The Australian Institute of Physics upcoming events

Girls in Physics Breakfast (WA) | Perth Southern suburbs (23 Jun 2026)

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Physics (WA Branch), the Science Teachers' Association of Western Australia (STAWA) and Quantum Girls are conducting a breakfast event to introduce modern physics to Year8, 9 and 10 girls and inspire and motivate them to consider going on to study high level mathematics and Physics in Year 11 and 12. This event is part of the AIP's Marie Curie Lecture Tour.

Audience: Motivated Year 8, 9 and 10 Girls who demonstrate aptitude and interest in science, accompanied by a female science teacher or other female role model (up to six students per school).

Cost: This event is FREE but registration is essential.

Talk title: Painting the Universe: A Visual and Musical Exploration of Space-Time

Brief outline: In this lecture, Dr Karelle Siellez weaves together sound, art, and astrophysics to explore the story of gravitational waves and the collisions that create the elements we are made of. Through “multi-messenger” signals like kilonovae and gamma-ray bursts, we’ll uncover how the cosmos communicates its most violent events. Blending scientific insights with creative expression, this journey reveals how listening to the Universe—and protecting its silence—can connect science, nature, and humanity.

Presenter: Dr Karelle Siellez is an astrophysicist and lecturer at the University of Tasmania. A specialist in multi-messenger astronomy, she contributed to the first detection of a gamma-ray burst and gravitational waves from the same cosmic event, recognised with the 2017 Breakthrough Prize. She is also an award-winning science communicator who integrates art, sound, and storytelling into her work, making complex astrophysics accessible and inspiring. Karelle has lived and worked in France, the USA, and now Tasmania—where she divides her time between telescopes, classrooms, and the wilderness of sea and forest.

Program:

8.00 - 8.45	Start with juices and a light breakfast
8.45 - 9.00	Introduction – Acknowledgement of Country (Host school), Career opportunities that open up for higher-level maths, physics and chemistry graduates.
9.00 – 10.00	2026 Marie Curie Lecturer Dr Karelle Siellez from the presents Painting the Universe: A Visual and Musical Exploration of Space-Time
10.00 - 10.20	Morning tea
10.20 - 11.30	Series of fun, hands-on activities introducing participants to the quantum world. Coordinated by Quantum Girls
11.40 - 11.50	Revisiting the amazing career opportunities in Physics
11.50 – 12.00	Close with round table discussions and feedback

Download the event flyer

Girls in Physics Breakfast (WA) | Perth Northern suburbs (24 Jun 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Audience: Motivated Year 8, 9 and 10 Girls who demonstrate aptitude and interest in science, accompanied by a female science teacher or other female role model (up to six students per school).

Cost: This event is FREE but registration is essential.

Talk title: Painting the Universe: A Visual and Musical Exploration of Space-Time

Program:

8.00 - 8.45	Start with juices and a light breakfast
8.45 - 9.00	Introduction – Acknowledgement of Country (Host school), Career opportunities that open up for higher-level maths, physics and chemistry graduates.
9.00 – 10.00	2026 Marie Curie Lecturer Dr Karelle Siellez from the presents Painting the Universe: A Visual and Musical Exploration of Space-Time
10.00 - 10.20	Morning tea
10.20 - 11.30	Series of fun, hands-on activities introducing participants to the quantum world. Coordinated by Quantum Girls
11.40 - 11.50	Revisiting the amazing career opportunities in Physics
11.50 – 12.00	Close with round table discussions and feedback

Download the event flyer

21st Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs (9 Nov 2026)

Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:00:00 GMT

From the Standard Model of particle physics to concordance cosmology, many of the most compelling ideas about how the universe works now point toward a rich and elusive dark sector. The 21st Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs, hosted by The University of Western Australia at its Crawley campus on the banks of the Swan River in Perth, will be held from 9–13 November 2026, and will gather leading experts and emerging researchers to probe this frontier.

Workshop website

Continuing a distinguished series that began at CERN in 2005, the workshop will focus on innovative theoretical developments, laboratory and astrophysical searches for dark matter and dark energy, and state-of-the-art efforts to uncover new weakly interacting particles and constrain their properties. This edition will highlight the growing Australian and Asia–Pacific contributions to dark sector physics, drawing on UWA’s strong ecosystem in precision measurement, quantum technologies and astroparticle physics.

The workshop will delve into the physics of axions, WIMPs and WISPs in all their facets: direct and indirect detection strategies, novel detector concepts and readout schemes, astrophysical and cosmological probes, and the latest theoretical frameworks that knit these approaches together. By bringing together diverse communities, from quantum sensing and precision metrology to gravitational waves, cosmology and particle theory, the Patras Workshop in Perth aims to spark new ideas, forge fresh collaborations and accelerate progress toward unveiling the dark sector.

Information on previous workshops can be found here.