Professor; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Email: lgroat@eoas.ubc.ca
Lee A. Groat is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia, where he has taught and conducted research since 1989. His research focuses on mineralogy and gem deposits, with increasing attention in recent years to Canada’s critical minerals — including lithium, rare earth elements, tantalum, and niobium. He holds an active NSERC Discovery Grant (2026–2031) and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, with collaborators at institutions including the University of Oxford and the University of New Brunswick.
Over his career he has supervised more than 30 graduate students, and currently advises First Nations communities on mineral tenure and resource matters. His contributions to mineralogy have been recognised with the Peacock Medal of the Mineralogical Association of Canada (2026), and he has been invited to host the International Mineralogical Association’s 25th General Meeting in Vancouver in 2030.