Peter Winterburn, former NSERC/Bureau Veritas Minerals Executive Industrial Research Chair in Exploration Geochemistry, dies in Chile on June 21, 2019

Our former colleague, Peter Winterburn, was killed on Friday, June 21, 11:45 am local time, in Valparaiso Chile, the victim of an attempted robbery. He was 56 years old.

Peter Winterburn was appointed in EOAS in 2014 as the NSERC/Bureau Veritas Minerals Executive Industrial Research Chair in Exploration Geochemistry. Before coming to EOAS, he had worked over 17 years in industry, first for Anglo American and then for Vale.  In his 5 years in EOAS, he implemented a widely recognized and successful research program, made significant contributions to industry and student training, supervising 9 M.Sc. students.  His research has had impact within the department through pioneering genomic collaborations with Sean Crowe, through foundational copper-isotope work with Dominique Weis and PCIGR, and through the evaluation of the geochemistry of surficial materials with MDRU.  His research has changed the methods of geochemical exploration and interpretation used by the minerals industry. 

Peter left EOAS at the end of January 2019 to return to industry to work at Vale, based in Santiago, Chile. We send our deepest condolences to Peter’s family and loved ones.