OUR VISION
BQI seeks to enhance Australian society through education, outreach and cutting edge academic research
With an internationally recognised advisory board of eminent scientists and business leaders, BQI is committed to collaborating with the world’s brightest minds and thought leaders across various scientific disciplines, to think differently about the Big Questions of Science.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Former Board Members
Our History
BQI was established in 2015 at UNSW Sydney and was spun out as an independent entity in 2021
BQI explores the Big Questions of Science under three themes: New Physics, Origins of Life and the Science of Consciousness.
Researchers at BQI are internationally renowned in their respective fields and work to push the boundaries of current theory, producing world leading, peer reviewed scientific research. For example, BQI’s Professor John Webb leads an international effort to detect changes in the fundamental constants of nature, with his research having been published in such prestigious publications as Nature and Scientific American.
BQI is also dedicated to promoting science through outreach and education activities. BQI’s inaugural event was An evening with Stephen Hawking at the Sydney Opera House, where Professor Hawking was beamed in by hologram live from Cambridge to a sold out concert hall audience.
BQI has produced Life on Mars public outreach events in Sydney and Perth during National Science Week, with panelists including Australian and international scientists, notably BQI’s Professor Martin Van Kranendonk, Professor Paul Davies, Dr. Mitch Schulte and compered by BQI’s Graham Phillips.
BQI aims to inspire younger Australians in particular Indigenous Australians and women. Led by Prof. Van Kranendonk, BQI’s Astrobiology Field Camp to the Pilbara involved 16 local indigenous high school students who met NASA and ESA Mars’ Scientists, and saw first-hand the earliest fossil evidence of life on Earth.
The BQI Women on Mars event at the Sydney Opera House was attended by female students from 30 high schools across Sydney who participated in a day of activities and panel discussions with eminent Australian and international scientists, including BQI’s Professor Tamara Davis.
Events like these broaden young minds and stimulate ‘big picture thinking’, motivating thoughtful discussions and encouraging inquisitiveness and exploration.
With your on-going support, we can continue to research the Big Questions of Science, and share the wonder and excitement of science, inspiring our younger generation to think about the Big Questions and to explore the world around them.