Eleanor Capuano

Studying Exploration Geology at Cardiff University provided me with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills for the rest of my career in the exploration and mining industry.

The broad range of modules and emphasis on fieldwork and mapping was particularly important for finding my interest in the exploration geology. The field trips, those as part of the curriculum and those organised by the student chapter of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG), were absolutely invaluable!

Cardiff is such a wonderful and energetic city where I made so many fantastic memories. We had such a strong community of geology students, some of whom became my lifelong friends. My degree at Cardiff University has opened so many doors for me, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

Graduate career

After studying my BSc, I went on to study a Master’s in Economic Geology at the University of Oulu, northern Finland, which landed me my first job digging soil samples in the forests of Finnish Lapland as part of a gold exploration program.

After graduating with my MSc, I worked in the mine-site exploration department of LKAB in Malmberget, northern Sweden, home to one of the largest underground iron ore mines in the Nordic countries. I have since returned to Finland to work as an Exploration Geologist with Latitude 66 Cobalt Oy, exploring for cobalt and other battery metals and developing a cobalt-gold mine in Kuusamo. With field-based activities in the summer months and drilling while the ground is frozen and covered in snow, I am always referring back to my toolkit of skills that I first developed back at Cardiff University.