Session List

Researcher Speed-Dating


This activity will hone your ability to explain your research to someone outside of your field or a layperson. Meet fellow researchers and experience describing your research to others. Find commonalities with other's projects and interests. Interact with your peers and foster a sense of community, whilst developing your communication skills.
Key Story - Ross Young


Key Story - These aren't the droids you're looking for: on the ongoing failure to create safe, ethical, and beneficial Artificial Intelligence


As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more advanced and ubiquitous across society, concerns are increasing around the risks associated with different AI technologies. In this presentation I argue that stakeholders are failing to ensure the design of safe, ethical, and beneficial technologies and that we are rapidly moving toward a point of no return. An overview of current and future AI risks is presented, following which the critical role of Human Factors (HF) in the design of safe, ethical, and beneficial AI is articulated. Case studies are used to demonstrate these arguments, showing where risks emerge and where HF input is required. To close, the SECURE (Safe, Ethical, Controllable, Usable, Responsible, and Effective) AI Human Factors Integration lifecycle is presented to demonstrate what Human Factors input is required at different lifecycle stages, and what controls are needed to manage AI safety risks.
Key Story - Not Knowing Is a Feature, Not a Bug


This is the talk I wish someone had given me—and also the one I still need to hear myself. Join me for an honest, and occasionally chaotic look at the lessons I’ve learned (and often ignored) on the way to building a career in digital science. From imposter syndrome and perfectionism to career plot twists and awkward small talk, this presentation isn’t about having it all figured out — it’s about figuring it out as you go. Expect practical advice, hard-won insights, and reassurance that even the people who look confident on the outside are probably just winging it too.
Impostor Syndrome


Do you feel like everyone around you is smarter than you, and you are worried that they may discover you don't belong here? Or that you are faking it? Does it feel like you have gotten to your position due to a lucky break and not skill?

Welcome to the Impostor Syndrome. This is a strange psychological phenomenon that makes ordinary people – even brilliant ones – feel like they're frauds, fakes, inadequate, and undeserving. Even incredibly successful people like Neil Armstrong and Emma Watson feel like this sometimes.

Anyone can feel like this, especially if you are in a career in tech or research. Its particularly prevalent if you are from a diverse background (Women in STEM, international, etc). It can affect you at any stage of your career.

Come learn more about it from a fellow Impostor and hear about coping mechanisms to help you sidestep this feeling!

The Australian PID National Roadmap: strategy and implementation


This Workshop presents the Australian Persitent Identified ('PID') National Roadmap and discusses institutional implementations. We will present the roadmap, discuss the five priority PIDs and look particularly at the benefits of a coherent national capability for all of Australia. We will also present two use cases and open the floor to questions and discussion.
AI Basis: Unsupervised and Supervised Machine Learning using R


This workshop offers an introduction to Artificial intelligence (AI) methods and Machine Learning concepts, focusing on both Supervised and Unsupervised approaches. Participants will use R to explore techniques such as clustering and Random Forest, gaining experience with realistic data, that can be adapted to their field or study. Designed for beginners with basic R knowledge, the session will build foundational skills in applying AI to data analysis. No prior experience in machine learning is required, making this a practical and accessible entry point into modern AI methods.
EcoCommons: Calculating and visualising Species Richness and Shannon Diversity for analysing ecological surveys with EcoCommons Notebooks


EcoCommons Australia hosts a variety of Advanced Ecological Modelling Notebooks aimed at bridging the gap between platform-based analysis tools and hands-on coding. EcoCommons offers notebooks in both Quarto markdown (.qmd) and Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb) formats, making it easier for users to interact with and customise workflows. This workshop will focus on a notebook which guides users through the process of calculating and visualising Species Richness and Shannon diversity indices, which are a commonly used metrics for analysing and conducting statistical comparisons for ecological surveys.

In this workshop we will cover:

  • How to access EcoCommons notebooks
  • Brief overview of the biodiversity metrics and their potential applications
  • Running the Species Richness and Shannon diversity notebook
  • Modification of notebook outputs for different use cases

The aim of the workshop is to make participants feel confident to run an EcoCommons notebook and understand the workflow in calculating and visualising Species Richness and Shannon diversity.

