Economic geology research and teaching at Queen's is highly collaborative and multidisciplinary, integrating field work and site visits with mineral-deposit modeling, laboratory investigation and economic e valuation. This integrated approach is reflected in co-supervision of graduate students and shared teaching responsibilities. Because of industrial interest in the understanding and development of mineral deposits, the field of Economic Geology provides opportunity for researchers to interact with the private sector.

The core faculty of the field of economic geology and mineral exploration are complemented by other faculty members and by adjunct professors who teach regular courses, present short courses and modules, and lead field trips. The most active of the Adjuncts is H. Poulsen who teaches a course in structural geology and ore deposits, leads a fall field trip through the Abitibi, and acts as a resource for economic geology and mineral exploration students. Dr. Poulsen retired from the Geological Survey of Canada as a specialist in Archean gold terranes and is recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world in this field. Dr. James Franklin, former Chief Scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada, also serves as an adjunct and periodically offers short courses in the field of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, as well as providing advice to graduate students in relevant fields. Karl Harries has been an adjunct in our department for many years and brings 40 years of experience in the legal and mining industries to his short courses on the legal aspects of mineral exploration. Having direct access to this type of expertise provides graduate students with a dimension to their mineral exploration education that they are unlikely to receive in any other university geology department. Rob Harrap is an expert on GIS and works as the Director of the GIS Laboratory in the Department of Geography at Queen's University. Rob teaches courses to graduate students in the use of GIS for exploration. Rob's geological background in structural geology and tectonics is put to use in helping to lead our major graduate field trip each spring.