Connect locally with a Network of Passionate Individuals.
19 - 20 August 2026
12 CPD Points
09:00 – 09:10 – Welcome & Opening Remarks
Introduction and welcome
Matthew Potter, CEO, ALGA
Julia Jasonsmith, Murrang Earth Sciences & SETAC Australasia
Dr Priyanka Reddy, University of Melbourne & ALEC
09:10 – 09:15 – Gold Sponsor – Eurofins Environment Testing Australia Pty Ltd
Dr. Julia Jaeger, Eurofins Environment Testing Australia Pty Ltd
09:15 – 10:00 – Opening Keynote – Chlorinated Paraffins: From Everyday Products to Human Uptake – Tracking a Complex Global Contaminant.
Dr Thomas McGrath, Research Professor, Seoul National University
Session 1: Early Detection and Prioritisation
Chaired by Annette Nolan, SGS and Rui Wang
10:00 – 10:20 – An Integrated Hazard–Exposure Framework for Prioritisation of Plastic-Associated Chemicals in Human Biomonitoring
Jakub Maculewicz, Australian Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants / University of Melbourne
10:20 – 10:40 – Historical Land Use to PFAS Insight: Building a National Evidence Base for More Informed Decision-Making
Howard Waldron, Lotsearch Pty Ltd
10:40 – 11:00 – A Passive Sampling Approach to Monitoring Emerging Contaminants
Andrew Wright, SGS Australia Pty Ltd
11:00 – 11:30 | Morning Tea
11:30 – 11:50 – HazEL: A Comparative Screening Tool for Prioritising (Emerging) Contaminants for Regulatory Attention (Online)
Dr Anna Ramarosandratana, NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA)
11:50 – 12:10 – Advancing Laboratory Detection of Emerging Contaminants of Concern Using Targeted and Non-Targeted Mass Spectrometric Approaches
Robert Symons, Eurofins Environment Testing Australia
12:10 – 12:30 – Developing a Prioritisation Tool for Emerging Contaminants in Mixed-Use Catchments in New South Wales
Emily White, Water NSW
12:30 – 12:50 – From Source Apportionment to Source Attribution: A Data-Driven Framework for Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater Catchments
Madara Sandhwanie Weerasooriyagedara, School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne
12:50 – 12:55 – Gold Sponsor – Datanest
Tom Davies, Datanest
12:55 – 14:00 | Lunch
Session 2: Plastics, Additives and Environmental Risk
Chaired by Nathan Weber, University of Technology Sydney and Wejdan Alghamdi, University of Melbourne
14:00 – 14:20 – Microplastics: Emerging Risks at the Nexus of Science, Policy and Public Concern (Online)
Christopher White, Ramboll
14:20 – 14:40 – 6PPD-Quinone: Exploring Environmental Risks, Australian Perspectives, and Pathways for Action
Gene Hoilman, WSP
14:40 – 15:00 – Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Understanding Tyre-Derived Contaminants in the Environment
Travis Teoh, Tetra Tech
15:00 – 15:20 – From Drain to Soil: The Hidden Journey of Microplastics in Biosolids
Dr. Julia Jaeger, Eurofins Environment Testing Australia Pty Ltd
Bob Symons, Eurofins Environment Testing Australia Pty Ltd
15:20 – 15:40 -Identification and Prioritisation of Microplastics and Chemical Additives in Cropping Systems
Mike Williams, CSIRO
15:40 – 16:00 – Nano and microplastics measurements and standardisation: are there gaps in moving forward? (Online)
Åsa Jamting, National Measurement Institute
16:00 – 16:25 | Afternoon Tea
16:25 – 16:30 – Networking Sponsor – SGS
Annette Nolan, SGS
16:30 – 17:30 – Workshop & Panel Discussion – ECHIDNA – Database Capabilities and Applications
An interactive discussion exploring the capabilities, applications and future development of the ECHIDNA database.
Facilitated by Fred Leusch, Griffith University, Professor in the School of Environment and Science and David Bergmann, CEO Water Research Australia
17:30 – 18:30 – Australian Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants Site Tour
Led by Jakub Maculewicz and Jordan Partington, University of Melbourne
See how the latest and greatest analytical tools and techniques are used for emerging contaminant measurements
Meet at the end of the session to be guided to the facility
09:00 – 09:05 – Welcome Day 2 & Opening Remarks
Introduction and welcome
Matthew Potter, CEO, ALGA
9:05 – 9:25 – Advancing Rare Earth Element (REE) Recovery Through Microbial Processes in Mining Environments (Online)
Dora Taggart, President and CEO, Microbial Insights, Inc.
