Nedal T Nassar

Chief, Materials Flow Analysis Section

My research team and I quantify the global stocks and flows of nonfuel mineral commodities at each stage of their life cycle, analyze trends and examine concerns regarding foreign mineral dependencies, develop supply and demand scenarios, and assess the mineral commodity supply risk to the U.S. economy and national security.

I received my Ph.D. from Yale University where I worked on the development and application of a methodology for assessing critical minerals. I have continued that work as a leading member of the U.S. National Science and Technology Council (Executive Office of the President of the United States) Critical Minerals Subcommittee. I also serve as the Chair of the Project Steering Committee for National Minerals Information Center, a member of the Executive Committee for the Council of Senior Science Advisors at U.S. Geological Survey (PECASE member), and on the advisory board of various international research projects.

In 2019, I was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers. My research has been published in several high-profile journals and highlighted in major media outlets. I have also been called upon to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, brief senior U.S. government officials, and invited to give keynote addresses and present my research at significant venues including The National Academies, the European Commission, and the World Bank.

Previously, I worked as a consultant and as a process development engineer in the semiconductors and data storage industries where I was the recipient of three trade secrets. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, an MBA in sustainable global enterprise from Cornell University, as well as two master’s degrees from Yale University.

Abstracts and Presentations

"Characterizing and prioritizing critical mineral supply chain risks and potential abatement strategies" Critical minerals: From discovery to supply chain. Online workshop organized by British Columbia Geological Survey, Geological Survey of Canada, Geoscience Australia, United States Geological Survey, Geological Association of Canada, November 16, 2021 (invited keynote).
"Identifying and prioritizing mineral commodities critical to the U.S. economy andnational security." Filling in the gap: The role of multiphysics to understand geological and mineral systems, part 1. Society of Exploration Geophysicists(SEG) Annual Meeting, September 30, 2021 (invited).
"Geospatially resolving mineral commodity supply chains." Collaborative workflow for geospatial knowledge in the logistics and supply chain landscape. Geospatial World, September 9, 2021 (invited).
"Assessing the resliency of mineral commodity supply chains." NSF NationalWorkshop: Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals, Missouri University of Science & Technology, August 3, 2021 (invited).
"Mineral supply chains critical for energy technologies and the U.S. economy." Earth Resources for the Energy Transition, webinar series hosted by the Committee on Earth Resources, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, April 26, 2021 (invited).
"Mineral supply chain risks for the U.S. economy." U.S. Forest Service - Geology and minerals webinar series, April 7, 2021 (invited).
"High demand, uncertain supply: critical minerals in renewable energy and emerging technologies." Center For Energy Policy And Management, Washington And Jefferson College, March 9, 2021 (invited).
"Great power competition for critical mineral commodities that enable moderntechnology." Seminar for The Eisenhower School, National Defense University, March 4, 2021 (invited).
"Elemental sustainability: analyses and metrics." Circular Economy in the High-Tech World, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) virtual workshop, January 27, 2021 (invited).
"New methodologies for evaluating critical mineral supply risks." Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative virtual lecture series, Geoscience Australia, Geological Survey of Canada, & U.S. Geological Survey, January 21, 2021 (invited).
"Assessing the mineral commodity supply risk for the U.S. economy and national security." Yale University's School of the Environment, ENV 884a/ENAS 645b:Industrial Ecology guest lecture and panel, November 9, 2020 (invited).
"Critical mineral commodity supply risk for the United States." CMC Conference 2020, October 21, 2020 (invited).
"Great power competition for critical minerals." National War College, Econ. 6950,virtual guest lecture, August 25, 2020 (invited).
"Evaluating mineral commodity supply chains." Mining and Metallurgical Society of America webinar, August 19, 2020 (invited).