Productive and precise academic writing


How to use your time wisely and write well. This session will focus on developing strategies for productive writing identifying useful tools and implementing tips and tricks to encourage regular writing as well as introducing the benefits of events such as Academic Writing Month and writing buddies/collaborations. The second part of the session will address common issues with academic writing and provide resources, tips and tricks to improve this important skill.
Research data and high-performance computing at Pawsey


Are you looking to scale up your eResearch workflows to use really big data or compute? Interested in AI but no idea where to start? No worries, I got your back!

The Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre is one of two Tier-1 supercomputing facilities in Australia. Pawsey is home to Australia's (and the southern hemisphere's!) most powerful supercomputer, Setonix, but we also provide a range of training, software engineering and research data consulting services to Australian researchers across a wide variety of research domains. We can help get you up and running, or work with you to help optimise your data and compute workflows to make sure you get the most out of your research tools.

In this talk, I'll provide an overview of Pawsey's high-performance computing and research data systems, as well as how we're working with researchers in Queensland to develop and optimise research software across domains like physics, chemistry, and health and life sciences. I'll also discuss the available schemes to get access to Pawsey's systems and services, and round it out with plenty of time for Q&A.

TERN Services to Enable Research in Ecosystem Science


Discover how TERN’s national-scale infrastructure supports cutting-edge ecosystem research. This workshop introduces TERN’s open-access data, tools, and services, which help researchers monitor and understand Australia’s diverse environments. Through case studies and interactive demonstrations, participants will learn how to access and apply TERN resources to advance their work in ecosystem science, environmental management, and beyond. The workshop is ideal for researchers, students, environmental managers, and policymakers interested in advancing their understanding of Australian ecosystems through robust, open-access infrastructure.

Whether new to TERN or looking to deepen your engagement, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to harness TERN’s capabilities to support impactful ecosystem science.

Why you need an ORCID


Think of your ORCID iD as your academic footprint. Your unique 16-digit identifier that keeps all your research neatly connected in one place. It’s more than just a profile, because it connects and consolidates all your research outputs and activities. By allowing trusted organisations like ARC, NHMRC, your university, or publishers to update your ORCID record automatically, you can skip the tedious admin work and dive deeper into what really matters, your research! Keep your academic identity strong and stress free with ORCID
Crafting Your Research Profile


In this interactive session, you'll explore how to shape a researcher profile that captures more than just your titles, it reflects your journey, your purpose, and what makes your work matter. Think less “template,” more you on the page. We’ll share tips for building authentic profiles across digital platforms so you can take what fits and make it your own.

  • Know the purpose and benefits of researcher profiles.
  • Become familiar with commonly used researcher profiles.
  • Analyse the components of an effective profile and identify what type of profiles will be most relevant to you
Auditing Generative AI Tools for Academic Research and Writing


This hands-on workshop builds on our ongoing research project aimed at understanding and demystifying the rapidly evolving ecosystem of research-specific generative AI (RGAI) tools. As generative AI becomes increasingly embedded in academic workflows, it is critical to develop methods for systematically evaluating these tools' capabilities, limitations, and implications.

Building on our inventory of RGAI platforms, the workshop will guide attendees through a structured evaluation process based on the extended app walkthrough method (Light, Burgess & Duguay, 2016). This method enables a critical mapping of each tool’s affordances, constraints, intended applications, and embedded norms.

Through collaborative analysis and discussion, we will explore how these walkthroughs can inform the development of 'report cards', a framework for communicating the technical and ethical dimensions of RGAI tools to broader academic and public audiences. Drawing on recent work (Snoswell et al., 2023; Gilbert et al., 2023), we will also consider how these evaluations can support future research into how generative AI is reshaping scholarly communication, authorship, and the academic publishing process.

By the end of the session, participants will have practical experience in auditing generative AI tools and a deeper understanding of how to critically engage with their integration into academic research and writing.

