ASBS 2025 Conference
2 – 6 November UNE, Armidale
The Organising Committee welcomes you to this year's ASBS conference “Next Generation Botany”
This regional conference will be hosted at the University of New England, Armidale, in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales from 2 – 6 November.
Armidale is one of Australia’s highest-altitude cities and is known for its rich history and stunning natural landscapes. Following the conference you are encouraged to join us on a field trip to walk the Crystal Shower Trail in Dorrigo NP, which offer breathtaking views of waterfalls, rugged gorges and unique flora. An optional wiki workshop will also be offered prior to the conference.
The conference theme “Next Generation Botany” provides inspiration for a range of talks focusing on new techniques and discoveries covering aspects of Australasian plant taxonomy, systematics, phylogenetics, genomics, biogeography, palaeobotany, and conservation.
In person registration closed: 18 October 2025
Keynote speakers
ASBS 2025 celebrates our next generation of scientists by featuring an early to mid career researcher as the keynote speaker every morning of the conference.
ASBS 2025 PROGRAM
Sunday, 2 November
9am to 4:30pm: Wiki for Botanists Workshop at Armidale City Bowling Club, 92–96 Dumaresq St, Armidale (just behind the venue for the registration mixer, which will be held directly afterwards).
Event Details
Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop to increase your outreach skills using the Wikiverse. This will be a fantastic opportunity to harness your research expertise to enrich the world’s most comprehensive open knowledge platform. Guided by experienced Wikipedians, you will improve articles, items and images on Australasian botanical content, enhance the visibility of Australaisian botanists and unique native flora, unlock the wonders of our biodiversity and collaborate with fellow botanists. Your contributions to the Wikiverse will boost access to and increase the impact of your own work, as well as that of your colleagues and institution. If you are curious and keen to learn more, come along for a rewarding experience that blends education, fun, discovery, and community spirit!
Leaders
Attendee Limit
Maximum 25 participants (on a first come, first served basis) – registration required.
During this hands-on workshop you will learn to contribute to Wikipedia, the image repository Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata. Bring your own laptop and charging cable, and we’ll provide all the training and resources you need to get editing. This workshop is FREE and includes morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea, but registration is required (as part of the conference registration process) as space is limited to 25 participants. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- Edit articles in Wikipedia on plant taxa and botanists, and add scholarly publications as references,
- Create and edit Wikidata taxa, botanist and scholarly article items,
- Reuse botanist Wikidata Q identifiers in Bionomia,
- Show examples of reuse of Wikipedia articles, including in third party sites such as iNaturalist and Atlas of Living Australia,
- Add participant-created images into Wikimedia Commons and reuse them in Wikipedia articles and Wikidata items, and
- Add images to Wikimedia Commons from iNaturalist using Wiki tools.
Onboarding Opportunity
Heidi and Siobhan will be offering FREE one-hour online onboarding session and introduction for the Wiki workshop on Tuesday 14th of October 3pm NZST (i.e. 10am Perth, 12pm Papua New Guinea, 1pm Sydney, and 3pm New Zealand). Register here.
This free hands-on introductory online seminar provides participants with an introduction to Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons, and why it is important for botanists to actively improve botanical content in the Wikiverse. Our focus will be on topics relevant to plant biodiversity, especially botanists, collectors, taxa, specimens, scientific publications, and research, but it will be open and relevant to other scientists and researchers. We will also assist those who do not yet have Wikipedia usernames to create them during this session.
Those who have registered for the in-person workshop are highly encouraged to attend this Zoom meeting, however it is open to all who are interested, so you do NOT need to be attending the in-person workshop to attend this introduction.
Social Event
5pm: Registration mixer at Welder’s Dog Brewery Brew Bar & Entertainment Centre Beardy St, Armidale
Monday, 3 November
Keynote: Dr Hervé Sauquet at JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre (EBL LT1), UNE
Social Event
6pm: Student and ECR mixer, details TBA
Social Event
6pm: ASBS Palaeobotany and Palynology Chapter – opening celebration (open to all attendees) at Great Hops Brewery
Tuesday, 4 November
2024 Nancy Burbidge Lecture at JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre (EBL LT1), UNE
Awardee: Karen Wilson AM
Keynote: Dr Francis Nge at JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre (EBL LT1), UNE
Social Event
6pm: Conference dinner at New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM)
Wednesday, 5 November
2025 Nancy Burbidge Lecture at JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre (EBL LT1), UNE
Awardee: TBA
Keynote: Dr Helen Kennedy at JP Belshaw Lecture Theatre (EBL LT1), UNE
4.30 pm: ASBS Annual General Meeting
Thursday, 6 November
8am to approx. 5pm: Field Trip to Crystal Showers Walk at Dorrigo National Park
Event Details
Crystal Shower Falls walk is a short but stunning waterfall walk in Dorrigo that takes you behind the waterfall itself. The circuit is part of the Wonga walk circuit. You will be able to choose whether you do the full loop, the Crystal Showers walk, and a less strenuous walk depending on your physical ability. No matter which walk you select you will get to experience the rainforests of Dorrigo National Park. Lunch will be able to be bought at the Dorrigo National Park rainforest centre cafe.
Schedule
- Depart from the UNE Botany car park at 8am. It may be possible to arrange a second pick up at a central location in Armidale.
- Wollomombi National Park: 9am
- Dorrigo National Park: 11:30am
- Depart Dorrigo National Park around 3:30pm
- Return to Armidale around 5pm.
Food & Drinks
Attendees can bring their own food or lunch can be purchased at the Dorrigo National Park Canopy Cafe.
