Valued at up to $A40,000, the prestigious award is sponsored by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).

The Fulbright Program is one of the most esteemed educational exchange programs in the world, offering excellent opportunities for Australians seeking professional development.

Through his Fulbright Scholarship, Dr Collins will spend six months at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the United States, developing skills in computational modelling to improve the efficiency of leaching processes used in the extraction of uranium.

“Australia’s uranium reserves are the world’s largest with the 2008-2009 exports of uranium exceeding $1 billion,” Dr Collins said.

“Fundamental knowledge on uranium chemistry is now required to transform these operations into an efficient world-class industry.”

The extraction of uranium through leaching techniques dominates activities at Australia’s Beverley, Honeymoon and 4-mile mines, and is the focus for the future mining of a further 7 mine sites across Australia. Based on studies at Energy Resources Australia Ltd., a one per cent increase in uranium extraction at its proposed heap leaching facility at Ranger is equivalent to around $10-12 million net profit volume.

“Any modest improvement in the efficacy of these acid leaching processes derived from the outputs of this research project is of potential importance to the National Research Priority Goal of transforming existing industries,” Dr Collins said.

Dr Collins has a BSc in geology and a PhD in environmental science from the University of Adelaide. He is one of 26 talented Australians to be recognised as a Fulbright Scholar in 2012.

Applications for 2013 Fulbright Scholarships open on 1 June.

For more information about Fulbright Scholarships, including profiles of all award recipients, go to www.fulbright.com.au