Events

Join us for a panel discussion on the value of discovery science and the role of fundamental research in shaping the world around us.

Some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs began with questions that seemed abstract, obscure at the time. Yet history shows that foundational, curiosity-driven research regularly spark revolutions in human understanding and ultimately the way we live our lives and interact with the planet (and beyond).

In 2025, the University’s own Professor Richard Robson was awarded the Nobel Prize for discoveries that began as curiosity driven investigations into how molecules could be structured but ultimately paved the way for major advances in fields ranging from clean energy storage to catalysis. His achievement is a powerful reminder that transformative innovation often begins with curiosity.

Hear from researchers whose fields were reshaped by work like Professor Robson’s, and learn how foundational research in chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics leads to real-world impact – often in unexpected ways.

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The Science at Melbourne Conversation series is the premier public event series from the Faculty of Science. The event program seeks to share our knowledge and love of science with the wider community, engaging them in current research and empowering them to ask questions and act for a better world. The series runs throughout the year covering scientific research, discoveries, and theories that play exciting or unexpected roles in shaping and advancing our society.