Organic Chemistry Division

Hello everyone,

A very Happy New Year to you all.  Just a quick note to remind everyone of a few things happening in the RACI Organic division:

1) RACI26 - Congress is only months away.  Abstracts close 6 FEBRUARY.  You should have received an email from (RACI2026CongressOrganiser<raci2026@asnevents.net.au>) with all the information and link to submit abstracts.  Please circulate this to your students/postdocs/networks.

2)  RACI26 - EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED TO 22 MARCH. (Registration — RACI 2026)

3)  All the National Organic Awards will open very soon (sorry, a few technical glitches).  Please consider nominating colleagues (or even yourself) for the Birch Medal, Mary Garson Medal, Athel Beckwith Lectureship or the Lew Mander Thesis award.  More information about this to come.

Wish you the very best for 2026.

Jo Blanchfield

Chair Organic Division 

Dear Colleagues,

This is just a quick email from the RACI Organic Division to remind you of a few things coming up and useful things available on the MyRACI site:

RACI National Congress 2026 approaches!!  Super Early Bird Member registration ends at the end of December so remember to register before heading off on a well-deserved Christmas break.

Congratulations to all those members of the division that are graduating from a program of study this month –from an undergraduate degree through to those graduating with a PhD – and everything in between.  If you are exploring the next move in your career, check out the Career Centre on MyRACI.  You will find current job advertisements posted as well as careers advice and a fantastic AI interview coach that will provide you with practice interview questions AND model answers.  You just upload the details of the job you are interviewing for and the coach does the rest.  It is free to members and an amazing resource for anyone preparing for an interview.

Looking for a Mentor or to be Mentored?  If you would like some support in navigating your career OR would like to share some of your hard won knowledge and expertise with others – look no further that the RACI Mentoring group in MyRACI.  Just go to “All Communities” and find RACI Mentoring to join.  It is very casual and you can engage as much or as little as you would like.  Another great resource for members.

Rebel Girls:  RACI has joined forces with an amazing organisations, Rebel Girls, which empowers and inspires young women, especially those with disabilities, to discover a passion for science and understand that they can find a place in STEM careers.  Check out the fantastic e-Book and other information here: RACI x Rebel Girls - Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Awards:  Finally, a huge congratulations to Dr. Anh Tuong To, the 2025 Lew Mander Thesis award winner, and Dr. Christopher Sedley, the 2025 Athel Beckwith Lecturer.  Official award announcement with details of both winners excellent achievements will follow shortly.  Please remember that the 2026 nomination for all Organic Division awards open on 12 January 2026.

I wish all members a very happy and restful Holiday Season and look forward to an exciting 2026.

Kind regards

Jo Blanchfield

Chair Organic Division

Hello Organic Division members,

Just a quick note to remind you that nomination for the Lew Mander best Thesis award and the Athel Beckwith Lectureship are currently open and close on 29^th September.  Please also note that all Organic Divisional awards (Birch Medal, Mary Garson Medal, Athel Beckwith Lectureship and Lew Mander Thesis award) open early in 2026 (12 January) and will close on 23 March to allow time for these awards to be celebrated at Congress in July.

Kind regards

Jo Blanchfield

Chair Organic Division