Dr Penny Stewart Biography
Dr. Penny Stewart, a mining engineer and the founder and CEO of PETRA, brings a wealth of experience to the table. Prior to obtaining her Queensland 1st Class Mine Managers’ Certificate of Competency, Penny spent five years working on mine sites. It was during her time in the underground and open pit mines of Western Australia that she gained firsthand knowledge of how geological uncertainty impacts our ability to execute mining plans effectively.
Driven by this experience, Penny pursued her PhD studies at the JKMRC, University of Queensland, focusing on developing statistical models to predict the mechanical behavior of rock. Her outstanding work in this field earned her the prestigious Ian Morley Prize. In 2015, Penny established PETRA, guided by the hypothesis that integrating hundreds of millions of tonnes of actual mine performance data into engineering models and optimizations provides the most accurate estimation of rock behavior throughout a mine.
Today, PETRA’s AI-powered mining software empowers mining professionals to enhance their understanding of orebody knowledge and optimize the entire mining value chain. After six years of dedicated effort, PETRA continues to revolutionize the industry.
