Early-to-Mid Career Researcher Conference

Sub-theme 1: Human, Environmental and Biological Health covers research on human and ecological health, addressing the factors that influence human and ecological health and wellbeing.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to research addressing: 

• Molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning health and disease, supporting diagnostics, therapeutics and biomedical innovation; 
• Neurological, psychological and behavioural processes, including physical and mental health, personality disorders and translational neuroscience; 
• Biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental risk, with a focus on sustainability, resilience and human-environment interactions; 
• Health outcomes (public and occupational) and community wellbeing by strengthening healthcare delivery and prevention, fostering social connection and resilience, and embracing diverse and cross-cultural perspectives; 
• Chronic and complex conditions, ageing and long-term care, aimed at improving quality of life and health outcomes; 
• Indigenous led, strengths‑based research centred on First Nations Peoples’ health and wellbeing, guided by self-determined priorities and strong community partnerships;  
• Nutrition, food systems and metabolic health, supporting healthier populations and sustainable food futures;  
• Computational approaches to public health issues such as infectious diseases, including genomics and bioinformatics, supporting surveillance, prediction and public health decision-making; and 
• Law, policy and regulatory research related to human health or the environment that addresses existing or emerging societal challenges, including issues relating to implementation and evaluation of legislative, policy or regulatory frameworks, and mechanisms that support ethical and evidence-informed decision-making.    

Sub-theme 2: Education, Policy and Social Transformation focuses on research supporting future industries, education and policies that shape tomorrow's world in an ethical and responsible way.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to research addressing: 

• First Nations histories and futures, including approaches that weave healing, knowledge and Country; 
• Education for the future, promoting lifelong and practice-based learning to respond to evolving industry, workforce and societal needs;  
• Innovations in pedagogy, policy and practice across all levels of education, including early childhood, school and higher education;  
• Resilient infrastructure and inclusive, sustainable industrialisation, supporting economic growth, social development and long-term prosperity;  
• The social and industrial or workforce impacts of emerging technologies, including Generative AI, cybersecurity and related digital fields;  
• Equity, diversity and inclusion, with a focus on gender, ethnicity and sexuality in social, institutional and employment contexts;  
• Refugee and migrant experiences, addressing mobility, belonging and policy reforms to support wellbeing and participation;  
• Law, rights, governance and public policy across local, national and global contexts, with an emphasis on justice, accountability and social change;  
• Business, management, accounting, finance and economic systems that promote ethical leadership, responsible organisations, sustainable supply chains and inclusive growth;  
• Creative practice, media, literature, communication and cultural production, and their roles in shaping identity, meaning and social life;  
• Social and environmental change, including place, space and human–environment relationships in contemporary and historical contexts;   
• Ocean governance, maritime security and resource management, addressing regional and global challenges in law, policy and sustainability; 
• Limits and potentialities of a human centered Gen AI technology, including their ethical implications for our conceptions of sociality and the good life; 
• Language learning and teaching in multicultural contexts;  
• Learning analytics, including data-informed approaches to understanding, supporting and improving learning, teaching and educational outcomes across diverse contexts; and  
• Literature, art, philosophy, and the reimagining of humanity.

Sub-theme 3: Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainable Futures covers research on infrastructure and environmental sustainability, addressing advanced technologies, materials, data and enabling sciences that support resilient systems, sustainable transitions and climate adaptation.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to research addressing: 

• Research focused on resilient buildings, smart infrastructure, energy systems and sustainable materials that support climate adaptation and long-term societal needs; 
• Advancing energy technologies, mining, manufacturing and resource systems to support decarbonisation, industry transition and future energy networks; 
• Developing next generation materials, composites and intelligent fabrication methods with applications across infrastructure, defence, energy and health; 
• Using statistics, optimisation, modelling and digital tools to support evidence-based decision-making in complex technical, environmental and social systems; 
• Research on AI, cybersecurity and digital technologies that are intelligent, secure, ethical and socially responsible; 
• Fundamental and applied research in physics, quantum technologies and radiation science that enables advances in medicine, industry and instrumentation;  
• Understanding and managing environmental risk, geohazards and infrastructure resilience in a changing climate; 
• Indigenous-led and Country-centred research, advancing sustainable infrastructure, environmental stewardship and climate resilience through Indigenous knowledges and partnerships;  
• Organisational management and systems, advancing sustainability through effective governance, innovation, and evidence-based decision-making that support climate mitigation, resilient systems, climate adaptation, and evidence-informed decision-making; 
• Law, policy and regulatory research related to infrastructure, energy and sustainable futures, including responses that further climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, resilient systems and environmental sustainability.