Peter Knights

Professor Peter Knights is a faculty member at the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, University of Queensland, where he serves as Discipline Lead for Mining. He previously held the BMA Chair in Mining Engineering (2006–2015) and worked as Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Chile (1996–2004), where he also held the Canadian Chair in Mining.

• Education: BEng (Mechanical) from University of Melbourne, MEng (Systems Engineering) from RMIT, PhD in Mining Engineering from McGill University.
• Research Focus: Engineering asset management, mine maintenance, systems engineering for mine safety, ESG integration in mine planning, and electrification of mining haulage. He pioneered ESG frameworks and developed the ValueTree software adopted by Rio Tinto.
• Recent Publications: His 15 most recent articles (2023–2025) emphasize digital twins, low-emission mining systems, ESG optimization, and battery trolley electrification in journals like Mining, Energies, and Mining Technology.
• Industry Impact: Developed the Jack-knife methodology for downtime analysis, now used in GE Wabtec's APS software, and innovative models for ultimate pit limits in FMIPCC systems.
• Supervision: Currently supervises PhD students on topics like AI-driven asset management, battery trolley systems, and rock mass preconditioning. Past supervision includes work on shovel sequence optimization and critical spare parts management.