Research Week 2026

This webinar explores the place and purpose of law and criminology research in responding to social challenges, with focus given to the ways scholars work within larger networks. UniSQ researchers will provide an overview of their own research practice to consider the function of law and criminology research and the insights it provides. 

Moderator 

Associate Professor Kerstin Braun 

Speakers

• Dr Wayne Petherick  

• Professor Saiful Karim 

• Associate Professor Eugenia Georgiades  

• Associate Professor Rhett Martin  

• Dr Jeremy Patrick  

• Professor Simon Young   

Date: Monday 17 August 2026

Time: 10:00am - 11:00am

Location: Online

Target audience: Staff, students, community members, industry professionals

Sign up: Contact Kerstin.Braun@unisq.edu.au 

The School of Education and Creative Arts is proud to present a series of commissioned creative works that engage with the University of Southern Queensland’s four research Institutes through innovative Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs). Showcasing the power of creative practice as a research methodology, these works offer compelling and accessible perspectives on some of the most significant challenges and opportunities shaping contemporary society. 

Spanning health and wellbeing, regional communities, environmental sustainability, and space and defence technologies, the artworks invite audiences to engage with research in ways that extend beyond conventional academic formats. Through visual art, participatory practice, installation, and performance, the projects translate complex research themes into experiences that are reflective, thought-provoking, and deeply human. 

The featured works explore diverse topics: personal and collective experiences of grief and remembrance associated with terminal illness; the often-overlooked reality that wellbeing is an act of becoming well, and that what stimulates self-care can be sensed and practice(d); the impact of geographic distance on the aspirations and opportunities of regional young people; the changing health of the Condamine River and the communities connected to it; and the global networks of observation, power, and surveillance that shape our understanding of Earth and space. 

Unveiled as part of this special event, the artworks will form the focus of a panel discussion led by the Head and Dean of School, featuring Institute Directors and the participating artists. Together, they will examine how creative inquiry can generate new knowledge, foster community engagement, and contribute meaningful insights to major research challenges. 

Each artwork is accompanied by a research statement outlining its contribution as an NTRO, demonstrating how creative practice can serve as a rigorous form of research that complements and extends traditional approaches to knowledge production. Collectively, these works highlight the vital role of the arts in communicating research, enriching public understanding, and fostering new conversations across disciplines, communities, and sectors. 

Through these innovative NTROs, the School of Education and Creative Arts demonstrates how the arts can foster dialogue, deepen understanding, and generate new ways of engaging with the research challenges and opportunities that matter most to our communities and our world. 

Date: Monday 17 August 2026

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Location: Toowoomba campus, B102 (B Block Function Room)

Target audience: Staff, students, community members

Sign up: Register here

Tour UniSQ’s hypersonic facility, home to the longest-duration hypersonic wind tunnel in Australia. Ground testing, optical diagnostics and numerical simulation underpin a research program spanning fundamental hypersonics through to vehicle systems and geometries. 

This unique facility can produce conditions from Mach 2 to Mach 7, allowing researchers to investigate the environments experienced by high-speed vehicles. Visitors will learn how researchers use the wind tunnel to study hypersonic aerodynamics, supersonic combustion, vehicle control, free-flight behaviour and other challenges associated with flight at many times the speed of sound.

You will also hear how UniSQ researchers combine ground-based testing with real-world flight observations of hypersonic phenomena, contributing to major international missions and helping shape the future of aerospace technology. 

This is a rare opportunity to see real hypersonic research in action and discover how world-leading aerospace innovation is taking place right here in Toowoomba. 

Date: Tuesday 18 August 2026

Time: Two back-to-back tour sessions:

• Tour 1: 9:00am - 9:30am 
• Tour 2: 9:30am - 10:00am  

Location: Toowoomba campus, P10

Target audience: Staff, students

Sign up: Register here

Join us for a tour of the Centre for Future Materials (CFM) at UniSQ and experience one of Australia’s leading hubs for advanced materials research, innovation, and manufacturing. Recognised as a national leader in engineered composite materials, CFM works at the forefront of aerospace and defence, resilient infrastructure, clean energy, sustainability, and digital construction. 

During the tour, visitors will gain behind-the-scenes access to world-class laboratories and industry-scale equipment, including Automated Fibre Placement, an 8-axis filament winding cell, composite braiding and pultrusion systems, and large-scale structural testing laboratories capable of evaluating materials and structures under real-world conditions.

This tour will showcase CFM’s pioneering work in resilient infrastructure, where researchers are developing durable, low-maintenance and climate-resilient solutions for transport, maritime, mining and civil construction applications. You will discover how researchers are developing next-generation solutions such as digital engineering enablement, high-temperature oxide-based ceramic-matrix composites, in-situ process monitoring, and AI-based monitoring methods. 

The tour also provides an opportunity to learn about CFM's strong industry engagement, with research partnerships spanning transport, construction, mining, energy, defence, healthcare and advanced manufacturing sectors. 

Come and hear from our leading researchers and HDR students as they showcase their facilities, projects and research impact. 

