Wenran Cao

Dr Wenran Cao is a Research Scientist in the Sustainable Mining Technologies (SMT) Research Program at CSIRO Mineral Resources. His research focuses on advanced groundwater seepage and reactive transport modelling for mines and tailings dams. He also works on developing innovative and practical engineering solutions for mine waste and tailings management, including acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) control and tailings dam safety. He specialises in numerical modelling of hydrological and geochemical processes, and experimental studies of soil mechanics, seepage erosion and pore-structure evolution. Wenran is a Professional Member of Engineers Australia and a Registered Professional Engineer in Queensland (RPEQ). Before joining CSIRO in 2026, he obtained his PhD in Geo-environmental Engineering from The University of Queensland (UQ) and continued as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), where he developed a coupled processes of fluid flow, solute transport, and chemical reactions in mining environments. His research integrated hydrogeology, geochemistry, and geophysics to address AMD management challenges. He was a key researcher on several mining projects involving mines in Australia, Canada, and the United States, including an open-pit mine project funded by Rio Tinto, an ARC Linkage project in collaboration with BHP, and an ACARP project in collaboration with YANCOAL. Before his career in Australia, Wenran had many years of research experience in China and consulting experience in Malaysia, working in international and multidisciplinary environments. He also completed advanced professional training from Fugro in the United States, a global leader in geo-data solutions with the world’s largest offshore geotechnical laboratories. Throughout his career, he has contributed to a wide range of engineering and research projects across Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas.