We invite you to join us for a one-day forum honouring the extraordinary scientific career of Professor Chris Dickman, Emeritus Professor in Terrestrial Ecology at the University of Sydney and one of Australia's most beloved and influential ecologists.
Chris has spent more than four decades asking fundamental questions about life in some of Australia's most challenging environments — who lives where, why populations boom and crash, and what happens when predators, prey, and people collide. His answers have reshaped how we think about arid ecosystems, mammal conservation, and the cascading effects of invasive species, and have influenced wildlife management policy at a national scale. Along the way, he has supervised more than 180 postgraduate and Honours students, authored over 800 scientific papers and book chapters, and helped build a generation of Australian ecologists.
This forum brings together many of the researchers, collaborators, and former students whose own careers have been shaped by Chris' mentorship, curiosity, and generosity. The program features a series of scholarly talks spanning the breadth of themes that have defined Chris' work — arid zone ecology, predator–prey dynamics, threatened species conservation, and Australian biodiversity (with a focus on mammals) — followed by a tribute session in which colleagues and friends will share memories and reflections from across Chris’ remarkable career.
The forum is held in conjunction with a festschrift to be published in Australian Zoologist, the journal of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, and it forms part of a wider celebration of Chris' contribution to Australian ecology.
Whether you are a long-time collaborator, a former student, or simply someone whose thinking has been shaped by Chris' work, we warmly welcome you to join us in for what promises to be an inspiring and celebratory day.
We hope to see you there!
The organising committee
Glenda Wardle, Dan Lunney, Thomas Newsome, Aaron Greenville, Martin Predavec, Brad Law, Peter Banks, Dieter Hochuli, Dedee Woodside, Gayle McNaught and Bobby Tamayo
Draft Forum Program
Draft Program (V3-PDF 342kb)
Registration
The forum has a capacity of 200 attendees. We have established two registration levels, with fees substantially reduced thanks to generous funding from the University of Sydney (School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Science).
1. General Admission - $100
2. Concession Rate - $70 (available to full-time students and concession card holders)
The event will be live-streamed on Zoom for those unable to attend in person. While viewing on Zoom is free of charge, we request that you register your interest to receive updates as the programme develops. To register for the live-stream please visit:
https://rzsnsw.org.au/event-6687102
Want to contribute?
While the spoken presentations in the scientific program for the forum have been set, there are still opportunities to contribute and participate in the celebration of Chris Dickman.
1. Contribute to the festschrift
There is no limit to the number of written papers in the festschrift. Details of the intent of the festschrift and how to contribute are included in the following document.
Chris Dickman Festschrift - Publication Information (V2-PDF 1.4MB)
Last date for contribution: 17 August 2026.
2. Contribute a poster on the day
There will be a poster session included in the forum.
If you would like to present a poster, please contact Aaron Greenville (aaron.greenville@sydney.edu.au)
Last date for contribution: 12 June 2026
3. Write and/or present a tribute
The forum includes a session after lunch in which colleagues and friends can share memories and reflections from across a remarkable career. Messages from remote attendees can be read aloud, messages from the ‘Celebration of Chris’ Book can be displayed or read aloud on your behalf.
If you want to participate in or contribute to this session, please contact Glenda Wardle (glenda.wardle@sydney.edu.au).
Last date for contribution: 5 June 2026.
4. Write a message for the Celebration of Chris book (Second Edition)
You can update anything that you have already contributed but do follow the guidelines
- Limit contributions to 250 words and an image or two
- Include your preferred name and title
- Add descriptions/context and approximate dates for pictures and send a decent resolution if possible.
Send the contributions to either:
Gayle McNaught (gayle_mcnaught@live.com.au )or
Glenda Wardle (glenda.wardle@sydney.edu.au)
Last date for contribution: 5 June 2026.
The forum and festschrift are being organised through a collaboration of the University of Sydney, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW and Australian Zoologist.
