Australian Academy of Science

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INTRODUCING our new President! Epilepsy genetics pioneer Laureate Professor Sam Berkovic has been elected the 21st President of the Australian Academy of Science, Australia's leading independent voice for science. Berkovic, who discovered the first gene for epilepsy in 1995 and revolutionised our understanding of the disease, takes office at a time when investment in research and development is at a historic low. He says bringing science to the service of the nation so that everyone can benefit from it will be paramount during his presidency. Berkovic won the Prime Minister's Prize for Science in 2014 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. He takes office in May 2026.

Thanks to everyone for watching tonight’s event in-person or online. Keep an eye on our Events page for upcoming events and details of our 2026 Public Speaker Series. You can rewatch any of this year’s events on our website: science.org.au/news-and-event… We look forward to seeing you again at an Academy event next year.

View the Academy's discussion papers exploring the preparedness of the Australian science sector for AI advances: science.org.au/supporting-sci…

"Humans love stories and a research paper is a story, so while we have this need to share stories, we will have research for humans rather than machines just talking to machines." — A/Prof Michelle Riedlinger #AiinScience25

@digitalscience @PawseyCentre "What is still true, in many fields, is that a human working with AI will outperform a human working by themselves or AI working by themselves." — Dr Stefan Harrer

"We have to be dealing with this tension of the potential, and the amazing opportunity we have with these tools, but also recognise that they're giving us a biased perspective — biased by what's on the internet. And not everything we want is on the internet." — Prof Karin Verspoor (@karinv)

Thanks for joining us for the final event in the series 'AI in science: the promise, perils and path forward', looking at AI in science and research. Panelists: Dr Stefan Harrer (Data61, CSIRO), Professor Karin Verspoor (RMIT University) and A/Professor Michelle Riedlinger (QUT). We are streaming LIVE from the Shine Dome, hosted by Lish Fejer: youtube.com/live/XUIztCJGT…

Tonight is our final event in the series 'AI in science: the promise, perils and path forward', looking at AI in science and research. Join us from 6pm AEDT 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. 🎥 youtube.com/live/XUIztCJGT… #AiinScience25

📣Are you an oceans researcher? The Belmont Forum has launched its Oceans 2 funding call. Learn more: belmontforum.org/archives/open-… If you are partnering in the Pacific, The @ISCAsiaPacific and Pacific Islands Universities Regional Network (PIURN) offer grants up to $40,000 for Australian and Pacific university partnerships. Find out more and ask questions at our upcoming webinar. 📆 Friday, 12 December 2025 ⏰ 9.30-10.30am AEDT 🔗 science-org-au.zoom.us/meeting/regist… To discuss participation opportunities, proposal development, and potential funding pathways, please get in touch with Kate Nairn, Head of Future earth Australia, at futureearthaustralia[at]science[dot]org[dot]au

Job opportunity! The Education Team of the Australian Academy of Science is hiring a Senior Education Officer – Mathematics. This role focuses on developing quality teaching resources for Year 7-10 maths teachers to improve mathematics education across Australia. 📍 Canberra (remote options considered) 📅 Fixed term until Dec 2026 ⏰ Applications close 15 Jan 2026 Perfect for someone passionate about maths education and teacher professional development. Learn more: science.org.au/about-us/caree…

As he approaches the end of his four-year term as President of the Australian Academy of Science, Prof Chennupati Jagadish AC spoke to the ABC’s Robyn Williams AO FAA to reflect on his journey from a village in India to his current role and the challenges facing science in Australia. ab.co/4iHTGdE In the interview, which came after a week of significant job cuts in the science sector, Jagadish shared his thoughts on the waning investment in Australian R&D, reminding businesses that "research is not a cost, research is an investment for the future."