Tikou Belem

Tikou Belem is a professor at the Research Institute on Mines and Environment (RIME) at the Université du Quebec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) since 2001. Prof. Belem graduated his master's degree (B.Ing. equiv.) in Fundamental and applied geology in 1990 at the Université Henri Poincaré Nancy I, in France. He then pursued his graduate studies at the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine, INPL (the current Lorraine INP) in Nancy where he also graduated his Diploma of Advanced Studies, DEA (M.Sc.A equiv.) in Civil and Mining Engineering in 1993, and his doctorate (Ph.D.) in Civil Engineering, Hydrosystems, Geotechnics and Rock Mechanics in 1997. Professor Belem has the following affiliations: the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM), the Canadian Institute for Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) and the Canadian Group on Geosciences (CGG). From 1998 to 2001 Dr. Belem worked as a Research Associate at the UQAT’s Department of Applied Sciences where he contributed to the development of the Environmental Geomechanics of Cementitious Materials. Since 2001, he has contributed to numerous research and service projects for mining companies and consulting firms. He is also acting as rock mechanics and mechanics of cemented mine backfill expert for numerous mining companies.

Actual research interests

• The research interests of Professor Tikou Belem mainly cover the solid mine waste management including the Physico-mechanical characterization of Cemented Tailings Backfill, and their rheological and transport properties. He is also interested in Environmental Geomechanics and Ground Control in mining, as well as the development of new types of cementitious composites made from solid mining waste.