What To Bring
You will be walking in a cool temperate rainforest. The weather can be quite variable and it could be either very cold or hot and humid. Bring a hat, waterproof jacket, warm fleece (if forecast to be cold) and water bottle. Long trousers are recommended due to the prevalence of leeches and ticks in the region. Sturdy boots or comfortable hiking shoes are recommended. The path can be slippery if wet and it is also steep in some parts. Sunscreen and insect repellent will be provided.
Collecting permits
You will need a NSW Scientific Licence if you wish to collect during the field trip. There will be a number of participants on the field trip who will already have a permit.
Conference Details
Important dates
- Early bird registration closed: 19 September 2025
- Full registration open: 20 September – 18 October 2025
- Abstracts submission closed: 19 September 2025
Student support & awards
Registration fee rebates for student speakers
ASBS students presenting either a full talk or speed talk at the conference can apply for a rebate on their registration fees by selecting the student checkbox on the online registration form.
These rebates will be paid during the conference and will be a value up to the full cost of early bird student registration (with the exact amount depending on how many students apply).
Student Awards
Students presenting at the conference are eligible for CSIRO Publishing sponsored student prizes for the best full talk (the Pauline Ladiges Prize) and the best speed talk, as well as the Bob Anderson Memorial Student Award.
Conference code of conduct
ASBS is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, hospitable, and productive environment for all attending the 2025 conference, regardless of ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, gender, or sexual orientation. We expect participants and volunteers to be considerate, respectful and inclusive of others. We will not tolerate intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning speech or actions by any participant. Participants asked to stop unacceptable behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in unacceptable behaviour, the Organising Committee reserves the right to expel them from the conference without warning or refund. ASBS also reserves the right to ban them from attendance at future society events.
If you are concerned about the behaviour of anyone at the conference, whether directed at you or at others, please notify us via [email protected], or contact Andrew Thornhill, Rose Andrew, or any Council member directly either in-person or by email.
All reports, and especially the names of reporters will be kept confidential to the extent possible (restricted to select members of the Organising Committee in determining the next steps) and we will maintain anonymity of reporters (e.g. only known to initial point of contact) if requested. All reports will be taken seriously and will be investigated. We will gather all relevant details and information (verbal or written) from the reporter, the target (if they are not the reporter), and witnesses to understand reported incidents, noting that we cannot act on a single anonymous report without further corroboration. Investigations may extend beyond the end of the conference. The outcomes of investigations and subsequent sanctions will not be made public; however, those reporting incidents will be informed of the outcome. In addition to the actions that may be taken at meetings, violators of the code of conduct will receive written documentation of the actions taken at and following the meeting.
Travel & accommodation
Travelling to Armidale
- Plane: Armidale has a domestic airport that is serviced by direct flights from Sydney (QANTAS) and Link (Brisbane) airlines. There are multiple flights to Armidale each day from Sydney. Flights can be cancelled at short notice, or diverted to Tamworth, so it is wise to make sure that you book your flight with enough time to cope with unexpected delays caused by cancellations.
- Train: There is a daily train service that runs between Sydney and Armidale. Travel time is around 8 hours.
- Car rental: There are a few car companies to hire rental cars from in Armidale The majority of these companies are located at Armidale Airport.
Travelling around Armidale
- Public transport: Armidale has a bus system with routes that go to UNE campus. Check the Edwards Coaches website for route and timetable details
- Taxis: Armidale has a local taxi company if you need to get from the airport to your accommodation without hiring a car.
- Car: Free parking is available in all Blue zones at UNE campus.
Accommodation
There are several accommodation options in Armidale but they can be booked out at times, so we advise delegates to book early. Rydges Hotel is the only true hotel accommodation in town. There are multiple motels both in Armidale and on the outskirts of town. If you don’t have a car then staying in one of the central motels may be a preferable option. Another option is to search for an Airbnb in Armidale; these can be reasonably priced when shared among several people. When booking your accommodation you may wish to consider whether you would prefer to stay in the middle of town or closer to UNE campus. Your decision may be based on whether you will have access to a car.
A room may also be available at one of the UNE colleges for $101.20 (inc GST) per night. If you want to book a room contact [email protected] and mention that you are a booking for the Australasian Systematic Botany Society 2025 Conference.
You need to also provide the following information:
- Name
- Gender
- Mobile Number
- Dates required for your stay
Visiting N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium
The N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium (NE) at UNE contains more than 115,000 specimens, with a focus on the New England Tablelands, North Coast, Nandewar and Brigalow Belt South bioregions in northern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. The herbarium is a purpose-built facility with excellent stereomicroscopes and specimen imaging equipment; however, working space is limited.
Researchers wishing to access the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium should contact the Director Andrew Thornhill or Curator Ian Telford to arrange access. Due to the small size of the herbarium we will need to limit the number of visitors in the building at a time. We will create a timetable so that each person who would like access can be allocated enough time.
Conference committee
Andrew Thornhill
Rose Andrew
Kelly Shepherd
Heidi Meudt
Siobhan Leachman
If you have any questions, or if problems arise during the conference, please speak to a conference organiser, ASBS committee member or contact us here.
Submit an Abstract
The Conference Organising Committee invites attendees to present either a full oral presentation (12 minutes plus 3 minutes for questions) or a speed talk (5 minutes, maximum of 5 slides plus 3 minutes for questions) in the absence of a poster session. You may indicate the format you prefer on submission; however, please note if there is an oversubscription of full presentations the Organising Committee may request some attendees to present a speed talk instead. Abstracts will be published in the conference program.
All presenters must register to attend the conference. You can register for the conference at any time and submit your abstract at a later date (see Important dates above for the cut-off).
ASBS students presenting either a full talk or speed talk at the conference can apply for a rebate on their registration fees (see student support and awards section).
Open abstract submission form
Many thanks to our conference supporters:
Purchase Your Ticket
If you are not already a member of ASBS, you can join now to be eligible for discount registration fees.