Metals and minerals are indispensable for a new energy system. To build and sustain this system, complex metal deposits must be mined with maximum efficiency and minimum environmental impact. Lucas Pereira of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) did his doctoral research on particle-based separation models and applied machine learning to improve the understanding and prediction of mineral processing. Helmholtz President Otmar D. Wiestler (right) presented the award in Berlin.