The Macquarie Minds Showcase will be held on 13 December over two days and will showcase the University’s research priorities with a focus on encouraging early-career and higher-degree research candidates.

The showcase will bring to light the five Future-Shaping Research Priorities to encourage cross-disciplinary interaction amongst Macquarie’s academics and highlight our learning and teaching capabilities.

In addition to encouraging collaboration within the University, the conference will engage with industry, government and other key partners for attendance and participation on panels and as presenters of keynote addresses.

“Macquarie’s commitment to the success and growth of the five Future-Shaping Research Priorities will be exemplified by the Macquarie Minds conference. The conference will be the first of its kind for Macquarie and will shine a light on the various shapes and strengths of the University research and the nexus between teaching and learning and research,” said Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).

“The conference is a unique event in 2016 in a number of ways – the diversity of content, the community engagement events and the focus on the Future-Shaping Research Priorities as themes for sessions and the keynote.”

The first day of the conference will be a showcase of Macquarie’s strengths, collaboration and community engagement, with the second day designed to nurture early-career and higher-degree researchers to explore their potential and contribution to their fields at Macquarie.

Early-career and higher-degree researchers are invited to participate in the conference through the hosting of a panel workshop, emphasising interdisciplinary research and collaboration across the University.

Areas of research interest that may be covered across the panel workshops could include the intersections between cutting edge technology and advancing medical treatments for patients, the cross over between the arts and the economy, the issue of climate change and food security on societies across the globe and advancements in hearing research and emotional health.

“I invite our higher-degree and early career researchers to apply to organise and deliver a workshop as part of the conference, as a valuable addition to their skill-set,” said Professor Pretorius.

Applications for early-career and higher-degree researchers to host a panel are now open until 17 May 2016.

The Macquarie Minds Showcase aims to grow the research, teaching and learning culture at Macquarie and will replace the Research Excellence Awards for 2016. The Awards will return in 2017 in a revamped format that will provide more benefits to the Macquarie community, and will be held every second year following.