Biography

Laeeque holds the Noranda-Falconbridge Chair in Mine-Mechanical Engineering, in the Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining at Queen's University. Complementing his academic career, Laeeque has three decades of experience in the application of advanced technologies for digital transformation of the mining industry, in North America as well as globally. His initial exposure to this field, in the 1990’s, was as a co-founder of Aquila Mining Systems Ltd. – a pioneer in the development of advanced software and embedded monitoring and control systems for blasthole drills and cable shovels used in open-pit mining. His expertise, acquired through a combination of entrepreneurial endeavours, industrial consulting, and academic research activities, spans a broad range, including: data analytics for physical asset management and reliability engineering, mechanization, automation, and robotics. He has worked on technology projects with numerous mining companies, as well as with a number of major manufacturers of mining equipment. Laeeque graduated with a B.Sc. (Honours) in Electronic Engineering from Southampton University in the United Kingdom, and holds a Ph.D. and D.I.C. in Mechanical Engineering, with specialization in Robotics and Automation, from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London.