Dr. Dawn Wellman is the Strategic Programs Manager for the Rio Tinto Copper Research and Development group. Dawn oversees the portfolio of programs across the value stream including recovery of critical minerals, transformative technologies for tailings and water management, and growth enabling technology for copper production. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Dawn was at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for over 20 years in numerous organizational and leadership roles including senior research scientist, program manager, sector manager, and division director.  Additionally, she served as Chief Scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management. Dawn has a Ph.D. and B.S. in Chemistry.