Nicolas Thebaud

Nicolas Thebaud is an Associate Professor at The University of Western Australia's School of Earth and Oceans, where he serves as the Hamond and Nisbet fellow and coordinates the Master of Ore Deposit Geology program. His academic appointment involves 50% research, 40% teaching, and 10% administration, with teaching responsibilities spanning undergraduate and postgraduate structural geology courses including GEOS4417, MING5501, EART3343, GEOS5505, and GEOS4410.

Dr. Thebaud completed his Ph.D. through a joint program between the University of Paris 6 and the University of Sydney in 2006, followed by 18 months as a structural geologist with Mercator Gold Australia before joining the Centre for Exploration Targeting in October 2007. His educational background combines hard-rock field geology, structural geology, and petrography with advanced analytical techniques including synchrotron microfluorescence X.

His research focuses on three interconnected themes: (1) Investigation of lithospheric to continental architecture through integration of structural geology, lithochemistry, and isotope analyses; (2) 4D reconstruction of mineralized terrains at regional to camp scales; and (3) Geochemistry and mineralogy of ore-forming processes with emphasis on metal transport mechanisms. His work pioneered the recognition of nano-scale colloidal transport in high-grade gold deposit formation.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on Precambrian geology, particularly Craton studies of the Yilgarn and West African Cratons, with growing attention to Phanerozoic terrains in the South American Cordillera. His research increasingly integrates multi-disciplinary data, advanced analytical techniques (SIMS, TIMA, TEM), and 4D modeling approaches to understand ore deposit formation processes across geological timeframes.

Dr. Thebaud maintains extensive industry engagement as a research provider for major mining companies including Newmont Corporation, Barrick Gold, Northern Star, and BHP. His current projects include geological evolution studies of the Oberon gold deposit (2020-2023) and the Yilgarn 2020 initiative (2019-2022), with total research funding spanning 13 completed projects.

He serves as Associate Editor for Ore Geology Reviews, reviews for prestigious journals including Nature and Geology, and holds leadership roles in professional organizations as deputy chair of the 6th International Archean Symposium. As director of the AGATE project, he contributes to capacity building in West Africa through earth science education initiatives.