South Star Battery Metals Corp. (TSXV: STS | OTCQB: STSBF) announced that four members of Harvard University's inaugural Q-Fellows cohort visited the Santa Cruz graphite project in Bahia, Brazil, from September 16 to September 19, 2026, to research potential artificial intelligence applications in critical mineral processing. The students are investigating whether data already being generated at the plant can be used more effectively to support operational decisions. The visit highlights Santa Cruz's position as the first graphite mine to enter production in North America in decades, drawing academic attention to its role in non-China critical mineral supply chains.

Key Points

  • South Star Battery Metals Corp. (TSXV: STS | OTCQB: STSBF) hosted Harvard University students at its Santa Cruz graphite project
  • Four Q-Fellows cohort members visited the site September 16–19, 2026, to assess AI applications for process data collection and optimisation
  • The team conducted over 100 interviews across mining, processing, national laboratories, and government prior to the site visit
  • Investors may be watching how this academic research translates into operational improvements at Santa Cruz

Harvard Q-Fellows Bring Cross-Disciplinary Perspective to Santa Cruz

The inaugural Q-Fellows cohort at the Harvard Innovation Labs included Raymond Jiang (Applied Mathematics), Mary McColm (Environmental Science and Engineering), Fiona Millan (History of Science and Computer Science), and Ethan Tan (Computer Science and Statistics). Ethan was unable to travel to site but contributed to the project remotely. The students spent ten weeks conducting interviews across the critical minerals sector before visiting the plant, giving them grounding in both policy-level supply chain challenges and hands-on operational realities, according to the announcement.

Critical Mineral Processing Bottleneck Drives Focus on Non-China Capacity

The research team identified processing — not extraction — as the primary bottleneck in the critical minerals supply chain. The release states that approximately 90% of critical mineral processing capacity is concentrated in China, creating significant supply chain vulnerability for lithium-ion battery inputs such as graphite. The students selected graphite as a focus material given its direct role in battery production. South Star's Santa Cruz project was chosen for study specifically because it represents production and building capacity located outside of China, a distinction the company says positions it as strategically relevant to the energy transition.

AI Research Aims to Surface Actionable Plant Data at Santa Cruz

The Q-Fellows' core research question is whether data currently generated at the Santa Cruz processing plant can be leveraged more effectively through statistical analysis and AI tools to support real-time process decisions. Raymond Jiang is quoted in the release stating the team is "approaching this as research" and is "deliberately not promising outcomes." South Star has not disclosed specific timelines, costs, or commitments associated with this research engagement. The company did not disclose this figure in the announcement regarding any formal agreement or compensation arrangement with the Harvard team.