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Professor Daniel Franks

Program Leader-Development Minerals

Sustainable Minerals Institute
d.franks@uq.edu.au

Overview

Professor Daniel Franks is known internationally for his work on the interconnections between minerals, materials and sustainable development, with a particular focus on the role of minerals in poverty reduction and the social and environmental change associated with mining and energy extraction.

Daniel’s work spans the governance of artisanal, small-scale and large-scale mining. While metals and gemstones are a feature of his research, he especially focused on industrial minerals, construction materials and other ‘Development Minerals’ that are mined and used for local and domestic development. These later minerals matter in our efforts to achieve the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, because they are literally the matter that underpins much of global development, whether it be the clay bricks and roof tiles that provide shelter, the mineral fertilisers fundamental for agriculture, the garnet that filters water, or the gravel and stone that builds bridges and paves rural roads.

Originally trained as a geologist, he began his career as a field geoscientist in Brazil and Australia. After retraining in political and social sciences, he worked as a Senior Social Scientist at the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water. Between 2015 and 2018 he was Chief Technical Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme and Programme Manager of the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme, where he remains an advisor. In this role he was responsible for the delivery of more than 200 training and capacity building workshops, training over ten thousand people from 41 countries, of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific in the governance of minerals for sustainable development. He authored curricula now taught in more than 30 universities and advised numerous Heads of State, Ministers of Mining and Ambassadors on mineral policy and governance.

Prior to his work at the United Nations, Professor Franks held research and teaching positions at Griffith University and The University of Queensland, where he was previously the Deputy Director of the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining. He has held visiting appointments with Columbia University, New York (2013-present), the University of Eastern Finland (2014-present), the University of Western Australia (2013-2015), Central European University, Budapest (2016) and Universidad Católica del Norte, Chile (2011-2015). He has been an invited expert peer reviewer for the World Bank (2018), International Resource Panel, UN Environment (2017), the Academy of Finland (2015) and the Commonwealth Secretariat (2012).

Research Impacts

Daniel’s work is interdisciplinary and highly engaged. He has field experience at more than 75 mining and energy sites internationally and 37 countries. His research was publicly cited by the Chief Operating Officer of the International Council on Mining and Metals as “academic research that has changed the mineral industry.” He played an important role in The Australian Government’s flagship $31m International Mining for Development Centre hosted by UQ and The University of Western Australia, as well as The Queensland Government’s ‘Sustainable Resource Communities Policy.’

Daniel is an instructor of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ‘Natural Resources for Sustainable Development’, hosted by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, The World Bank and the Natural Resources Governance Institute, where he teaches alongside Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Sir Paul Collier. He is a Docent at the Institute for Natural Resources, Environment & Society, University of Eastern Finland and an Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Minerals Policy & Economics (Resources Policy) and Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal. He is the immediate past co-Chair of Social Impact Assessment at the International Association of Impact Assessment, a role he held between 2011 and 2017.

In 2018, Daniel Chaired the International Conference on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying, which was attended by five-hundred and forty-seven (547) delegates from 72 countries and opened by the President of Zambia. As Chair he oversaw the historic Mosi-oa-Tunya Declarationon Artisanal and Small-scale Mining, Quarrying and Development.

Professor Franks is the author of more than 100 publications in 8 languages, including the book ‘Mountain Movers: Mining, sustainability and the agents of change’ (Earthscan, 2015) and his highly cited study with Rachel Davis on the costs of company-community conflict in the extractives sector, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesand by The Harvard Kennedy School. The forward to the Harvard Kennedy School Reportwas written by Professor John Ruggie, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Business and Human Rights.

Daniel’s research has attracted global media attention by more than forty outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Associated Press, Vox Africa and Reuters. He authored a single author chapter within the prestigious Mining Engineering Handbook, a compendium published just once each generation and a chapter with Volker Boege, in High-value natural resources and post-conflict peacebuilding, published by Earthscan. The later volume was led by UN Environment’s Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Natural Resource Management programme, and the foreword of the book was written by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, then President of Liberia and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. He was the lead editor of a special issue of Resources Policy on ‘Understanding and Managing Cumulative Impacts in Resource Regions,’ which contributed new theory on cumulative impacts in minerals and energy-rich resource regions.

Daniel has successfully managed large research and capacity building programs, with over $7.5M in research funding support as a named investigator and over $21M for training/capacity building.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

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Publications

Featured Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • An evolving agenda for environmental, health and safety management in mining

    Sánchez, Luis E. and Franks, Daniel M. (2022). An evolving agenda for environmental, health and safety management in mining. Routledge handbook of the extractive industries and sustainable development. (pp. 329-348) edited by Natalia Yakovleva and Edmund Nickless. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003001317-21

  • Construction materials and sustainable development

    Junior, Patrick and Franks, Daniel M. (2022). Construction materials and sustainable development. Routledge handbook of the extractive industries and sustainable development. (pp. 228-246) edited by Natalia Yakovleva and Edmund Nickless. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003001317-14

  • Global research consortium on tailings

    Franks, Daniel M., Littleboy, Anna and Williams, David (2020). Global research consortium on tailings. Towards Zero Harm: A Compendium of Papers Prepared for the Global Tailings Review. (pp. 231-237) edited by Bruno Oberle, David Brereton and Antonia Mihaylova. London, United Kingdom: Global Tailings Review.

