Meet Xiaochen Xu, Project Geologist
This month, we’re spotlighting @XiaochenXu - a Project Geologist based in Perth, working on underground gold mining - and bringing a sharp focus to something we don’t talk about enough: data integrity behind geological models.
👋 Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a Project Geologist based in Perth, Western Australia, currently working at an underground gold mine. My work covers underground drilling proposals, drillhole data workflows, geological logging, and geological modelling.
🛠️ What Seequent products do you use most?
Leapfrog Geo is my primary tool - mainly for implicit geological modelling of lithological domains and grade shells.
I also build Python and SQL workflows that feed clean, validated drillhole data directly into Leapfrog, so the modelling environment stays as reliable as the underlying data.
🔍 What challenges interest you most?
The intersection of data integrity and geological interpretation.
A model is only as good as the data behind it, so I’m most engaged when I can improve the full pipeline - from drillhole capture through to a defensible geological model. I’m also starting to focus more on resource estimation as a natural extension of that work.
💡 One tip for the community
Own the problem a workflow is solving - not the workflow itself.
Challenge every step, remove what isn’t serving the purpose, simplify what remains, and then automate. A workflow is someone’s answer to a question - it may or may not be your answer.
🌍 What got you into geoscience?
The combination of spatial problem-solving and working with real data in complex geological environments. That applied, evidence-driven nature of the work is what keeps it interesting.
🎿 Fun fact
I like to snowboard and surf when I’m off roster - though I’m not great at either.
