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Conference/Symposium

RISE 2025: Safeguarding the Future

Date
Tuesday, 21 October 2025 - Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Time
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (NSW Time)
Location
Lismore Campus, National Marine Science Centre
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Rise generic header

Categories

Hosted by:
Faculty of Science and Engineering

14th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Research in Science and Engineering 


Our mission statement

The Conference aims to provide a supportive and fun experience for postgrads researching information technology, science and engineering and to engage and share each other’s research, develop confidence and communication skills.

RISE Conference key objectives

  • Engage - RISE aims to involve as many students, academics and researchers to participate, in all the scheduled activities, throughout the conference.
  • Share - RISE will foster all to share their research and/or research stories.
  • Encourage - RISE will be a place for personal and professional development, encouraging supportive peer to peer constructive feedback.
  • Connect - RISE will provide opportunities to make connections and friendships with colleagues from common and other research fields.
  • Enjoy - RISE emphasises the importance of breaking up the pattern of postgrad life and will focus on fitting fun into the program.
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RISE 2024 - Cropped

Attend and participate

Tuesday 21 October to Wednesday 22 October

  • Anyone is welcome to attend and participate as part of the RISE conference audience.
  • Postgraduate students are the main target audience and are encouraged to participate.
  • Honours students are also welcome to submit entries.
  • Undergraduates may also submit entries. However, limited numbers will be accepted.
  • Registration is required for anyone wishing to attend the on-campus conference.
  • Get in touch to find out more.

2025 RISE Conference Committee

Banujan Kuhaneswaran – Chair

Banujan Kuhaneswaran

Chair

I'm a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University - Gold Coast Campus. I'm diving deep into the world of Long Lead Time Flood Prediction using cutting-edge Deep Learning techniques. My research aims to revolutionize how we forecast floods, potentially saving lives and resources.

Evanna McGuiness - RISE 2025

Evanna McGuinness

Co-Chair & Programme Coordinator

I’m a master's by thesis student here at Southern Cross. My research is taking a deeper dive into soil organic carbon in local grazing systems, studying the largely overlooked subsoil C pool to elucidate the factors controlling the accumulation of deeper carbon. My passion for research stems from a desire to see our productive landscapes managed in a way that sustains our natural resources.

Dr. Ben Liu

Ben Liu

Academic Advisor

I am a researcher, a lecturer, and a food and natural product chemist at SCU. I enjoy teaching and working with students. I have a service role as Deputy Director of Higher Degree Research in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. I help to look up the faculty enrolments of master and PhD students, and our popular RISE conference.

Joanne Oakes

Joanne Oakes

Academic Advisor

I’m an academic and Deputy Director of Higher Degree Research in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. My research is in biogeochemistry – the interaction of biological, geological, and chemical processes. I study the processing and fate of carbon and nitrogen in environments from the arctic to tropics, and from bare sediments to seagrass beds, mangrove forests, freshwater ecosystems, and soils.

James Padilla Montalvo – Financial Officer

James Padilla Montalvo

Financial Officer

I am a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University - Lismore Campus, where I research groundwater discharge across the terrestrial–coastal continuum. My work focuses on using radioisotope tracers (Radon and Radium) to quantify groundwater inputs and on assessing how groundwater geochemistry can influence surface water systems. I often collaborate with local and state resource managers, with the goal of informing more effective water management strategies.

Pretty Londhe – Secretary

Pretty Londhe

Secretary

I am a PhD student working in the field of microalgae growth systems, focusing on optimising their cultivation and extracting valuable fatty acids, specifically omega fatty acids, from the biomass. My research supports sustainability by exploring how microalgae can serve as a renewable and eco-friendly source of essential nutrients. By improving growth efficiency and extraction techniques, my work contributes to developing sustainable alternatives for health and nutrition industries.

Stephen Siazon – Media Officer

Stephen Siazon

Media Officer

I’m a student of Plant Science – Lismore. I’m focusing on discovering the genetic basis of traits in Cannabis, particularly those that can be agriculturally beneficial for industrial hemp. I hope my research can contribute to the early stages of hemp plant breeding efforts.

Claire Budden – NMSC/Coffs Harbour Representative

Claire Budden

NMSC/Coffs Harbour Representative

I am a PhD candidate based at the National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour. My research is looking at how drones can be used for monitoring marine ecosystems (specifically rocky shores and coral bleaching) and ways to classify drone imagery using machine learning.

Ravi Poudel – Gold Coast Representative

Ravi Poudel

Gold Coast Representative

I am a Ph.D. student based at the Gold Coast campus. My research revolves around Building Information Modeling and HVAC systems. I will be looking into ways of optimizing the performance of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in retrofitted buildings, with strong emphasis on enhancing energy efficiency and thermal comfort. I am hopeful that my research will contribute to the sustainability of existing buildings and reduce their carbon footprint.

Sonia Weiss - Admin Coordinator

Sonia Weiss

Administrative Coordinator

I am one of two Administrative Coordinators (Research) in the Faculty of Science & Engineering. I have been involved with the RISE Conference since its inception back in 2016, but have been working at SCU for much longer than that. My role in RISE is supporting the Committee with general administration and helping out on the conference days.

Video presentations from previous RISE conferences

Former students Jacob, Gloria, Grace and PhD student Conor share fascinating insights into their research areas and experience with the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Video presentations

Researcher Jacob Birch discusses Australian native grass grains

Gloria Rathner video thumbnail

Grace Russel Video thumbnail

Coral researcher Conor Hendrickson in lab

Get in touch

riseconference@scu.edu.au