Lee van der Muelen

Growing up in Perth, Lee was introduced to mining during a Year 12 careers talk — sparking a lifelong passion for metallurgy. After graduating in Minerals Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy from Curtin University’s WA School of Mines, she began her career at Paddy’s Flat gold mine in 1992, where she not only managed plant metallurgy and laboratory operations but designed and implemented a spreadsheet-based metallurgical accounting system still used for years after. 

Over the next two decades, Lee built deep technical expertise through senior metallurgy and consulting roles, applying technology to improve quality and efficiency long before “digital transformation” became common. During the 2013 downturn, she earned a second degree in Computer Science. Combining both disciplines, she went on to lead the development of Australia’s first semi-automated mining laboratory for MinRes, taking it from concept to commissioning. Using co-bots and conveyors to automate sample handling, the lab now processes up to 500 samples per day. This has doubled previous capacity while improving safety and quality for MinRes’ Onslow Iron project. 

A respected leader and mentor, Lee bridges the gap between metallurgists and automation specialists, helping others embrace innovation with confidence. Her pioneering work has set a new industry benchmark for laboratory automation and is now being adopted by other operators across Australia and overseas.