Mohan Yellishetty grew up in Manthani, a small town in Telangana, South India, watching the landscape around him change. As coal mines expanded, so did open-cut pits, overburden dumps and altered hillsides. Farming communities faced uncertainty about their land and their future. He was not yet a researcher. He was simply a boy watching something happen to a place he knew.
That experience never left him. Today, Professor Yellishetty from Monash University’s Department of Civil Engineering is one of Australia’s leading researchers in critical minerals and sustainable mining.
“The question is not whether we should mine,” he says. “It is how we can mine responsibly.”
His path to that conviction was not straightforward. After studying mining engineering and completing postgraduate research in India, he spent nearly a decade in Goa working in both the mining industry and government. Although the mineral was different — iron ore instead of coal — the challenges were much the same. Mining existed alongside agriculture, biodiversity and tourism, with communities often wondering what it would mean for their future.
A major turning point came in 2014 when he received an Australian Government Endeavour Fellowship to spend several months at Yale University working with Professor Thomas E. Graedel, a global leader in resource sustainability.
“That experience broadened my perspective on the strategic importance of critical minerals,” he says.
It shaped the direction of his career, led to collaborations with internationally respected researchers and helped him build research partnerships between Australia, India and countries across the Indo-Pacific.
Since then, Professor Yellishetty has focused his research on critical minerals — the materials that make modern life possible. They are used in batteries, electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, advanced electronics and many other products that will underpin the transition to cleaner energy.
Australia holds some of the world’s largest reserves of these minerals and can produce nine of the ten key mineral elements needed for lithium-ion batteries, including lithium, nickel and cobalt. But he believes the opportunity goes beyond extraction. “The world is looking to Australia because of our ability to produce these resources responsibly.”
// Professor Mohan Yellishetty says responsible mining requires strong science, community trust and rehabilitation planning from the outset
For Professor Yellishetty, responsible mining begins with something the industry calls social licence. “Social licence is about earning and maintaining the trust of the communities and stakeholders connected to a mining project,” he explains. “It goes well beyond simply meeting regulatory requirements.”
In practice, that means listening to communities, involving them in decisions and planning for what happens after mining finishes. Rehabilitation should not be treated as an afterthought but as part of the project from the very beginning.
Trust, however, can take years to build and only moments to lose. In 2020, Professor Yellishetty and his team developed the Mining Incidence Documentation and Assessment Scheme — MIDAS — a database that identified more than 80,000 inactive mine sites across Australia. Many of these sites remain unremediated, their landscapes still waiting for recovery long after operations ceased.
“The impacts of mining can continue for generations if mine closure and land restoration are not prioritised from the start.”
Despite the scale of the challenge, he remains optimistic. He describes himself as a “dangerous optimist” — someone who believes advances in science and technology are giving the industry better tools than ever before. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced mapping and data analytics can all help improve planning, reduce environmental impacts and support better decision-making.
But technology alone is not the answer. “Responsible mining starts with good science, strong governance and careful planning. We need progressive rehabilitation throughout the life of the mine and land returned to a safe, stable and self-sustaining condition.”
His research brings together mining engineering, environmental science, economics and public policy, and has helped strengthen collaboration between Australia and India — two countries with complementary strengths. Australia has abundant mineral resources. India is building its capabilities in processing, manufacturing and technology. Working together, both countries can help develop more resilient supply chains for the future.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” he says. “If we get it right, Australia can help enable the global energy transition while creating lasting economic opportunities and a more sustainable future.”
Looking ahead, Professor Yellishetty hopes Australia moves beyond simply exporting raw materials and invests more in processing, research, innovation and skills. “Our future success will depend not just on how much we mine, but on how much knowledge, technology and value we create along the entire minerals supply chain.”
For the boy who once watched coal mines reshape the hills of Telangana, that ambition is personal as much as professional. He has spent his career working toward an industry that leaves behind not just economic value, but healthier landscapes, stronger communities and a legacy worth inheriting.
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