We are pleased to announce that Dr. Pura Alfonso has been appointed Associate Editor of the “Mineral Deposits” Section of Minerals (ISSN: 2075-163X) as of March 2025.

Dr. Pura Alfonso is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mining, Industrial and ICT Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain, where she teaches mineralogy, mineral deposits, and environmental geology. She is also the Director of the Valentí Masachs Geology Museum at the UPC, which is dedicated to promoting the field of geology and educating the public on the applications of minerals. In 1984, she completed her degree in geology at the University of Barcelona. Subsequently, she worked on gold deposits in Nicaragua, and once again at the University of Barcelona she presented her doctoral thesis on the petrogenesis of the rare-element pegmatites of Cap de Creus. She has extensive experience in modeling mineral deposits. In this sense, thanks to a grant, she worked for two years at the Scottish Research and Environmental Centre, carrying out isotopic studies on volcanic-hosted massive deposits and sedimentary exhalative deposits. She has actively participated in multiple EU-funded, competitive research projects focused on the processing of critical raw materials.

She is currently conducting research on a diverse range of mineral deposit types together with researchers from other countries, mainly Iran, Mexico, and Bolivia. She has an ongoing collaboration on rare-element projects. She also has a research interest in artisanal mining and actively collaborates on projects aimed at making this activity more efficient and environmentally sustainable.

She has published 98 peer-reviewed articles, 30 of them as a first author, and more than 100 conference presentations. She has supervised numerous bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Pura Alfonso, who shared her vision for the Section with us as well as her views on the research area and Open Access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take on the role as Associate Editor?
Nowadays there is a need to publish in open access and rapidly; one cannot wait for half a year to a year, as is often the case. This is especially important for Ph.D. students who must publish a certain number of articles before submitting their thesis. Also, in the case of project justification this aspect is very important. Minerals is one of the journals indexed within the SCIE, which best meets this need.
2. What is your plan and vision for the journal?
To improve the quality of published articles through strict control of the final manuscripts and reviews carried out by experts in the subject matter of the article, and also to promote the prestige of the journal and transparency of peer review.
3. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?
Research findings, particularly those derived from publicly funded studies, should be accessible to all researchers. Requiring payment for access to publications imposes barriers and creates inequities among researchers. At present, numerous publicly funded initiatives, including all projects within the European Union, mandate the dissemination of at least a portion of their findings through open access platforms.
4. Do you have any advice for young researchers?
Especially in the beginning stage of research, it is more attractive to conduct experiments than to write articles to present the results. However, this part is also necessary. Research costs a considerable amount of money, and it is therefore important that we disseminate our results and that they reach the widest possible audience. I would also tell them not to be discouraged when, especially in their first articles, a number of corrections appear. This has happened to all of us and corrections will contribute to the improvement of the article. Over time it will become easier and easier for you to write your articles, and you will do it better.
We wish Dr. Pura Alfonso every success in her new position, and we look forward to her contributions to the journal.