Ms Kate Nairn, Head of Future Earth Australia incubated at the Australian Academy of Science – together with Emeritus Professor Steve Dovers FASSA and Mr Drew Clarke AO FTSE – has been awarded a 2026 Workshops Program Grant by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
This grant will support an Expert roundtable on biodiversity and climate change, bringing together voices from science, Indigenous leadership, and other sectors to co-design a national strategy. The roundtable will focus on the crucial links between the clean energy transition and biodiversity conservation.
The Academy recently made the following submissions to government:
Who will you nominate that inspires you? Learn more about the nomination process on business.gov.au:
Nominations of candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged. This includes personal and cultural backgrounds, disciplines, career stages and geographic regions.
Nominations close 18 December 2025.
Keep abreast of the Academy Fellowship in the Fellows update:
If Fellows have been recognised with an award, please let us know via fellowship@science.org.au so we can consider including it in the next update.
The Australian Academy of Science looks forward to congratulating the recipients of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.
The recipients are being announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Science at Parliament House on Monday 3 November 2025.
More about the official prizes event can be found at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
In a long-standing tradition, the Academy is hosting a breakfast in honour of the recipients of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. This event will recognise the 2025 recipients, as well as the teachers awarded Highly Commended in the teaching categories.
We are delighted that Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, Senator the Hon Tim Ayres will be delivering an address at the breakfast.
You are invited to watch the livestream of the formalities on this webpage.
Date: Tuesday 4 November 2025
Time: 8.15 am – 9.00 am AEDT
Venue: Online livestream
Cost: Free
From predicting protein structures to analysing complex data, AI is profoundly changing the way scientists work and generate new knowledge.
In this panel discussion, experts from diverse corners of the research ecosystem will discuss how AI is accelerating innovation, the opportunities and challenges it presents, and what this means for trust in science.
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on the role of AI in the scientific endeavour and what this means for the role of science in society.
Date: Tuesday 9 December 2025
Time: Canapés and drinks are served from 5.30 pm, with the talks (and the livestream) starting at 6.00 pm AEDT.
Venue: The Shine Dome, 15 Gordon Street, Acton ACT (and online livestream)
Cost: $20pp ($15pp for students)
Join the Australian Academy of the Humanities on Tuesday 25 November, at the Congress of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Melbourne, to explore what it means to define, contest and safeguard academic freedom in the 21st century.
Date: 25 November 2025
Time: 8.30 am – 6.30 pm AEDT
Venue: Forum Theatre (153), Arts West – North Wing (Building 148a), University of Melbourne
Cost: Free
The Academy-led Where Science Lives: Global Talent Attraction Program is aimed at recruiting leading scientists from the United States.
This institution- and discipline-agnostic initiative offers competitive relocation packages to attract exceptional talent that could be placed in universities, medical research institutes, research agencies, and industries while focusing on areas of national need.
Embedding brilliant minds within Australia’s R&D system creates a powerful multiplier effect that seeds capability, creates jobs, attracts investment, mentors young scientists and positions Australia as a global innovation leader.
With other countries already pursuing similar opportunities, the Academy is calling on visionary funders to contribute to this nation-building program and be part of Australia’s scientific and economic future.
To learn more about giving to the Academy visit our website or contact Kate Groves on (02) 6201 9460 or kate.groves@science.org.au.
The Honorary editor of the Academy newsletter is Professor Yuri Estrin FAA
© 2025 Australian Academy of Science
