Past Lectures and Events

Population growth and patterns of settlement are among the most important determinants of prosperity, wellbeing, and the character of communities. This presentation will provide a detailed overview of how Northern Tasmania’s population is changing and how we can shape this trajectory and plan for our community’s future needs. Richard is Professor of Political Science and […]

Please join us at Government House when Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC will present the 2024 Peter Smith Medal to Dr Edward Doddridge, the inaugural 2024 Louisa Anne Meredith Medal jointly to Professor Cassandra Pybus and Fiona Hall AO and announce the 2024 Doctoral Award winners Dr Ingrid Cox and Dr Manon Simon. […]

In a lecture with a difference, members are invited into a rare dialogue between art and science, where conceptual boundaries are tested and reimagined. The event brings together a conceptual artist whose research-driven, interdisciplinary practice reflects critically and poetically on the materials and methodologies of science, and an esteemed scientist from Australia’s National Measurement Institute (NMI), responsible for shaping […]

Rob Anders What is an Aboriginal cultural landscape and how are they being managed? Tasmanian Aboriginal people sustainably managed our environments through their relationship with Country. The imposed settler-colonial framework has seen changes to these environments. Pest species are spreading uncontrollably, and wildfire is rising. It’s time to re-think how these landscapes are managed. This talk […]

Dr Sally Bryant AM and Dr Eric Woehler OAM Globally, few animal species are more visible or cherished than birds and Tasmania is internationally recognised for its high endemicity and as a refugia for rare species. However, few people realise that for a small island Tasmania has an alarming number of threatened bird species showing […]

Northern Tasmania’s attempts to house vice-regal personages ranged from Paterson’s early prefabricated buildings at Outer Cove and York Town to the modest cottage in Launceston. By 1885 this building was so dilapidated it was demolished and the land incorporated into today’s City Park. This lecture not only reveals the history of the official Government residence, […]

Please join us for Dr Johnson’s expert lecture on how weather is predicted, forecast and modelled. Dr Johnson is the Senior Research Scientist at Bureau of Meteorology and Team Leader in Forecast Improvement. Join us for pre-lecture refreshments, 4pm for the lecture

Tasmania Reads 2025 talk by David Owen centres on two forthcoming novels in his popular Fullers Publishing detective series. The Pufferfish novels are fast-paced with a literary touch, taking the reader all over Tasmania and often beyond. David will also build into his talk aspects of Tasmania Reads Week and Hobart’s new status as a […]

Professor Nathan Bindoff, distinguished climate scientist and physical oceanographer in the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), will deliver the Clive Lord Memorial Lecture following the AGM of the Society.

The Royal Society of Tasmania Christmas Dinner Lecture Dr Hanne Nielsen is known for her research on representations of Antarctica in culture and the arts, particularly in literature and media. She has a background in Antarctic Studies and has explored how Antarctica is depicted in various narratives, focusing on the intersection of polar history, gender, […]

Dr Mel Fitzpatrick Dr. Mel Fitzpatrick has been at the forefront of climate science, activism, and education since Australia’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992. Over the decades, Mel has witnessed firsthand how disinformation, denial, and deception have obstructed progress on climate action, both within Australia and globally. In […]

The experiences and perceptions of refugees and the host society, and the limitations of government policy and practice. Dr Ivan James AO outlines the important role that Launceston has played in the settlement of former refugees since 1979 and describe the pre-arrival and post-arrival experiences of these newcomers to the city.  He also draws on his […]

Royal Society of Tasmania Doctoral Award for 2023 The recipient of The Royal Society of Tasmania Doctoral Award for 2023 was Dr. Tobias Staal a geophysicist focussed on the understanding of the deep and shallow structure and properties of the Antarctic continent. He applied a novel approach using computational and statistical methods to infer the […]

In the face of mounting environmental and political challenges, it is more important than ever for members of the public to understand and care about Antarctica. Little is known, however, about the types of strategies that work (or don’t work) when it comes to engaging the public in Antarctic matters. In this talk, Dr Katie […]