Date: Tuesday 18 August 2026

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Location: Toowoomba campus, P11

Target audience: Staff, students

Sign up: Register here

This event will provide an opportunity for members of the UniSQ community to meet Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CSAS) researchers, HDR students, professional staff from across both Toowoomba and Springfield campuses to connect, share research interests, and explore opportunities for collaboration. The event will include a brief overview of CSAS, updates on research themes and strategic priorities, and informal networking over lunch. 

As CSAS has a presence on both the Toowoomba and Springfield campuses, the event will be held at both locations, with both rooms connecting via Zoom. 

Purpose:

• Build connections between CSAS members and the broader UniSQ community. 
• Increase awareness of research themes and capabilities. 
• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. 
• Welcome new staff and HDR students. 
• Showcase CSAS achievements and future directions. 

The event aims to strengthen CSAS culture and engagement across campuses while providing an opportunity to celebrate research achievements and discuss future collaborative opportunities.

Date: Tuesday 18 August 2026

Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm

Locations:

• Toowoomba campus,T113
• Springfield campus, B435
• Online

Target audience: Staff, students, community members, industry professionals

Sign up: Register here

The HDR Student Symposium is a Research Week event designed to showcase the breadth and impact of HDR student work across the University’s four research flagships:  

• Agriculture, Climate and the Environment 

• Health 

• Space, Defence and Advanced Technologies

• Communities and Regional Development

The symposium will feature four themed sessions, each comprising short presentations (10–12 minutes) delivered by HDR students.

The event is intentionally designed for a blended audience, including undergraduate students, industry partners, professional staff, researchers, and members of the broader community. Its purpose is to strengthen research communication, foster interdisciplinary engagement, and build meaningful connections between students, academia, and industry. By providing accessible presentations and opportunities for interaction, the symposium aims to highlight the relevance and real-world application of UniSQ research while supporting student development and external engagement. 

View the complete HDR Student Symposium program. 

Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026

Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Location: Toowoomba campus, B102 (B Block Function Room)

Target audience: Staff, students, community members, industry professionals

Sign up: Contact ResearchTraining@unisq.edu.au

This roundtable discussion will explore the impacts and opportunities for research and scholarly practice arising from the rapid development of AI. Beyond considering the ethical implications of AI, the panel will showcase the speakers' experiences of using AI to enhance their research, teaching, and scholarly practice, while engaging with colleagues in collaborative research teams.

View the complete invitation here. 

Moderator

Associate Professor Park Thaichon

Speakers

• Professor Billy Sung, Curtin University

• Dr. Anne-Marie Sassenberg, UniSQ

• Professor Tapan Sarker, UniSQ

Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026

Time: 10:00am - 11:00am

Location: Online

Target audience: Staff, students, community members, industry professionals

Sign up: Contact Park.Thaichon@unisq.edu.au

In an era of AI and algorithmic culture, an expert panel of academic authors from the Centre for Heritage and Culture will explore why the longform scholarly book remains essential for fostering deep thinking, interdisciplinary dialogue, and community transformation. This event also celebrates recent book publications by Centre members. 

Light refreshments will be served. 

Date: Thursday 20 August

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm

Location: Toowoomba campus, B102 (B Block Function Room)

Target audience: Staff, students, community members, industry professionals

Sign up: Register here. 

Join us at UniSQ's Science Garden: Where Curiosity Grows this UniSQ Research Week and National Science Week! Chat with friendly UniSQ scientists in a relaxed, family-friendly setting. Ask questions, explore discoveries, and plant seeds of wonder in young minds. All ages welcome - no science degree required, just bring your curiosity! 

Date: Thursday 20 August

Time: 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Location: Springfield campus, B Block foyer

Target audience: Staff, students, community members, school-age students

Sign up: Register here

Step behind the gates of Queensland's only professional astronomical research facility. Join us for a rare opportunity to visit UniSQ's Mount Kent Observatory, a world-class research site normally closed to the public. Explore the observatory's advanced telescope facilities, discover how UniSQ researchers work with NASA and international partners to find and study distant planets, and hear firsthand how discoveries made from a hilltop near Toowoomba are helping us understand our universe. 

Home to UniSQ's Centre for Astrophysics, Mount Kent Observatory has been operated by the university since the 1970s and now houses eight telescopes supporting cutting-edge research and global collaborations. UniSQ researchers have contributed to the discovery of hundreds of planets and stars, with the observatory playing a leading role in NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission through the internationally recognised MINERVA-Australis facility. 

During the tour, you'll learn how UniSQ astronomers use advanced instrumentation to search for and characterise exoplanets, study stellar activity and oscillations, track asteroids and space debris, and contribute to major international missions. 

This tour is available to UniSQ Staff, and a UniSQ bus will be arranged to transport UniSQ staff from the Toowoomba Campus to Mt Kent Observatory (~30-minute trip). Places are strictly limited due to transport and site capacity constraints, so staff are strongly encouraged to register as soon as possible using the sign-up form. 

Date: Friday 21 August

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm:

• 10:00am: Bus departs Toowoomba campus 
• 10:30am: Arrive Mt Kent Observatory
• 11:30am: Bus departs Mt Kent Observatory
• 12:00pm: Arrive Toowoomba campus 

Location: Mt Kent Observatory (Toowoomba, off-campus)

Target audience: Staff

Sign up: Register here. Numbers strictly capped.