BIOTech Futures · Annual Event
Symposium
2026- Chapter
- NSW, Australia
- Date
- Friday 30 October 2026
- Venue
- MacLaurin Hall, The University of Sydney
- Format
- Hybrid: in person or online
A conference built for young innovators
The BIOTech Futures Symposium is the culminating event of the Challenge, bringing together students, mentors, educators, academics, and industry partners to celebrate innovation, research, and problem-solving. Each chapter is expected to host a local Symposium, delivered either in person or in a hybrid format, depending on regional context and capacity.
The Symposium is designed to reflect real-world academic and industry conferences, providing students with an authentic experience of presenting, discussing, and showcasing their work.
Meet our 2026 speakers
The 2026 Symposium welcomes two keynote speakers whose work spans the frontiers of science, technology, and the rules that shape them.
Brian Schmidt is Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the Australian National University. He was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, jointly with Adam Riess and Saul Perlmutter, for leading the High-Z SN Search Team's discovery of the accelerating universe. Raised in Montana and Alaska, he completed degrees in astronomy and physics at the University of Arizona and a PhD at Harvard before joining ANU in 1995. His research spans supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, gravitational wave transients, exoplanets, and metal-poor stars. He served as ANU's Vice-Chancellor from 2016 to 2023, and was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2013.
José-Miguel Bello y Villarino is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney Law School and an Australian Research Council Early Career Industry Fellow (2025–2027), affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society and the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance. He is the Law School's Director of Research Engagement and co-teaches Law and Technology. His research examines regulatory approaches to AI and automated decision-making, and his ARC fellowship — in partnership with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption — develops governance frameworks for using AI against systemic corruption. He is a member of Spain's Diplomatic Corps, on leave.
Open to all, presented by finalists
All students who participate in the BIOTech Futures Challenge within a chapter should be invited to attend the Symposium, along with mentors, teachers, parents, and partners.
While attendance is open to all participants, only finalist teams are invited to present as part of the formal presentation program. Finalists are selected based on submission outcomes using the globally standardised marking rubrics.
The core of the Symposium
Finalist presentations follow a 3-Minute Thesis (3MT)–style format, where students concisely communicate the essence of their project to a broad audience.
The format tests clarity of thinking, communication skills, and the ability to engage a broad audience. It is consistent across chapters to support global alignment and comparability.
- 01 The problem they addressed
- 02 Their innovative solution
- 03 Why their work matters
Enriching the experience
In addition to finalist presentations, chapters are strongly encouraged to include complementary elements to enrich the Symposium experience where resources allow.
Mentor Stalls
A chance for mentors and partners to showcase their work and engage directly with students, helping them explore pathways into further study and STEM careers. Often run by:
- PhD students and research groups
- University student societies
- Industry representatives
Guest Speakers
Speakers from academia, industry, or related sectors deliver short talks on their work, career pathways, or emerging trends — contextualising student projects within the broader STEM landscape.
Science Fair
All participating teams, including non-finalists, display their posters and discuss their work with peers, mentors, and visitors — ensuring every student can showcase their efforts and join the scientific discussion.
Hands-On Activity
Each year the global team designs a hands-on activity or workshop for the Symposium. Resources, guidance, and materials are provided to chapters by September to support consistent delivery across regions.
Consistent, fair, globally aligned
Chapters are responsible for sourcing and coordinating judges for finalist presentations and any assessed Symposium components. Judging is conducted using the globally provided rubrics to ensure consistency and fairness across chapters. Judges typically include:
Meet our judging panel
Finalist presentations at the 2026 Symposium will be assessed by the following panel, spanning engineering, photonics, clinical practice, and investment.
Mounir Boudali is a mechatronics engineer whose work bridges engineering and biology. He holds a PhD in robotics, data science, and control theory, applied to bipedal locomotion in both robots and humans. From 2020 to 2024 he was an Orthopaedics Research Engineer with Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Sydney, and he continues to conduct orthopaedic research through biomechanical testing on synthetic and cadaver tissue using a robotic testing platform. He specialises in the biomechanics of the hip and knee and the design of medical devices and clinical instrumentation, developing novel sensing techniques that address clinical challenges and support informed patient care.
Dayong Jin is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Technology Sydney, Director of its Institute for Biomedical Materials & Devices, and an ARC Laureate Fellow. A Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, he transforms photonics and materials into diagnostic and imaging devices that detect early signs of disease from saliva, urine, or blood. His "Super Dots" — nanophotonic probes that up-convert infrared light into intense visible light at the nanoscale — have set records in single-molecule tracking, super-resolution microscopy, and nanoscale thermometry. His awards include the Australian Museum Eureka Prize (2015) and the Prime Minister's Prize for Science, Physical Scientist of the Year (2017).
Farya Golesorkhie is a Hospital Scientist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, where she plays a pivotal role in the Statewide Cochlear Implant Program. She works with multidisciplinary teams to improve outcomes for patients with severe hearing loss receiving cochlear implants. Her expertise is in electronic and computer engineering, with a strong background in research and development in the medical field. Her contributions are integral to the ongoing success of the cochlear implant program at RPA — which marked the 40th anniversary of the first cochlear implant surgery in NSW in August 2024 — ensuring patients continue to benefit from advances in auditory technology.
Igor Golubev brings a diverse background across investment analysis, strategy and portfolio management, spanning Australian and international markets and both public and private instruments. He began his career as a fixed income analyst, later managing portfolios of high-yield emerging-market debt before moving into multi-asset portfolio management for European and Australian family offices, and most recently serving as a portfolio manager at a venture capital fund. He holds a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University, was a CFA Institute scholarship recipient, and is completing the Executive MBA at AGSM (UNSW). He also advises early-stage startups on strategy, financial modelling and capital raising.
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