Good for students, good for industry: RINA’s first postgraduate conference shapes northern Australia’s future

The ideas set to shape the future of agriculture and aquaculture will be on display in the Top End thanks to an inaugural conference dedicated to postgraduate research.

Some of the nation’s most innovative students will present their work at the first Northern Australia Universities Alliance (NAUA) postgraduate research conference in April.

Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) Research Institute for Northern Agriculture (RINA) will host the conference in association with Northern Australia Food Futures and the NT Farmers Association.

NAUA comprises CDU, James Cook University (JCU), and Central Queensland University (CQU).

RINA, which aims to accelerate agricultural innovation in Northern Australia, is funded by the Commonwealth Government.

RINA Program Leader Maxine Piggott said the conference’s theme, ‘Developing future researchers for northern Australian primary production’, meant postgraduate researchers would have the chance to connect with industry and showcase their work in front of a broader audience.

“Sometimes it's hard to get your research out to industry, so if you can talk about your findings with key industry stakeholders in person rather than expecting people to read a paper, it makes the research more accessible,” Professor Piggott said.

“There’s a lot of noise in the research atmosphere, so the first step to making a difference is getting your work noticed.

“That’s not only good for students, but really good for industry as well.”

Professor Piggott said she expected 15 postgraduate students from across northern Australia would present their research at the conference.

She said the presentations would be complemented with opportunities to network and participate in workshops.

“All of the students attending will be PhD students who will hopefully go into careers in agriculture and aquaculture, so the aim of this conference is to set them up for success and gives them the skills to be the researchers of the future,” she said.

“These are the people coming through who will be delivering critical research and data for industry in northern Australia.”

The conference is open to postgraduate students in agriculture- and aquaculture-related fields and takes place at the Darwin Convention Centre on April 8 and 9.

Postgraduate students can submit an abstract for consideration until February 19.

This story originally appeared in CDU Uni news, February 2025