Bridging research and real-world impact: CSIRO's ON Innovation Program


The CSIRO ON Innovation Program helps transform cutting-edge research into real-world impact. Designed for research-driven innovation, ON provides entrepreneurial researchers with the skills, networks, and pathways to successfully commercialise their ideas. The program fosters collaboration between researchers, industry, and investors, driving Australia’s deep-tech innovation and strengthening its innovation ecosystem.
Maximising Health Research Outcomes with Secondary Clinical Trial Data


Clinical data sharing in health and medical research offers significant potential to uncover new discoveries and increase efficiency in the research process, which will overall improve patient outcomes. To support this, the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) has built national research infrastructure to enhance the discoverability, access, and reuse of data from health research studies across Australia.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to discover and request clinical trials data using one of ARDC’s key national platforms: Health Data Australia (HDA). The HDA platform is a national catalogue designed to connect researchers with valuable Australian health datasets (researchdata.edu.au/health/).

This workshop will also introduce a practical framework for the secondary use of clinical trials data, developed in collaboration with the Health Studies Australian National Data Asset (HeSANDA) and researchers from the NextGen Evidence Synthesis Team at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney. The development of the practical framework for the secondary use of clinical trials data was also informed by research literature, stakeholder consultations, and expert guidance.

This workshop is designed for researchers, data scientists, and health professionals interested in leveraging secondary clinical trials data for new research. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Use the Health Data Australia platform to discover and request access to clinical trials data.
  • Describe the four domains of data reuse outlined in the Secondary Use Framework and supporting User Guides. These domains are detailed in 'Secondary use of clinical trials data in health research: A Practical Guide' (Hunter et al. 2024).
  • Evaluate the benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations associated with using secondary health data.
  • Reflect on opportunities to incorporate secondary clinical trial data into their own research practices.
Introduction to R


Introduction to programming: Plotting and Programming with Python


Participants will learn about basic programming concepts including simple and complex data types, conditionals and looping that are applicable to Python and other languages. This workshop will prepare participants to carry out batch analysis and equip them with the knowledge to start creating automated pipelines to increase data processing power and productivity.
Making code go fast: an introduction to performance engineering in research


eResearch workflows increasingly rely on new computing technologies, such as big data analytics, massively-parallel computer simulations, or large-scale AI training workloads. These technologies promises to vastly increase the scale and kind of research that's possible to do... if we can write our code to take full advantage of them. Making use of big compute and big data often requires a shift in thinking around how we structure our code, as inefficient software limits how effectively you can use these computing resources. Plus, time spent waiting for code or data pipelines to complete is time not spent doing research.

Squeezing every available bit of performance out of your code can be extremely time-consuming, but fortunately, a little bit of know-how can go a long way. This talk will provide an introduction to performance engineering, with a focus on practical techniques for compute- and data-heavy workflows. I will discuss important trends in research computing hardware and software, as well as how the prominence of high-level languages such as Python and R have changed the research computing landscape. Finally, I'll share some methodologies and open-source tools which will help you get the most 'bang for your buck' when optimising slow code in your research pipelines.

Building a Species Distribution Model with EcoCommons Platform


EcoCommons Australia offers a comprehensive suite of resources for ecological modelling, including an intuitive, user-friendly platform featuring thousands of trusted datasets and a range of expert-developed workflows for species distribution and community modelling.

This workshop will begin with a brief introduction to species distribution models (SDMs), followed by a guided tour of the EcoCommons platform. We will cover:

  • How to access and acquire biodiversity records from open data portals,
  • An introduction to EcoCommons’ 59,000 curated environmental datasets,
  • Building SDMs using a selection of 19 available algorithms, and
  • Exploring and interpreting model outputs.

By the end of the workshop, attendees will understand how to run effective SDMs, select fit-for-purpose data, and produce accurate and meaningful results — all within a point-and-click environment.

Valuing What Matters: A Participatory Framework for Recognising Diverse Contributions


This workshop introduces Metavaluation, an open-source framework for recognising and rewarding diverse research contributions—from data sharing and teaching to mentoring, organising, and behind-the-scenes work that often goes unseen.

Its key innovation lies in treating peer evaluations as valuable contributions themselves—using a self-referential process that pegs all other valuations to these reviews as a ‘base unit’ of value. This creates a dynamic feedback loop that directly rewards participation while generating transparent, relative value scores across all contributions.

