geochemical laboratories, managing environmental data and reporting. Veronica currently manages all geochemical and mineralogical data at the RGS laboratory in Brisbane.