Speakers
Speakers will be added to this page as they are confirmed.
Anna-Maria Arabia
- Anna-Maria is Chief Executive at the Australian Academy of Science, an independent organisation of distinguished Australian scientists, championing science for the benefit of all. Starting her career as a neuroscientist, Anna-Maria has worked nationally and globally in scientific research, policy development, politics and advocacy. Her leadership has led to significant reform at the science–policy interface. She has established novel mechanisms to facilitate evidence-informed decision making in parliaments and the justice system; spearheaded new approaches to science communication; and implemented global initiatives to make visible underrepresented scientists. She provides policy advice to the highest levels of government in Australia and contributes to global policy fora, most recently leading the establishment of the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific.
Adam Lodders
- Adam Lodders is passionate about ensuring the ethical and responsible use of data, AI and digital technologies. Currently, Adam is AI and Data Ethics Governance Manager at ANZ. Before joining ANZ, Adam was responsible for enabling innovative interdisciplinary research at the University of Melbourne focusing on AI Ethics and the networked society.
Professor Brett Sutton
- Prof Brett Sutton is a Director at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, leading the Health & Biosecurity Research Unit, comprising over 350 researchers and support staff in areas of digital health, human health and plant, animal and environmental biosecurity. A qualified public health physician, he brings extensive experience and clinical expertise in public health and communicable diseases, developed through roles in government, emergency medicine, and international fieldwork. Before joining CSIRO, Brett served as Victoria’s Chief Health Officer and Chief Human Biosecurity Officer, heading the Health Protection Branch within the Victorian Department of Health. With specialist knowledge in tropical medicine and infectious diseases, Brett has worked extensively in lower-middle-income countries and complex humanitarian settings, including in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Timor-Leste, and Fiji. Brett’s career reflects his passion and commitment to advancing health outcomes in Australia and globally. Professor Sutton is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Fellow of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, and a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM). He is also a member of the Faculty of Travel Medicine.
Dr Darren Saunders
- Darren is a Eureka Prize winning scientist and communicator, with over 20 years’ academic and industrial experience in cancer biology and neuroscience in Australia and North America. Darren is a public advocate for gender equality in STEM. He has worked with former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and Co as a senior advisor and data expert on numerous workplace cultural reviews, examining the nature and prevalence of sexual harm, bullying, racism and other forms of systemic discrimination in a range of organisations in the mining, aviation, education, arts and law enforcement sectors. Darren is a regular commentator on television and radio, and resident scientist on ABC TV’s The Drum and Channel 7’s Daily Edition. He is currently NSW Deputy Chief Scientist & Engineer and Executive Director of the Office of the NSW Deputy Chief Scientist & Engineer, and Adjunct Associate Professor in Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney.
Dr Doug Hilton
- Dr Doug Hilton AO commenced as CSIRO Chief Executive on September 29, 2023. Dr Hilton is a molecular and cellular biologist and previously Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI). At WEHI, his medical research focussed on understanding how blood cells communicate and using this knowledge to improve disease treatments. He and his team held more than 20 patents and translated their research through collaboration with venture capitalists and the biopharmaceutical industry. Through an honorary appointment in the Zoology Department at University of Melbourne, he also studies a family of tiny day-flying moths involved in the pollination of Australian plants. Beyond research, Dr Hilton has emphasised the importance of strong institutional cultures, and furthered diversity in science including as a member of the Champion of Change Coalition and a board member of Australians Investing in Women.
Professor Kerrie Wilson
- Professor Kerrie Wilson commenced in the role of the Queensland Chief Scientist on 1 November 2023. Her distinguished career encompasses roles at QUT, including Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability and Research Integrity), and as the Executive Director of the QUT Institute for Future Environments. Professor Wilson is one of Australia’s leading researchers into the science, strategy and policy of conservation. With a track record in key leadership roles and driving collaboration with national and international stakeholders, she will ensure Queensland remains at the forefront of science. Professor Wilson has held leadership positions including Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy Australia and the Australian Natural Sciences Commissioner for UNESCO. She has received numerous awards, including the Prime Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, the Australian Academy of Science Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science, two ARC Research Fellowships and an Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Outstanding Young Researcher. She holds a Bachelor in Environmental Science (First Class Honours) from The University of Queensland and a PhD from The University of Melbourne, undertaken in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, based in Cambridge.
Associate Professor Jeremy Brownlie
- Associate Professor Jeremy Brownlie is a molecular geneticist based in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University where he conducts research into insect-symbiosis and applying it to control the spread of insect borne diseases. More recently he has collaborated with Griffith University researchers, the Queensland Museum and Indigenous communities to repatriate ancestral remains using genome sequencing technology. In his roles outside of academia, as a past President of Science & Technology Australia or formal advising role as a member of the Prime Minister’s National Science and Technology Council, Jeremy has helped to shape research and innovation policy. As the NSTC sponsor, for the past six months, Jeremy has led a series of four reports on the topic of misinformation specifically to examine the evidence base for what makes individuals and society at large resilient to misinformation.
