AEGC2025: Shaping the future of geoscience in Perth

The Australian Exploration Geoscience Conference (AEGC) 2025 proved to be a resounding success, drawing more than 800 delegates, sponsors and exhibitors to Perth, WA. The event brought together some of the brightest minds in geoscience, mining and exploration to share insights, innovation and inspiration across four dynamic days.

A warm Perth welcome

Festivities kicked off on the evening of September 8 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the welcome celebration set in the vibrant summer gardens and the early career and student networking evening providing a lively space for the next generation of geoscientists to connect.

Opening day highlights

Day one officially opened on September 9, with a moving Welcome to Country, followed by the opening plenary featuring keynote speakers Deloitte national mining and metals leader Nikki Ivory, BHP (ASX: BHP) generative exploration head Dr Campbell McCuaig and Western Mining Services owner Dr Jon Hronsky.

The exhibition floor was buzzing throughout the day, showcasing more than 50 sponsors and exhibitors. Delegates explored cutting-edge GeoTech, interactive activations such as golf simulators and even live art installations — a true celebration of innovation and creativity in the geoscience sector.

Learning, connection and recognition

Each afternoon, delegates gathered at the poster session happy hours, where research abstracts came to life through engaging discussions and presentations. These sessions provided a valuable platform for networking and learning in a relaxed setting.

The Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG) Awards recognised outstanding achievements across the geoscience community, celebrating students, researchers and professionals making significant contributions on both national and international stages.

Digging deeper: data, AI and human bias

Day two began with the AEGC networking breakfast and panel discussion, themed What we miss when we don’t look deeper — exploring bias in data, AI and humans.

The thought-provoking session featured expert panellists including Elemental Insight director Dr Heidi Pass, WA Data Science Innovation Hub director Alex Jenkins, Chevron lower carbon geology advisor Ishtar Barranco and WA Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety organisation change and learning solutions lead Yvette Hewett.

Keynote and plenary sessions continued throughout the day, featuring global leaders such as Wood Mackenzie energy research senior vice president Dr Andrew Latham, International Geothermal Association chief executive Dr Marit Brommer and Petronas geophysics solutions general manager and head Sandeep K. Chandola.

The day concluded on a high note with the inaugural AEGC conference dinner. The evening brought together delegates, sponsors and partners for a night of celebration, reflection and connection — the perfect backdrop to toast the success of AEGC2025.

A strong finish and forward focus

The final day of the conference delivered a series of rich technical sessions covering topics such as structural architecture and basin evolution, environmental, social and governance (ESG), regional datasets, airborne geophysical methods and gravity gradiometry mineral exploration case studies.

AEGC2025 was more than just a conference — it was a celebration of collaboration, innovation and the evolving landscape of geoscience. By bringing together experts, students and industry leaders from across Australia and the world, AEGC continues to strengthen the geoscience community and inspire the next generation of explorers.

As the 2025 conference wraps up, attention now turns to the next chapter — AEGC2027, set to take place in Adelaide. With new discoveries and conversations already on the horizon, the future of geoscience in Australia looks brighter than ever.