  • Lessons from tailings facility data disclosures

    Franks, Daniel M., Stringer, Martin, Baker, Elaine, Valenta, Rick, Torres-Cruz, Luis A., Thygesen, Kristina, Matthews, Adam, Howchin, John and Barrie, Stephen (2020). Lessons from tailings facility data disclosures. Towards Zero Harm: A Compendium of Papers Prepared for the Global Tailings Review. (pp. 84-108) edited by Bruno Oberle, David Brereton and Antonia Mihaylova. London, United Kingdom: Global Tailings Review.

  • United Nations Environment Assembly resolution on mineral resource governance

    Tonda, Elisa, Franks, Daniel M. and Kariuki, Angela (2020). United Nations Environment Assembly resolution on mineral resource governance. Towards zero harm: a compendium of papers prepared for the Global Tailings Review. (pp. 224-230) edited by Bruno Oberle, David Brereton and Antonia Mihaylova. London, United Kingdom: Global Tailings Review.

  • Understanding the costs of company–community conflict in life-of-mine planning

    Davis, R. and Franks, D. M. (2018). Understanding the costs of company–community conflict in life-of-mine planning. From start to finish: a life of mine perspective. (pp. 55-61) edited by Cherie McCullough, Bruce Harvey, Corinne Unger, Jan Coetzee and Stuart Winchester. Carlton South, VIC, Australia: Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

  • Yhteiskuntasuhteet globaalin kaivostoiminnan haasteena

    Franks, Daniel M. (2018). Yhteiskuntasuhteet globaalin kaivostoiminnan haasteena. Kaivos Koettuna. (pp. 19-26) edited by Mononen, Tuija, Björn, Ismo and Sairnen, Rauno. Rovaniem, Finland: University of Lapland Press.

  • Social risk and business risk in mining projects

    Graetz, Geordan and Franks, Daniel M. (2017). Social risk and business risk in mining projects. Mining in the Asia-Pacific: risks, challenges and opportunities. (pp. 65-83) edited by Terry O’Callaghan and Geordan Graetz. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-61395-6_5

  • Development of mining-affected regions: the influence of the Commonwealth in a state dominated sphere

    Everingham, Jo-Anne and Franks, Daniel M. (2015). Development of mining-affected regions: the influence of the Commonwealth in a state dominated sphere. Rural and regional futures. (pp. 282-298) edited by Anthony Hogan and Michelle Young. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315775333-29

  • Managing the cumulative impacts of coal mining on regional communities and environments in Australia

    Franks, Daniel, Brereton, David and Moran, Chris J. (2014). Managing the cumulative impacts of coal mining on regional communities and environments in Australia. Developments in social impact assessment. (pp. 403-416) Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Social impact assessment: the state of the art

    Esteves, Ana Maria, Franks, Daniel and Vanclay, Frank (2014). Social impact assessment: the state of the art. Developments in social impact assessment. (pp. 3-11) edited by Frank Vanclay. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings : The challenge of company-community relations

    Boege, Volker and Franks, Daniel M. (2012). Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings : The challenge of company-community relations. High-value natural resources and post-conflict peacebuilding. (pp. 87-120) edited by Päivi Lujala and Siri Aas Rustad. London, U.K.: Earthscan.

  • Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings: the challenge of company-community relations

    Boege, Volker and Franks, Daniel M. (2012). Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings: the challenge of company-community relations. High-value natural resources and post-conflict peacebuilding. (pp. 104-137) edited by Päivi Lujala and Siri Aas Rustad. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781849775786

  • Cumulative social impacts

    Franks, Daniel M., Brereton, David and Moran, Chris J. (2011). Cumulative social impacts. New directions in social impact assessment: Conceptual and methodological advances. (pp. 202-220) edited by Frank Vanclay and Ana Maria Esteves. Cheltenham, Gloucester, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Management of the social impacts of mining

    Franks, Daniel M. (2011). Management of the social impacts of mining. SME Mining Engineering Handbook. (pp. 1817-1825) edited by Peter Darling. Littleton, Colorado, U.S.A.: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Low-carbon cement adoption in the Pacific

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Mitigating the biodiversity impacts of extracting Australia's energy transition minerals

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Lessons from company-community conflicts in mining.

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • The making of responsible cobalt

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Mining policy, Mine-community conflict, Mining, Community relations - mining, Community engagement - mining, Social impact assessment - mining, Resource conflict - mining, Resource governance - mining, Mine waste policy, Tailings - mines, Mines and tailings, Sovereignty and consent - mine resources, Sustainable development

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: F-8505-2012

ORCID: 0000-0003-1217-2128

Scopus ID: 35236786800

Google Scholar ID: F61x5BYAAAAJ

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