Join us for a candid, cross-disciplinary conversation about what it means to grow as a scientist when the tools, timelines, and expectations of research are all changing at once.
29 Oct 2026
11am - 1pm
1.33
Generative AI is reshaping the practice of science faster than many disciplines can absorb — from literature synthesis and hypothesis generation to coding, proof assistance, data analysis, and even drafting papers.
This panel brings together researchers from computer science, mathematics, physical sciences, biological sciences, and social science to compare how this shift is playing out across their fields, what it may mean for the future of research, and how researchers can respond thoughtfully.
Join us for a candid, cross-disciplinary conversation about what it means to grow as a scientist when the tools, timelines, and expectations of research are all changing at once.
PhD, Honours, and other research students from all disciplines are especially welcome.
What we'll discuss
The panel will explore questions including:
- Where is AI genuinely accelerating scientific discovery, and where is it introducing new risks?
- Which research values are worth defending, and which norms may need to evolve?
- What should labs and the broader research community be doing now to adapt responsibly?
- What advice should PhD students and early-career researchers keep in mind while navigating this shift?
The discussion will be followed by an open Q&A.
Moderator
 | Alwen Tiu Associate Professor at the ANU School of Computing, working on formal methods, computational logic, automated theorem proving, and computer security, modelling computational systems to verify their correctness or uncover vulnerabilities. |
Panelists
 | Jing Jiang Professor at the ANU School of Computing and ACL Vice President–elect, whose recent natural language processing research focuses on evaluating and steering large language models’ behaviours, with applications in healthcare and data science. |
 | James Tener Associate Professor at the ANU Mathematical Sciences Institute and ARC Future Fellow, working on the mathematics of quantum field theory (conformal field theory, operator algebras, and vertex operator algebras), as well as serving as HDR Convener at MSI. |
 | Adrian Sheppard Professor at the ANU Research School of Physics and Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics, whose research develops X-ray tomography, 3D image processing, and computational modelling methods to understand complex materials and porous structures. |
 | Justin Borevitz Professor at the ANU Research School of Biology, whose lab combines genomics, high-throughput phenomic imaging, and large-scale data analysis, including genome-wide association studies and landscape genomics, to uncover the genetic basis of plant climate adaptation. |
 | Rachael Brown Associate Professor at the ANU School of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences. She works at the intersection of philosophy of biology, cognitive science, and philosophy of science, with particular interests in the evolution of cognition and behaviour, evolutionary developmental biology, model-based reasoning, and the methods used to study animal behaviour and cognition. |
 | Louise Lu Professor at the ANU College of Business and Economics and Co-Director of ANCAAR, whose research analyses large volumes of corporate disclosures and executive communications for signals like risk, tone, and comparability — the kind of expert-driven, judgment-intensive work that AI and text-analysis tools are now starting to reshape. |
Schedule
11:00 am–12:15 pm
Panel discussion and Q&A
12:15–1:00 pm
Informal discussion over snacks and a light lunch
Venue
Hanna Neumann Building, Room 1.33
The Australian National University, Science Rd, Acton ACT 2601
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