Joint Meeting of the Royal Society of Tasmania Northern Branch and the Geological Society of Australia, Tasmanian Division Tasmanian landforms and sediments provide the only direct records of repeated glaciation from a tectonically stable landmass in the southern mid-latitudes. They afford key opportunities to understand Earth’s most recent ice ages, including interhemispheric disparities and Antarctica’s […]

Pia Benedetti Vallenari Leveraging sensor data to enhance dairy cow health and productivity. Is subclinical ketosis a disease or simply a metabolic response to the demands of milk production? Pia presents her research on using sensor data to study subclinical ketosis in pasture-based dairy cows. The presentation discusses the relationships, or lack thereof, between sensor […]

John Dent OAM York Town was the site of the first permanent European settlement in northern Tasmania from 1804. The town grew to house 300 people but was abandoned in 1808 for the settlement of Launceston. The settlement struggled for the first couple of years facing food shortages, convict escapes, military discontent, piracy and conflict […]

2024 Annual RST Tasmanian Aboriginal Lecture Heather Sculthorpe is the outgoing long-term CEO of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC). She has an Arts degree and an Honours degree in Law from the University of Tasmania; a graduate Diploma of Environmental Management and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has been […]

Dr Ashley Bird The Jimmy Possum chairmaking tradition has a living and continuous 150-year connection to the landscape, history, and people of the Meander Valley of Northern Tasmania. The mysterious artisan who reputably lived and worked out of a hollowed tree, gave the tradition its name. He was followed by other chairmakers, who maintained yet […]

Susannah Fullerton, one of Australia’s renowned literary speakers, presented an engaging exploration of ten novels that changed the world. RST midwinter dinner and lecture at The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. Susannah Fullerton Susannah Fullerton, OAM FRSN, is Sydney’s best-known lecturer on classic novels. She lectures regularly at the  State Library of NSW, at conferences, schools […]

Dr Hannah Fair There is strong evidence that a series of modifiable health and lifestyle factors contribute to dementia risk. The presentation will discuss these risk factors, and outline Tasmania’s world-leading dementia risk reduction research, including the Preventing Dementia Massive Open Online Course and the ISLAND project. Dr Hannah Fair is a lecturer in dementia […]

The Earth was formed over four billion years ago and has evolved by three principal evolutions, Continental Drift as the ‘boats’, Plants and Animals as the ‘passengers’ that travelled through the Climatic Zones and evolved under the influence of glaciations. Most geologists assign the discovery of Continental Drift to Alfred Wegener in the early twentieth […]

Carmel Towns and Anyame Bawa Sadique The lecture is based on a growing concern from the use of plastic, increasing waste in our environment and the fear of toxicity to humans. They are two young presenters who are conducting doctoral research. Carmel’s background is in land contamination, while Anyame specialises in water contamination. Together they […]

Microbes are organisms that are too small to be seen by humans without using a microscope. This talk takes us on a voyage of discovery from the first cyanobacteria and algae that created an oxygen atmosphere, through protozoan malaria parasites that affected the human genome, to the fungi that delivered us antibiotics, beer and wine, […]

The Elvin Fist Public Lecture Professor Dom Geraghty describes the Northern Transformation journey from inception in 2016 through to the present. The relocation of the majority of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) functions from Newnham to the Inveresk Precinct is shaping new course offerings and research in the North, and the University’s vision for the […]

Dr Keith Corbett OAM Dive into the geological wonders of Tasmania with Dr Keith Corbett. In this “Child of Gondwana” lecture Keith describes the geological makeup of Tasmania, explaining how the unique geology of the island state came to be created. Tasmania has a wonderful diversity of rocks and is a veritable textbook of geological […]

Professor Cassandra Pybus, distinguished historian and Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, explores the intriguing history of Morton Allport, a prominent Hobart lawyer engaged in the secret trade of exhuming bodies. Join us at The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania for a captivating journey into Tasmania’s past. Cassandra Pybus is a distinguished historian, […]

Professor Tim McCormack The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and others in relation to alleged war crimes in Ukraine and is undertaking an ongoing investigation into the situation in Palestine, including in Gaza. Prof McCormack explains how the ICC has jurisdiction in Ukraine despite the fact that neither Russia nor Ukraine are […]