From grad student to the global stage- Kriti Shah's journey at the EU's IRTC'24 Conference

Sitting on a panel with world leaders and experts in the field of critical minerals has been the most rewarding experience of my life so far.  I am excited to share my experience of being one of the youngest presenters at the International Round Table on materials Criticality (IRTC’24) conference held in Turin, Italy, earlier this year. This incredible opportunity was a result of the unwavering support provided by my research advisor, Dr. Aditya Ramji, the team at Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS), and the professors and advisors associated with EPM. 

I am a second year masters student in the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management. I began working as a graduate student researcher at ITS in January 2023 with an interest in international trade and political economies of countries with regard to climate change. I began working on a project in collaboration with the Government of India that would support the development of India’s Lithium sourcing strategy. As a part of that project, I analyzed the strategic action taken by countries to meet their demand for critical minerals - raw materials that are central to meet national electric vehicle and clean energy adoption targets. I analyzed domestic strategies and international collaborations undertaken by advanced and emerging economies while acknowledging the difference in approach taken by mineral endowed countries and mineral importing countries. I completed this project over the summer and submitted the abstract for an oral presentation at IRTC’24 in October 2023. We found out that we got selected for a presentation in the format we applied for in December and that we should prepare to be in person in Italy in February! 

On 19 February, I was sitting in a workshop discussing the methodology, approach, and future plans for the European Union’s Critical Minerals Act hosted by the EU Commission itself. It was truly unnerving for me to be there, surrounded by policymakers, academic experts, and industry leaders, all gathered to figure out international priorities and best approaches to meet the growing demand for critical raw materials with their limited sources of supply. My presentation was part of a session on 'Public Policy and Critical Minerals' where my colleague and I discussed the outcomes of my practicum-related research project. Our study had found that there is a distinct difference in the approach for critical mineral security between advanced and emerging economies which further separates from a producer and consumer country perspective. Overall, we found that there is some sort of a resource curse being experienced by resource rich countries who are not in a position of power when they should be. We participated in a panel discussion on these disparities which was chaired by Dr. Rodd Eggart from the Colorado School of Mines.

At the end of the three-day conference, I came out feeling more aligned with the long term goals I had identified in my professional development plan (another brilliant core EPM requirement). One of the best pieces of advice I had received when I started my Master’s was “graduate school is what you make of it” and I think the EPM program and the research opportunities at UC Davis are designed to support every single endeavor you wish to undertake in your time here and that has been one of my biggest sources of support. I will leave you with cheesy advice of my own - take that leap of faith, you never know what magic will come your way.