ADM+S welcomes PNG delegation for women’s research capacity-building initiative
Author
Date 17 November 2025
In October, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) welcomed a delegation of researchers from Papua New Guinea (PNG) as part of the Strongim Risets Kapasiti Bilong Ol Meri (SRKBOM) program — a three-year initiative aimed at strengthening the research and professional capabilities of women in PNG. The program is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with support from the Australian High Commission in PNG.
The initiative supports gender equity in research by developing the skills, networks and leadership of women researchers across PNG’s academic, government and professional sectors. The delegation’s visit marks the 50th anniversary of PNG’s independence.
The visit was organised by ADM+S Associate Investigator Prof Janet Roitman and the Australian APEC Study Centre.
“The delegation’s visit to ADM+S at both RMIT and QUT were highlights of this first phase of the program,” said Prof Roitman.
“The visits offered the delegation extremely useful insights into new tools and resources, but they also involved active engagement, including a discussion of the specific challenges faced by women in research institutions and exchanges regarding the normative implications of GenAI.”
The group of 12 participants included women from universities, government agencies, banking and agriculture, many holding Master’s and PhD qualifications. During their visit, the group met with researchers and professional staff at both RMIT University and QUT.
At RMIT, the delegation met with Centre Director Distinguished Prof Julian Thomas and Chief Operating Officer Nick Walsh, who provided an introduction to the Centre of Excellence program and the structure and operation of ADM+S. Matt Warren presented resources relating to digital engagement, and open online tools.
The delegation participated in a workshop led by Prof Haiqing Yu, alongside Higher Degree Research students from the Language and Cultural Diversity in ADM: Australia in the Asia Pacific project at ADM+S. The session included presentations from two doctoral students, from Indonesia and Vietnam, and a group discussion exploring professional pathways and leadership for women researchers in the Asia-Pacific region.
At QUT, the delegation toured the Garden’s Point and Kelvin Grove campuses, where they met with researchers from the Centre for Decent Work and Industry and the Centre for Justice, and observed demonstrations from the Centre for Robotics. They then took part in an interactive generative AI workshop co-facilitated by ADM+S (including researchers from the Generative Authenticity Project) and QUT’s GenAI Lab team.
