RACI VIC Branch Chemical Education Group welcomes secondary teachers of Chemistry to a Professional Development Day at RMIT.
Join us for a full day of inspiring chemistry content designed specifically for secondary chemistry teachers. Hosted by The RACI VIC Branch Chemical Education Group, this Professional Development Day brings together leading researchers, educators, and curriculum experts to help you bring cutting-edge chemistry into your classroom.
The day features expert presentations on Nobel Prize winning metal-organic framework research, practical guidance on using IR, mass spectrometry, and NMR to diagnose organic molecules, and a hands-on laboratory session exploring polymer chemistry, antacids, and food chemistry experiments designed to ignite curiosity in your students.
The afternoon includes a demonstration of two free digital tools to support student understanding of chirality and molecular modelling, followed by an address from the Science Manager at the VCAA, with insights directly relevant to the Victorian curriculum. An optional RMIT lab tour rounds out the day to learn about NMR, IR and FTIR instruments.
Refreshments, morning tea, and lunch are provided, with dedicated networking opportunities throughout.
⚠️ Important: Please remember to bring your own lab coat and safety glasses to the event.
Meet The Speakers:
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Associate Professor Ravichandar Babarao
(RMIT)
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Associate Professor Ravichandar Babarao leads the Theoretical and Molecular Modelling Team in the Department of Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science at RMIT University, Melbourne, and is also a Visiting Scientist at CSIRO Manufacturing. He completed his PhD at the National University of Singapore (2010) and held a postdoctoral position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory before joining CSIRO in 2012, where he became a Research Scientist in 2014. He moved to RMIT in 2016 as an ARC DECRA Fellow. His achievements include the 2015 Scopus Young Scientist Award (Energy), Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, 2016 RACI Rennie Memorial Medal, Victoria Fellowship, 2019 Peter Schwedtfeger Award, and the 2023 RMIT School of Science Established Research Excellence Award. He is an Associate Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of CO₂. His research focuses on computational design of porous materials, especially metal–organic frameworks, for sustainable energy and environmental applications.
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Professor Silvia Urban
(RMIT)
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Professor Sylvia Urban is one of Australia’s leading natural product chemists. With over 30 years’ experience in biodiscovery science, she has led the isolation and evaluation of hundreds of natural products derived from the Australian and New Zealand environment. Her contributions to Australian science were recognised when she was made a fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI).
She is an educational leader, acknowledged by her appointment as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), and in being awarded numerous teaching awards including an Australian Award for University Teaching in 2019. As the Program Director of the Bachelor of Science degree, she has transformed education in STEM to provide flexible student choice and connection across science disciplines and is committed to embedding Indigenous knowledge into the science curriculum through her STEM Reconciliation and Responsible Practice Facilitator role within the School of Science (STEM College) at RMIT University.
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Professor Michelle Spencer
(RMIT)
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Michelle Spencer is a Professor of Chemistry at RMIT University and leads the Computational Materials Chemistry research group, developing materials for electronic devices, sensors, catalysts and batteries. She is Deputy Director of the Hub for Digital Innovation, former Associate Dean of Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science, and a Centenary Fellow of the RACI. She has published over 145 refereed publications and has led the development of multiple gamified digital educational tools for chemistry. She has received numerous awards for her teaching, including the 2025 Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT), the 2024 RACI Chemistry Education Division Citation, the 2019 AAUT Citation, the 2018 ATN L&T Excellence Award, the 2015 KPMG Acclaimed Educator Award, a Merit Award in the Victorian Information Industry Association ‘iAwards’, multiple University awards, and was an Honourable Mention Finalist in the 2023 UK-based LearnSci Teaching Innovation Awards, and a finalist in the 2018 USA-based Reimagine Education Awards.
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Maria James
(Science Manager, VCAA)
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Places are limited to ensure that the day offers greater networking and hands-on time.
Please note: All registrations for this event must be made through this registration page with payment by credit card.
Event Organising Committee
Khadija Fatima
Jessica Holien
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Event Terms & Conditions
Cancellation Policy B applies to this event. For full details, view our Cancellation Policy.
By registering for this event, you agree to, and will be bound by, the RACI Event Terms and Conditions and Event Code of Conduct.
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