09:25 – 10:10 – Opening Keynote – Emerging Contaminants and Cultural Risk – How Indigenous Knowledge Approaches can Support EC Risk Assessments
Stephanie Dijkstra, WSP
Session 1: Emerging Contaminants and Law
Chaired by Adam Wightwick, Ramboll
10:10 – 10:30 – When Regulatory Frameworks Don’t Align: Understanding and Overcoming the Inconsistencies Across the Legal Regimes Governing Pollution, Waste, Products and Contaminated Land
Sarah Mansfield, HWLE
10:30 – 10:35 – Journal Sponsor – Critical Insights in Environmental Science and Technology
Dr Albert Juhasz, Adelaide University
10:30 – 11:00 | Morning Tea
Session 2: PFAS
Chaired by Zahra Sobhani and Jordan Partington, University of Melbourne
11:00 – 11:20 – Application of Molecular Fingerprinting Techniques and Non-Target Analysis for PFAS Source Attribution in Drinking Water Reservoirs
Alexander Rubin, WaterNSW
Acknowledgements: Daniel Gilbert, Denis O’Carroll, Russell Pickford, Jin Zhou, UNSW – Water Research Laboratory and Tohren Kibbey, University of Oklahoma
11:20 – 11:40 – Quantifying PFAS Distribution in Our Terrestrial Systems and Its Sources
Denis O’Carroll, University of New South Wales
11:40 – 12:00 – PFAS Thermal Treatment: From Research to Implementation
Nathan Weber, UTS, CSIRO & Veolia
12:00 – 12:20 – Evaluating PFAS in Australian Tap Drinking Water: A Nationwide Citizen Science Baseline and Exposure Assessment
Wejdan Alghamdi, University of Melbourne
12:20 – 12:40 – Sex-Based Bioaccumulation Differentiation of Novel and Legacy PFAS
Jordan Partington, University of Melbourne
12:40 – 13:20 | Lunch
Session 3: Innovation Panel
Chaired by Vicki Pearce, Ventia
13:20 – 14:10 – Panel Discussion
A discussion exploring emerging innovations, challenges and opportunities in the management of emerging contaminants.
Peter Murphy, EPOC Enviro
Charles Grimmison, Ventia
Vedant Bharat, UniQuest
Session 4: Contaminants in the Circular Economy
Chaired by Julia Jasonsmith, Murrang Earth Sciences and Jakub Maculewicz, University of Melbourne
14:10 – 14:30 – Contamination (of Services) Is a Serious Sector Risk in Victoria
Richard Plant, EPA Victoria
14:30 – 14:50 – Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product (PPCP) Compounds in Biosolids and Waters
Tianna Milburn, Envirolab Services
14:50 – 15:10 – Unravelling the Transport of REEs in Waste and Subsurface Environments – A Driver for Recovery? (Online)
Simone Labuschagne, Klohn Crippen Berger (KCB)
Acknowledgement: Anita Parkhakar-Fox, Klohn Crippen Berger (KCB)
15:10 – 15:30 – Navigating emerging contaminants challenges in the circular economy
Ruth Jarman, EnRisks
15:30 – 15:55 | Afternoon Tea
15:55 – 16:00 – Winner game announcement
Session 5: What’s Next?
Chaired by Matthew Askeland, ADE Consulting Group
16:00 – 16:45 – Future Directions Panel
Based on what we have heard throughout the conference, what actions should we take next and what is critical to the future management of emerging contaminants?
Liz Wild, Jones Day
Suzie Reichmann, The University of Melbourne
Dave Bull, HAIL Environmental
Dr Andrew Symons, ADE Consulting Group
16:45 – 17:00 – Closing Remarks
Conference wrap-up and key takeaways
The program is subject to change.
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If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Michael Seller, Sponsorship Manager, michaels@landandgroundwater.com
This Symposium is hybrid. You can choose to attend in person or online. Please select your preferred option during the registration process.
In-person delegates will attend at Melbourne Connect. They will have access to all sessions, morning and afternoon teas, and lunches.
