Month: November 2024

Thanks to the Queensland Futures Institute for hosting Blue Sky Queensland. CIRES PhD Researcher Krishna Dermawan and Senior Research Assistant Tianwa Chen from The University of Queensland joined the event and were so impressed by the conversations and lineup of fantastic speakers including Professor John Fraser, Prof. Marek Kowalkiewicz, Mark Mauceri, and Kristen Souvlis.

From Tina: “Today’s seminar was very inspiring, and it was an incredible forum for exploring the future of Queensland. The speakers delivered diverse and thought-provoking insights on healthcare, AI, rocket science, and the Arts. As an early career researcher, their talks inspired my research, and I’m looking forward to attending future events!”

From left to right: Tianwa Chen, Prof. Marek Kowalkiewicz, Krishna Dermawan

On 5 November, CIRES hosted the Thesis Whisperer herself Professor Inger Mewburn at UQ. This full-day intensive workshop focused on managing difficult research projects. Here are some testimonials from our attendees:

“I’ve learnt project management before, yet the workshop gave me many new and practical tools to manage my PhD research. Inger ensured the event was interactive, and I loved her techniques for managing time, both personally and professionally. Thank you, CIRES, for the opportunity to learn!” Nova Sepadyati, PhD Researcher, UQ

“Learning about how AI tools can support project management was really eye-opening, and it was fun to see that some of the tactics we covered—like using a bullet journal and keeping a research reflection diary—are practices I already use. The ideas around the ‘right-to-left’ mindset, the different AI and collaboration tools, and even the formulas for estimating task times were all super insightful. Honestly, this workshop was totally worth it—a valuable and enjoyable experience from start to finish!” Lufan Zhang, CIRES PhD Researcher, Swinburne

“A truly engaging workshop and a great demonstration of how to leverage technology to make your research projects, and your life, easier to manage” Prof. Marta Indulska, CIRES Research Director

“I’m just about to submit my PhD thesis and am at the early stages of planning my first research project as a Postdoc. This workshop was timely and without a doubt the best workshop on Project Management I have been to! Inger not only talks about useful AI tools that are effective at saving time and deliver better project outcomes but she shows you how to integrate them and make them work with your own projects. The workshop was eye-opening, insightful and a lot of fun! Tracey Read, PhD Researcher, ARC Training Centre for Bioplastics and Biocomposites.

Thank you Inger for such an insightful and practical hands-on workshop and to all our attendees from The University of Queensland, QUT (Queensland University of Technology), Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University, and Griffith University for your excellent participation!

We finished the week on a high on 31 October by hosting our Centre’s end-of-year celebration at CIRES HQ. The event recognised the contributions and achievements of our research cohort of Postdocs, PhD researchers, Data Engineers, & Research Assistants, with outstanding testimonials from their supervisors. Key highlights were publications (including firsts!), completion of PhD milestones, project delivery, leadership of Centre initiatives, fellowships, and successful research studies & surveys, including with industry partners. It was wonderful to have our Swinburne University of Technology colleagues with us Luhan Cheng, Pa Pa Khin, Hui Yin, and Lufan Zhang.

Congratulations to our research superstars on a successful 2024!

A key highlight of the day was celebrating our wonderful Centre Coordinator Kathleen Williamson and her 35-year work anniversary at The University of Queensland. Kath is instrumental to the success of the Centre and is an incredibly valued member of CIRES & the UQ School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. We bottled thank-you messages and testimonials from CIRES and UQ colleagues past and present to capture the gratitude we have for getting to work with her, and for her unwavering support throughout the years. And of course it wouldn’t be a celebration without cake!