In the first part of the workshop, we’ll explore the development of Metavaluation—from its origins as a radically transparent peer-review model aimed at accelerating Open Science, to its evolution through participatory festivals into a general-purpose framework for community-led evaluation. We’ll share pilot data from commons-oriented communities across science, arts, technology, and environmental sectors—demonstrating how the system flexibly recognises what matters to different communities, while also creating pathways for coordination between them.

In the second part, we’ll use ResBaz Queensland 2025 as a live case study. Participants will nominate and evaluate real contributions to the event—such as talks, mentorship, organising, or community support—via a simple, inclusive peer-review process. Together, we’ll generate a live dataset that maps what this community values most, and explore how this data can support recognition, guide future events, and connect aligned communities across domains.

You’ll leave with:

  • An understanding of key obstacles to the Open Science movement—and how Metavaluation addresses them
  • Hands-on experience with participatory valuation
  • A live dataset visualising ResBaz contributions and community values
  • Tools to empower your own research group or community
  • An invitation to join a participatory festival later in the year, organised through Metavaluation
  • Recognition for your workshop contributions—credited within the Metavaluation system itself
Mining genomic and RNASeq data to develop new eco-friendly insecticides to combat Red Imported Fire Ants


A bioinformatics/molecular led talk, covering the use of computational analysis in research.
Introductory Data Cleaning/Exploration with Python/Pandas


This workshop will introduce participants to loading, cleaning and exploring data in Python with the aid of Pandas. This will be a BYO data focussed workshop with participants encouraged to bring their csv, excel or other files. The main objective is to get participants familiar with loading and exploring data in environments that are not Excel in preparation for more sophisticated computational methods.
Studying digital platforms with data donation tools from the Australian Internet Observatory


This workshop introduces the Australian Internet Observatory (AIO). Focusing on data donation approaches and the AIO dashboard, it will showcase how researchers of all skill levels can collect and study data using these tools. We will explore what topics can be investigated, what insights can be gained, and how the AIO can complement or expand existing research methodologies.

Participants will be introduced to the interfaces of digital media tools and their associated ethical considerations and limitations for social science and humanities research. This workshop aims to facilitate the use of digital media tools in research by introducing modern, cutting-edge resources that do not require sophisticated technical skills. These tools can be quickly deployed to explore a variety of research questions, allowing researchers to focus on their inquiries without a steep technical learning curve.

How do our computers talk to each other? Learn about how the internet is wired together


This workshop will include jargon busting around network technologies. And some hands-on activities. You will learn about networks and diagnostic tools, and where all these things fit in the researcher’s toolkit.

By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:

  • Understand the basic differences between the different Internet technologies and connection types and in Australia and how to make the most of them.
  • Describe and define different network concepts.
  • Perform speed, ping, and traceroute tests to check your Internet connection.
  • Calculate data transfer times.
  • Understand various network and connectivity constraints.
Introduction to geospatial data with R


In this Data Carpentry workshop, learn how to import, work with, and plot vector and raster-format spatial data in R. The workshop also touches on spatial metadata (extent and coordinate reference systems), reprojecting spatial data, and working with raster time series data.

This workshop expects attendees to have used R, dplyr and ggplot2 before.

First Steps with AI: An Introduction to Enhanced Data Exploration


This workshop is designed for beginners taking their 'first steps' with AI in data contexts and follows on from the first workshop in the series. It builds on the BYO data concept form the pervious workshop and moves from data ingress, cleaning and exploration to simple processing of data with AI as an aid.
Exploring texts using concordances


Concordances are a very useful tool for anyone who works with textual data. Concordancing tools (also referred to as Keyword in Context or KWIC tools) provide us with a listing of all occurrences of a word in a text along with some surrounding context. A concordance is therefore an excellent starting point to explore how a word is used in a text. Most KWIC tools also have the capability to sort results according to the context of the instances, by preceding words or following words or a combination of the two, and these capabilities allow us to extract more specific information from concordances.