U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing on the Impacts of COVID-19 on Mineral Supply Chains, Washington, D.C., June 24, 2020 (invited).
"Managing Critical Mineral Supply Chain Risks " Institute of the Americas and the Colorado School of Mines' Payne Institute for Public Policy - Critical Minerals and the Energy Transitions Webinar Series, May 7, 2020 (invited).
"Evaluating the mineral commodity supply risk of the U.S. manufacturing sector. "Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration - D.C. Section, March 11, 2020 (invited).
"Critical mineral assessment methods." Seminar for The Eisenhower School, National Defense University, March 6, 2020.
"Critical mineral supply chains: risks and opportunities." Séminaire Ressources Minérales et Economie Circulaire, BRGM, Orléans, France, November 22, 2019 (invited).
"Assessing the mineral commodity supply risk of the U.S. manufacturing sector." 3rd EU Critical Raw Materials Week, Brussels, Belgium: November 18, 2019 (invited keynote).
"Mineral commodity supply risk of the U.S. manufacturing sector." Joint stockpile meeting. Public Procurement Service, Seoul, Korea: July 30, 2019.
"Assessing the risk of global copper supply disruption from earthquakes." U.S. Geological Survey Risk Community of Practice, Golden, CO: July 18, 2019.
"Evaluating the supply risk of minerals critical to the U.S. manufacturing sector." U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Energy Resources, Washington, D.C.: June 28, 2019 (invited).
"Evaluating the mineral supply risk for U.S. manufacturers." Roundtable session on future metal markets and possible implications in our client countries. The World Bank Group – Energy & Extractives Unit, Washington, D.C.: May 30, 2019 (invited).
"Evaluating mineral supply risk for U.S. manufacturers." U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Program Science Forum, Golden, CO: May 14, 2019.
"Supply of and demand for mineral commodities of importance to Greenland." Greenland Ministry of Mineral Resources and Labour, Nuuk, Greenland: May 1,2019 (invited).
Panel participant at "Minerals for Climate Action: How to Supply Clean Minerals for EVs? " The World Bank Group – Energy & Extractives Unit, Washington, D.C.:March 6, 2019 (invited).
"Assessing mineral criticality and associated supply risk mitigation strategies." U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resource Assessment training, Lakewood, CO: October 23, 2018.
“Evaluating critical minerals and the strategies that can mitigate their supply risk." Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO: September 24, 2018 (invited).
“Demand and supply potential for tellurium." Workshop on tellurium and selenium: geological concentration, industrial recovery, and future supplies. Co-hosted by U.S. Geological Survey and UK NERC-funded project (TeaSe: tellurium and seleniumcycling and supply). Keystone, CO: September 21, 2018
(invited).
"Assessing critical minerals and associated mitigation strategies." U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.: September 10, 2018 (invited).
“Early-warning screening for critical minerals: 2016-present” International RoundTable on Materials Criticality, Resources For Future Generations 2018, Vancouver, B.C., Canada: June 16-21, 2018.
“Impact of global trends on metal supply and demand” Technology Disruption in the Mining Sector, The World Bank Group – Energy & Extractives Unit, Washington, D.C.: June 11, 2018 (invited).

Science and Products

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

Nedal T Nassar

USGS Critical Minerals Study: Bans on Gallium and Germanium Exports Could Cost the U.S. Billions

New Methodology Identifies Mineral Commodities Whose Supply Disruption Poses the Greatest Risk to the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

USGS Critical Minerals Study: Bans on Gallium and Germanium Exports Could Cost the U.S. Billions

New Methodology Identifies Mineral Commodities Whose Supply Disruption Poses the Greatest Risk to the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Department of the Interior

Nedal T Nassar

Professional Experience

Education and Certifications

Affiliations and Memberships*

Honors and Awards

Abstracts and Presentations

Science and Products

USGS Critical Minerals Study: Bans on Gallium and Germanium Exports Could Cost the U.S. Billions

New Methodology Identifies Mineral Commodities Whose Supply Disruption Poses the Greatest Risk to the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

Science and Products

USGS Critical Minerals Study: Bans on Gallium and Germanium Exports Could Cost the U.S. Billions

New Methodology Identifies Mineral Commodities Whose Supply Disruption Poses the Greatest Risk to the U.S. Manufacturing Sector