In July of this year, AMTAR travel award recipient Dr. Callum Rosser travelled to Perth alongside AMTAR Director Prof. Kris Thurecht, AMTAR Deputy Director Prof. Rachel Codd, A/Prof. Brett Patterson, and HDR student Joseph Wang to attend the RACI National Congress. Held every five years, the National Congress brings together all 14 divisions of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and serves as Australia’s premier gathering of chemical scientists, engineers, and educators. Each division delivered its own program of sessions, with particularly notable contributions from the organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, radiochemistry, and medicinal chemistry and chemical biology streams.

The five‑day congress opened with a keynote lecture from Prof. Stephen Buchwald of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a leading figure in organometallic chemistry. Prof. Buchwald presented an overview of 20 years of cutting‑edge Pd‑catalysed C–N coupling methodology, highlighting advances in ligand design, pre‑catalyst development, and the translation of these catalytic systems into industrial‑scale pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (MCCB) stream featured a strong AMTAR presence. Dr. Rosser presented his work on the chemoenzymatic assembly of hydroxamic acid chelators, while A/Prof. Patterson discussed his research into thiosemicarbazone and semicarbazone chelators. The MCCB program also included research from the University of Technology Sydney, where radical‑mediated chemistry was used to install an ¹⁸F tag into neurofilament light‑chain protein, a proposed biomarker for neuronal loss.

Although Dr. Rosser was unable to attend the first radiochemistry session due to a scheduling conflict with his own presentation, the second session offered interesting environmental radiochemistry. Researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency presented studies monitoring ²²⁶/²²⁸Ra and ¹³⁴/¹³⁷Cs in coastal and marine environments. The session concluded with a panel discussion exploring each member’s career pathway in radiochemistry, featuring environmental radiochemists, academic and government researchers, and industry representatives. The panel provided valuable insights into current challenges facing the radiopharmaceutical sector and offered thoughtful guidance on career progression.

The Inorganic Chemistry stream also delivered notable highlights, including an update on ANSTO’s progress in developing ¹⁶¹Tb radiopharmaceuticals. Researchers from the Adelaide University also presented work on extracting rare‑earth elements and radionuclide precursors (²²⁶/²²⁸Ra) from legacy uranium‑mine tailings.

Beyond the breadth and depth of scientific content, the congress provided valuable opportunities for AMTAR members to connect with academics from across Australia and with international delegates during breaks between sessions.