In this workshop, you will:

  • be introduced to a tool for building concordances (Antconc),
  • be shown examples of how simple and complex concordances can be used to answer questions about texts.
R Shiny essentials: from data to interactive dashboards


R Shiny is a popular R package that allows you to transform complex analytics into powerful, user-friendly interactive visualisation tools.
In this workshop we will provide an introduction to R Shiny, and how you can use it to create web apps, and more interactive data visualisations.
We will go over how to build a basic Shiny application, and cover the best practices and resources when approaching Shiny.
How do I move my truckload of data?


Have you ever wondered why, thanks to your fast internet at home you can stream movies in UltraHD smoothly, but your data upload is super slow?

Sometimes sharing data with collaborators can be tedious, slow and frustrating.

This workshop addresses some data handling solutions in a research context. The workshop will introduce some research data movement tools, with a hands-on introduction to FileSender and a peek into Globus, a service that enables large-scale data transfers.

By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:

  • Understand various network and connectivity constraints.
  • Transfer large amounts of data via the network.
  • Search for more advanced options for data movement and know where to go for help.

Come along and learn how to make data transfer easy and convenient for you.

Statistical Comparisons in R


This practical workshop will help participants to choose and use the appropriate standard statistical test for their data by introducing key concepts of inferential statistics in R. Participants will learn how to compute and interpret hypothesis tests for popular statistical models such as correlation, contingency tables, chi-square test, t-test and ANOVA.
Data-Oriented Career Pathways - How did I get here, and how can you? - Panel discussion


Come hear from a panel of data-focused professionals, how they came to be in their careers and what career pathways are available in their spaces.
Accelerate Your Research with Cloud Computing on the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud


Does your computer struggle with your research workload? Would you like to access extra resources and share a computer with collaborators?

Whether it's data analysis, simulation, or other computing work, the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud provides researchers with more computational power. This service gives you access to fast, secure, and powerful cloud computers, helping you to accelerate your research!

This session will feature exemplary cloud computing projects, useful support resources, and a Q&A opportunity. No prior knowledge or experience is required.

Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Action: The Carpentries Way


The Carpentries is an international data science training organisation with a strong focus on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA). In this session we will use extracts from the Carpentries Instructor training curriculum to discuss why IDEA is important, and explore what we can all do to enhance equity, inclusion, and accessibility when training or teaching others.
Core skills in bioinformatics


This presentation will cover core lessons I have learned through a PhD in bioinformatics. In particular, it will focus on the core skills and knowledge that can support success in a bioinformatics research project.
Creating scientific graphs with Python and AI


This workshop will cover how to use generative AI, such as CoPilot or ChatGPT, to generate and edit coding languages such as Python to generate publication-ready graphs and other outputs. It will cover essential topics such as how to use generative AI, core coding essentials for generating graphs, and common issues when using AI.
Introduction to Quantum Machine Learning


This workshop will include ~45 minutes of talk time, where I introduce types of machine learning and how to evaluate developed models. This will then go into a hands-on exercise in evaluating classical models developed using support vectors for classification problems. Attendees will be given data and code. They will use Google Colab to run the code. The workshop will then move into quantum machine learning. It will develop analogs between classical and quantum machine learning. The students won't be able to run the quantum algorithm, but I will demonstrate results.
Automating Research Data Workflows with Microsoft Forms and Power BI


This practical workshop is designed for researchers seeking to automate and streamline the entire data lifecycle-from collection to visualisation-using Microsoft Forms and Power BI.

Participants will learn how to:

  • Design effective data collection instruments with Microsoft Forms for research surveys.
  • Automate data transfer and storage by integrating Forms with Power BI, leveraging tools like Power Automate and SharePoint for seamless, real-time data flow.
  • Clean and transform raw survey data for analysis using Power BI’s data transformation tools, ensuring data quality and usability for reporting.
  • Set up scheduled or automated refreshes to keep reports up-to-date without manual intervention, supporting reproducible and scalable research workflows.
  • Learn from real-world, anonymised case studies and lessons learned by the data team at Griffith University's Relational Insights Data Lab (RIDL), including common pitfalls, best practices, and tips for successful implementation.

By the end of this session, attendees will be equipped to automate repetitive data tasks, reduce manual errors, and accelerate the journey from data collection to impactful research insights. No prior experience with Microsoft Forms or Power BI is required.

