Conference Program
Full program coming soon…
Program Highlights
Student and ECR Plenaries
We are pleased to announce the winners of our 2025 ECR Best Paper Awards, and therefore our ECR plenary speakers in Brisbane!
PhD Plenary: Jamiema Philip
Philip, J. S., S. Grewal, J. Scadden, C. Puente-Lelievre, N. J. Matzke, L. McNally, and M. A. B. Baker. 2025. Mapping the loss of flagellar motility across the tree of life. ISME J 19:wraf111.
EMCR Plenary 1: Paul Battlay
Battlay, P., B. T. Hendrickson, J. I. Mendez-Reneau, …. and N. J. Kooyers. 2025. Haploblocks contribute to parallel climate adaptation following global invasion of a cosmopolitan plant. Nat Ecol Evol 9:1441–1455.
EMCR Plenary 2: Kris Wild
Wild, K. H., R. B. Huey, E. R. Pianka, S. Clusella-Trullas, A. L. Gilbert, D. B. Miles, and M. R. Kearney. 2025. Climate change and the cost-of-living squeeze in desert lizards. Science 387:303–309.
Workshop: How to become a great science communicator - Zoe Kean
16:45 - 17:45 (2 October 2025)
We are delighted to announce that Zoe Kean has offered to attend the conference and lead a workshop on “How to become a great science communicator”. Although targeted at our ECRs, we encourage all to attend. Here is some information about Zoe:
Zoe Kean lives in Lutruwita/Tasmania, an island at the bottom of the world. An award-winning science writer with a focus on evolution, ecology, and the environment. Her debut book, ‘Why are we like this?’ was published in 2024, and tackles nine evolution paradoxes that touch all our lives. Zoe honed her writing and radio skills with the best at the ABC Science Unit as the Darren Osborne Regional Science Cadet (2019). She has published in The Guardian, the ABC online, The Best Australian Science Writing 2022, 2023, and 2024, Cosmos magazine and with the BBC. Her love for science cannot be contained to the page. Zoe also gives talks, makes science TikTok videos and regularly appears on live radio. She is passionate about supporting scientists, especially to communicate their work effectively and ethically.
Senior Plenary - Prof. David Lambert
13:30 - 14:30 (3 October 2025)
Professor David Lambert is Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Griffith University. His career began in evolutionary genetics, with early research on Drosophila and Anopheline cytogenetics. Over the last two decades, his work has included studies using ancient DNA, with a particular emphasis on the genetics of extinct and living birds. Professor Lambert has also concentrated on Aboriginal Australian genomics. His research group has worked together with Indigenous Elders, sequencing more than 255 whole genomes from 65 different language groups, and publishing findings that have contributed to understanding of Aboriginal Australian history and diversity.
Venue
All events will take place at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus near the Great Court, which is centrally located.
Talk locations:
- Room 139, Goddard Building (Building 8)
- Rooms 222 and 234 in the Parnel Building (Building 7)
Morning/afternoon teas and lunches will be outside the buildings, on the Great Court
Social venue (1 October 2025)
Saint Lucy (Caffe e Cucina), Blair Drive, University of Queensland
Conference dinner venue (2 October 2025)
The Burrow, 52 Russell Street, West End