Researchers & Advisors

Dr. Armin Mathis is researcher Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos at the Federal University of Pará in Belém. His research focusses on the social organization of small scale miners, working process, public policy, and mining and its contributions for regional development.

Marcelo José de Oliveira is a geologist who teaches Environmental Sciences at the Federal University of Amapá and holds a PhD in Sustainable Development (NAEA- UFPA, 2010). He studied mining, development and sustainability.

Rafael was geographer and contributed to GOMIAM with his PhD study on the mobility of Brazilian gold miners in the Guiana shield (2014). It grieves us to report that Rafael died in a tragic accident in February 2015.

Pedro is a biologist. In 2014 he got his PhD in Social-Environmental Sciences at NAEA – Federal University of Pará, on a study of conflicts between protected areas and small-scale gold mining in the Tapajós region in the Brazilian Amazon. He teaches at the Federal Institute of Pará (IFPA, Brasil).

Luiz Jardim Wanderley has written a doctoral thesis on the effect of the gold mine economy in the Amazonian spatial organization during the last two decades. He is professor at the Geography Department of the Rio de Janeiro State University.

Leticia Tedesco recently completed her doctoral research about female work and circulation in gold mining camps based on fieldwork in the Vale do Tapajós Region and in Serra Pelada, both in the Brazilian Amazon.

Jacopo Seccatore is mining engineer, working for the Centre for Responsible Mining (NAP-Mining) at the University of São Paulo (USP).

Giorgio de Tomi is mining engineer, working for the Centre for Responsible Mining (NAP-Mining) at the University of São Paulo (USP).

Madiana Rodrigues is anthropologist and works for the Federal University of Roraima in Brazil. Madiana is doing research on small-scale gold mining in the border area of Brazil and Guyana.

Francilene Rodrigues is researcher at the Federal University of Roraima in Brazil.

Ton Salman is associate professor at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the VU University Amsterdam.

Felix Carrillo is a Metallurgical Engineer, with a specialization the environmental aspects of mining, mainly in the development and application of techniques aimed at reducing the environmental impact caused by mining operations.

Alexandra Uran Carmona is a professor at the Anthropology Department of the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia. She holds degrees in Mining Engineering, Anthropology and Environmental Anthropology and a PhD in Sociology and Social Sciences in Germany, at Kassel Universität.

Helcías is a Mining Engineer working in the Technical Secretariat of the Permanent Bureau for Responsible Mining in the Department of Chocó, participating in the conceptualization of ecological criteria and socio environmental Programs as Oro Verde (Green Gold).

Alvaro Pardo is economist. He works with small-scale gold mining communities, for the organization Colombia Punto Medio.

Mourik Bueno de Mesquita is an agricultural engineer with over 30 years of working experience in the Peruvian Andes in topics such as integrated water resources management, soil & water conservation, watershed management, rural development, postgraduate education, training courses, action-research, community development, participative project implementation and international consultancy practices. He coordinates the GOMIAM activities in Peru and Bolivia.

Gerardo Damonte Valencia received his Ph.D. in Anthropology at Cornell University. He is a senior researcher for questions related to Natural Resources at GRADE, and teaches at the Catholic University of Peru. Gerardo writes about small scale gold mining in Madre de Dios.

Victor Hugo earned a PhD in Anthropology (2012) and is an expert in socio-environmental risk management and business analysis of artisanal and small scale mining. He also has done advisory work in programs for fair trade gold.

Ludwing studied anthropology at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. He is field researcher for el Centro Bartolomé de las Casas (CBC) in Cusco and for GOMIAM Peru.

Franco Arista is an engineer, specialized in environmental issues. He works for Solidaridad, where he is responsible for Gold program in Peru.

Laurens Gomes works for WWF Guianas, Consortium partner of GOMIAM.

Celine Duijves is anthropologist, working in the fields of mining, community development and education. She worked on a study of child labor in gold mining and a study of access to HIV Services for mobile and migrant populations in gold mining areas. Duijves has worked as researcher for GOMIAM in Suriname until the beginning of 2015.

Marieke Heemskerk is an anthropologist (PhD, Univ. of Gainesville, USA) with a special interest in small-scale mining. She has conducted research in Surinamese gold mining areas since 1996 and has been involved in research and development projects in small-scale mines in various African and Latin American countries. For GOMIAM, Heemskerk worked as researcher in Suriname until the beginning of 2015.

Ramon was trained in Mining Engineering in Ouro Preto and São Paulo, Brazil. He is Lecturer at the Department of Geology and Mining at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname. He studies the efficiency of the Jig minerals concentrator without using mercury.

Sabine Luning (PhD) is Cultural Anthropologist and lecturer at Leiden University. Her current research focuses on economic anthropology, in particular the booming business of gold mining in West Africa. For GOMIAM, Sabine Luning carries out  research on artisanal mining and trade along the frontier of Suriname and French Guiana

Marjo de Theije has a PhD in anthropology and many years of experience as a researcher, mostly in Brazil and Suriname. She did extensive fieldwork on small scale gold mining in Suriname and Brazil and made many short trips to mining areas in other countries. www.marjodetheije.org

Judith Kolen (MA degree in Cultural Anthropology) is interested in the combination between anthropological and public health methods in studying small-scale gold mining. She worked as a project coordinator and researcher for GOMIAM.

Leontien Cremers studied Irrigation and Water Engineering at Wageningen University (Ir. 2003) and graduated in the post-initial Master study program Latin American Studies at CEDLA in 2009. She worked as a project coordinator for the GOMIAM project, especially the countries Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

Eline de Smet graduated in social and cultural anthropology in 2011 with a Master thesis on religious beliefs and conspicuous consumption in small-scale gold mines in Tapajós, Brazil.