Online delegates will have access to all sessions streamed live from Melbourne Connect. They will receive a dedicated link with further instructions. They will be able to participate in live Q&A through a dedicated mobile app.
All delegates will receive the recording of the event in early September.
| Category | In-Person Attendance | Online Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| ALGA Member | $770 | $385 |
| Non-Member | $990 | $385 |
| Concession Member Must be a Member to receive this pricing. Concession Ticket includes: Parental leave, Retired, Unemployed, and Early Career Professionals with less than 3 years of experience in the contaminated land and groundwater industry. To receive your dedicated 50% off, please contact events@landandgroundwater.com |
$385 | $385 |
| Student Members and Non Members are eligible. To get that pricing, you need to upload evidence that you are a student (ie. student card) |
$50 | FREE |
| Academic / Regulator A 50% discount applies depending on your membership status. To get that pricing, you need to show evidence that you are an Academic / Regulator. Please contact events@landandgroundwater.com to obtain that pricing. |
$385 (Member 50% off) $495 (Non- Member 50% off) |
$385 |
All prices include GST.
Join ALGA and receive the member price! Click here for more information on ALGA membership or contact membership@landandgroundwater.com.
Members of AIOH, EIANZ, FAMANZ and SETAC receive the ALGA Member price. Please select your association during registration. ALGA reserves the right to request proof of eligibility for any discounted pricing at any time.
Registering on behalf of someone else or a group?
If you are not attending but registering for another person or a group, please click on this link GROUP REGISTRATION
Note: Each attendee must be linked to the correct email address for accurate membership recognition and CPD tracking. Once your registration is submitted, contact us if you need to update names or details so your records remain accurate.
As a delegate, you can expect:
Dr Thomas J. McGrath is a Research Professor at Seoul National University in Korea, where he develops advanced workflows to detect emerging contaminants in human biomonitoring studies. He previously held a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship in France and a Flanders Research Foundation Fellowship in Belgium, where he established analytical platforms for chlorinated paraffins and applied them within international exposure and food safety investigations. His research now spans analytical chemistry, exposure science and human biomonitoring, with a focus on understanding how emerging and legacy chemicals translate into population-level health concerns and regulatory challenges.
Stephanie Dijkstra is an environmental scientist based in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a strong interest in interweaving Indigenous knowledge systems into environmental policy, risk assessment, and decision-making. Her work focuses on complex environmental challenges, bringing together scientific evidence, regulatory frameworks, and traditional Māori knowledge to support more holistic and effective outcomes.
Stephanie has experience working across government, infrastructure, and resource management settings, where she contributes to strategic and technical approaches that strengthen environmental stewardship and community wellbeing. She is particularly interested in how Indigenous worldviews can enhance understanding of cumulative effects, ecosystem health, and emerging environmental risks that may not be readily identified through conventional assessment methods.
Melbourne Connect
Melbourne University
700 Swanston St, Carlton
Melbourne, VIC(AUS) 3053
The precinct is located at the junction of Swanston Street and Grattan Street and is bounded by Cardigan Street to the east.
Pedestrians
Pedestrian access is available from Swanston Street and Cardigan Street
Trams
Trams run along Swanston Street, and stop at Melbourne Central Station and Flinders Street Station, which provide links to the outer suburbs of Melbourne
Swanston Street tram numbers are 1, 3, 3a, 5 ,6 ,16 ,64, 67 & 72
Train
The closest train station is Melbourne Central
Parking
Melbourne Connect does not have onsite parking, however, the closest parking location to the building is Cardigan House Parking and Eastern Precinct Carpark
Car Park: Cardigan House Parking
Location: 96 Grattan St, Carlton VIC 3053
Car Park: University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus – Eastern Precinct Car Park
Location: 375 Cardigan St, Carlton VIC 3053
Carlton offers a large range of accommodations close to the venue.
We have current deals with specific hotels below. However, as pricing changes rapidly, we strongly recommend you book your accommodation (and flight tickets) as soon as you book your ticket for the conference!
145 Queensberry St, Carlton VIC 3053
(03) 9347 7788
12% off the best available rate at the time of booking using the code ALGAEMCOC26 via the booking link.*
* Eligibility: The discount is valid for guests who book at least 2 nights over the weekend or must follow our website’s minimum length of stay restrictions. The discount can also be applied 3 days before and 3 days after the event, subject to availability.
Eligibility: The discount is valid for guests staying 13 – 22 August 2026.