Dr Justine Lacey
- Dr Justine Lacey leads CSIRO’s Responsible Innovation Future Science Platform; a research program examining the interface between science, technology innovation and the associated ethical, social and legal consequences of new and disruptive science and technologies. CSIRO’s Future Science Platforms aim to develop the early stage science that underpins disruptive innovation and has the potential to reinvent and create new industries for Australia. Prior to taking up this role, Justine led a research group of social and economic scientists developing and supporting adaptive solutions for Australian communities and industries. She is trained as a philosopher and her own research has focused on examining the aspects underpinning the minerals industry’s social licence to operate, and how this concept is used in other resource management contexts, such as forestry and agriculture.
Professor Margie Danchin
- Professor Danchin is a consultant paediatrician at The Royal Children’s Hospital, and a Clinician Scientist at the University of Melbourne, and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI). She completed a clinical fellowship in Toronto, Canada in 2005 and her PhD in 2006, subsequently gaining expertise in vaccine clinical trials and vaccine safety as part of the RV3-BB Rotavirus Vaccine program and Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group (VIRGO), MCRI. She has received fellowships from NHMRC and the University of Melbourne and currently holds a 2021 to 2026 Melbourne Children’s Clinician Scientist Fellowship. As Group Leader of the Vaccine Uptake Group, MCRI, Professor Danchin’s program of research focuses on vaccine confidence and uptake, particularly amongst high-risk groups and in low and middle-income countries, and on effective risk communication. It has led to significant shifts in understanding of the drivers of under-vaccination, development of tools and evidenced-based strategies to improve uptake and has directly informed policy and changes in immunisation practice in Australia. She leads a dynamic team and research program that includes qualitative research, randomised trials, systematic reviews, intervention co-design and partnerships with government/NGOs. She has received more than $19 million in research funding and has more than 135 peer-reviewed publications, chapters in leading vaccine textbooks including Vaccine and frequent editorials/commentary articles.
Dr Susannah Eliott
- Susannah has a PhD in cell and developmental biology from Macquarie University, a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and an honorary doctorate in science communication from the University of Adelaide. In 2023 she was elected as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). With over 25 years of experience, Susannah has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between science and the media. Her journey began as a research scientist, studying the fascinating soil creatures known as slime moulds at Macquarie University and Stanford University. Following her PhD, she transitioned to science communication, leading the UTS Centre for Science Communication in the 1990s. During this time she helped launch significant initiatives such as the Horizons of Science forums and the popular outreach programs, Science in the Bush and Science in the Pub, in collaboration with the Australian Science Communicators.
Michael Collett
- Michael Collett is a conversation designer on the AI/ML team at ABC Digital Product, where he helps develop ‘ABC Assist’, an internal AI-powered research capability. He has also designed smart speaker apps for ABC Kids and ABC Emergency. Previously, he worked as a journalist and producer for ABC News Digital, where he was one of the brains behind the ABC News on Messenger chatbot.
Panel Moderators
Cate Gilpin
- Cate Gilpin is a leading voice in building socially cohesive and inclusive communities across Australia. As the National Coordinator of Welcoming Universities and Queensland Coordinator of Welcoming Cities at Welcoming Australia, she works with universities and local governments to embed practices of inclusion, belonging, and equity into policy and everyday practice. With a background in community engagement and higher education, Cate brings a deep understanding of the systemic and human factors that shape inclusive environments. Her work has informed national conversations on student wellbeing, multicultural inclusion, and the role of institutions in fostering belonging. She has led research into the experiences of international students and supported councils and universities in working towards formal recognition for their commitment to diversity.
Gail Fulton
- Gail Fulton is Director for CSIRO Science Connect. Her work focuses on the practical application of science. This spans inspiring young Australians through a range of education and publishing activities; helping small and large businesses strategically adapt and innovate or simply test their products; and contributing to the scientific research process itself through peer review and scientific publishing. Before joining CSIRO, Gail worked in a variety of legal and commercial roles in technology, publishing, film, television and creative industries. Gail holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Laws from UNSW and a MBA from Melbourne University.
Dr Melanie McGrath
- Trust is crucial to our willingness to use AI, but it’s not as simple as more trust, leading to more use and better outcomes. To work safely and effectively with AI, our level of trust needs to be aligned with the capabilities of the AI application. Too much trust and we risk relying on an application that can’t really deliver, not enough trust and we risk not using an application that could actually help us. Dr. Melanie McGrath is a psychological scientist investigating how humans develop trust in machines, and what effect that might have on the way people and AI work together. In her research she identifies the optimal level of trust in an AI application, and how to achieve it. To address this question she works with scientists developing applications in a range of areas including cybersecurity, genomics, and robotics.