Introduction to data cleaning with OpenRefine


Learn basic data cleaning techniques in this hands-on workshop, working with structured text data and using open source software OpenRefine.

On completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

  • explore data through facets and filters
  • implement 'tidy data' principles
  • clean, organise, and prepare data for analysis
  • use basic features of OpenRefine
  • extract and reuse a reproducible script to repeat processing on similar data
Bridging Quantitative Data and Qualitative Insights: Spearman’s Rank Correlation in Mixed Methods Research


  • Understand the difference between Spearman and Pearson correlations.
  • Identify when to use Spearman correlation in mixed method research designs
  • Conduct Spearman correlation analysis with Python
  • Integrate qualitative and quantitative findings
  • Interpret and report Spearman correlation results with both statistical meaning and contextual insight
Web Archives 101: Beyond Copy and Paste for Digital Research


This workshop covers the basics ('101') of web archiving as an alternative to simple copying and pasting from the internet. It positions web archiving as a more sophisticated approach to digital research, while maintaining an accessible, beginner-friendly tone that invites participation from those new to the concept.
Beyond the Code: Effective Research Automation with Git, Ansible and Docker


This presentation is designed for researchers, postgrads, and academics who manage their own code but may not have a background in system administration. Participants will learn how to use Git, Ansible, and Docker — three powerful tools that can transform the way they manage, automate, and share their research code.

During the presentation, attendees will be guided step-by-step through using Git for version control, Ansible for automated environment configuration, and Docker for creating consistent, portable execution environments. By the end of the session, participants will understand the fundamentals of git, automating system setups, and how to run their code in reproducible containers.

Topics Covered:

  • What is version control and why do you use it?
  • Using GitHub for version control and collaboration
  • What is Ansible and why do you use it?
  • Creating and running Ansible playbooks
  • Demonstration: Manually configuring environments vs automated Ansible setups
  • Understanding Docker containers and their benefits
  • Overview of Docker Desktop
  • How to create and run a docker container that runs your code
  • Demonstration: Running basic docker containers
  • Tips for best structuring your Git, Ansible, and Docker setups
Crafting Clarity: Data as Design


Crafting Clarity: Data as Design is a 90-minute hands-on workshop for researchers who want to elevate their data storytelling. Moving beyond charts and tables, this session explores how design principles can transform raw data into compelling, clear, and impactful visual narratives. You'll learn practical strategies to communicate complexity, engage diverse audiences, and make your research more accessible and memorable. Whether you’re preparing a presentation, publication, or pitch, this workshop will give you the tools to design with intention, align form with meaning, and craft data stories that resonate. No design experience necessary, just curiosity and a willingness to experiment.
Introduction to R Spatial


Quick R spatial introduction, focusing on key concepts, and useful commands for handling and visualising vector data with essential R Spatial packages.

(Prior knowledge of R is required. Please only register if you have used R before, or if you took part in this ResBaz' R introduction.

Introduction to Text Analytics in R


This workshop will introduce methods for computational analysis of text, particularly core approaches from corpus linguistics (keyword analysis) and data science (topic modelling). Using pre-built computational notebooks from LADAL (https://ladal.edu.au/tools.html) we will introduce the steps and decisions needed to conduct a computational analysis of a textual corpus, and discuss how and where these approaches might fit into your research toolkit.

You will learn how to:

  • Run a computational notebook and modify some R code in a web-based environment.
  • Conduct a keyword analysis and create topic models on a provided textual corpus.
  • Identify what kind of textual data you need to apply these methods and the key steps in computational approaches to text.

Note that this workshop is best taken following the workshop 'Exploring texts using concordances', but can be attended as a standalone. No experience programming in R is necessary.

How to use social media to your advantage


Copyright 101 for Researchers


This session will demystify some of the questions you might have about copyright and your research.

What you'll learn about:

  • Overview of copyright.
  • Copyright and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP).
  • How to use other's copyright material legally.
  • How to protect your own copyright.
  • Publishing agreements options and implications.
  • Creative Commons licensing applications.
  • Strategies on retaining your rights.

Note, this session is designed to provide general copyright guidance, not legal advice.