Dr Huan Li is an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow at Curtin University, specialising in hydrometallurgy and critical minerals processing. His research is driven by the global imperatives of energy transition, decarbonisation and the circular economy, with a focus on developing environmentally benign, efficient and economically viable technologies for the extraction, separation and recovery of critical, base and precious metals from primary and secondary resources.

His research spans two complementary directions:

1. advancing conventional hydrometallurgical systems through process innovation and optimisation; and
   2. developing next-generation green extraction and separation technologies.

Particular emphasis is placed on non-toxic or low-toxicity reagents, selective metal extraction, reduced energy and reagent consumption, shortened process routes, reagent recycling, minimal waste generation, and economic feasibility. His research covers a broad range of resources, including mineral ores and tailings, electronic waste, end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic modules.

Dr Li has published more than 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, approximately 90% of which are in Q1 journals, and is a co-inventor of seven invention patents. He has been recognised in the Stanford/Elsevier World’s Top 2% Scientists list since 2022. He has contributed to research projects with a combined funding value of approximately AUD 6.9 million and has secured AUD 1.64 million in competitive research funding as a Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator, including approximately AUD 528,000 from the Australian Research Council or equivalent national funding agencies and AUD 700,000 from state government or equivalent funding schemes.