Upcoming events
Expand your mind with the Institute of Advanced Studies.
Each year the Institute hosts events by distinguished visiting and local scholars, artists, writers and public intellectuals. These events contribute to our goal of sharing research, new ideas and encouraging discussion and debate within the broader community.
Public Lectures
Extending your HealthSpan
The impacts of weight loss drugs and exercise
This UWA HealthSpan Institute event convenes a panel of global experts to discuss topics related to weight loss and chronic disease prevention in humans.
Presented by the UWA HealthSpan Institute, with support from Eli Lilly, HIF Health Insurance and the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.
WEDNESDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2025, 6pm-8pm | THEATRE AUDITORIUM, UNIVERSITY CLUB, UWA
HealthSpan as a Treatment Goal
Obesity medications, diet and exercise in chronic disease prevention
An event for GPs, Academics & Health Scientists
This UWA HealthSpan Institute event convenes a panel of global experts to discuss obesity management and chronic disease prevention.
Presented by the UWA HealthSpan Institute, with support from Eli Lilly, HIF Health Insurance and the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.
THURSDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2025, 6pm-8pm | THEATRE AUDITORIUM, UNIVERSITY CLUB, UWA
Postgraduate Masterclasses
Wave energy conversion – from the Ocean to the Grid
A Masterclass with Dr Jørgen Hals Todalshaug
In this masterclass we will follow the conversion steps of wave energy from oscillation of ocean water, through mechanical energy in a wave energy device, to electricity generation and export to the grid. Sharing from his experience as wave energy researcher and lead scientist at CorPower Ocean, Dr Jørgen Hals Todalshaug will discuss selected aspects of the dynamics encountered on this journey.
Jørgen Hals Todalshaug is an experienced scientist with a passion for sustainability and renewable energy. His work has been focused on floating systems for conversion of wind and wave energy. Jørgen has a master’s degree in physics, and a PhD degree in wave energy conversion from NTNU in Norway. He is now serving as lead scientist at CorPower Ocean AB, one of today’s leading wave energy developers.
Dr Hals Todalshaug is a UWA Gledden Visiting Fellow, working with Dr Hugh Wolgamot and Dr Jana Orszaghova in the UWA School of Earth and Oceans.
10 November 2025, 10am-12 noon, Institute of Advanced Studies
Pitfalls in Multibody Modelling of Overconstrained Mechanisms. Are the simulations reliable?
Masterclass with Marek Wojtyra, Vice Dean and Associate Professor, Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology
Multibody modelling of overconstrained systems is challenging form the perspective of numerical and analytical methods, and often leads to spurious simulation results, which is not always well realised by the simulation software users. The challenges originate from the need to operate on rank-deficient matrices and lead to the non-uniqueness of the calculated joint reactions. Furthermore, if load-dependent joint friction is present, unrealistic/non-physical mechanism motion may be predicted, reflecting the methods of handling redundant constraints rather than the physics of the system. Some closed-loop mechanisms without redundant constraints may become over constrained due to frictional locking, which results in calculated reactions and predicted motion indeterminacy. In such a case, friction models near the stiction regime exhibit increased sensitivity to difficult-to-measure or arbitrarily chosen parameters.
This masterclass intends to show that multibody models of overconstrained mechanisms require specialised solution methods and to present selected tools for verifying whether the created model is capable of providing realistic solutions well embedded in the physics of the analysed system.
13 November 2025, 10am- 12noon, Institute of Advanced Studies
Past lectures
Many of our events are recorded. See our Past lectures page for more information and links to these recordings.