Future innovators showcase
Join us for an engaging presentation and Q&A session to learn how ANMFC is inspiring young Australians, building innovation skills, and creating pathways into future STEM and advanced manufacturing careers.
The Australian Nano-Manufacturing Future Challenge (ANMFC) is an education and innovation initiative designed to inspire the next generation of creators, engineers and technology leaders.
Sponsored by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), Australian Nano-Manufacturing Future Challenge connects young people with leading science, engineering and emerging technologies, helping them see how their ideas can shape the future.
Founded by Distinguished Professor Baohua Jia and Dr Jiahui Li, ANMFC enables students to experience STEM not simply as a subject to study, but as a way to imagine, design and build. Through hands-on challenges in advanced materials, engineering design, AI-assisted innovation and digital manufacturing, students turn ideas into prototypes, test them, learn from failure and improve their solutions.
ANMFC connects classrooms with research, industry and real-world challenges. Students think across disciplines, work on problems in areas such as sustainability, advanced manufacturing, health and energy, and engage with scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
Its ambition goes far beyond individual workshops. ANMFC aims to build a pipeline of confident, curious and technologically capable young people who can translate ideas into impact. By creating stronger pathways between schools, universities and industry, it seeks to strengthen Australia’s future innovation capability and inspire a generation ready to create the technologies, industries and solutions of tomorrow.
ANMFC is ultimately an invitation for students to imagine what is possible, and for educators, researchers, industry and communities to help build the next generation of Australian innovators.
Speakers
Dr Lei Bao is an interdisciplinary materials scientist and engineer and a Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at RMIT University. Lei leads an interdisciplinary research team developing advanced materials and nanoplatforms for applications spanning sustainable technologies, environmental sensing, disease diagnosis, and treatment. Lei is also committed to fostering an inclusive research environment where students and early-career researchers can develop and thrive in STEM. She has received several competitive fellowships and prestigious awards, including the NHMRC Investigator Grant (2026), the ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2019), the 2026 Victorian Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2026), the RMIT Research Excellence Award for Early Career Researchers (2019), and the Australian Colloid and Interface Society Female ECR Award (2017).
Dr Marzi Barghamadi has10 years’ experience spanning battery materials, clean energy and critical minerals. Starting as an experimental scientist, her career has evolved into project leadership, industry engagement, Research Team Leader and Business Development Manager. Recently she has completed her MBA with Melbourne Business School. Her research achievements have been recognised through a few fellowships and awards including the 2020 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship and 2023 ATSE David & Valerie Solomon Award.
As her career has progressed, Marzi has become increasingly passionate about people development and creating opportunities for others to grow. She has mentored early-career researchers and served as a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Lead at CSIRO. She has also been involved with the RACI Victoria Women in Chemistry Group since 2014 and served as Chair in 2019.
As her career has progressed, Marzi has become increasingly passionate about people development and creating opportunities for others to grow. She has mentored early-career researchers and served as a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Lead at CSIRO. She has also been involved with the RACI Victoria Women in Chemistry Group since 2014 and served as Chair in 2019.
Dr Jiahui Li is Co-Founder of the Australian Nano-Manufacturing Future Challenge (ANMFC) and a postdoctoral researcher at RMIT University’s Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN). His research spans advanced materials, composite structures and additive manufacturing, but his passion extends beyond the laboratory: he is deeply committed to inspiring young people to discover the excitement of creating, experimenting and solving real-world problems through STEM.
Drawing on his research expertise and hands-on experience in digital fabrication, Jiahui brings engineering to life by encouraging students to imagine an idea, build it, test it, learn from it and make it better. He believes that giving young people the confidence to create is just as important as teaching them scientific knowledge.
Through ANMFC, Jiahui works closely with researchers, educators and industry mentors to open doors for primary and secondary students-helping them experience emerging technologies firsthand, discover their own creative potential and see that they too can become the scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators shaping the future.
Drawing on his research expertise and hands-on experience in digital fabrication, Jiahui brings engineering to life by encouraging students to imagine an idea, build it, test it, learn from it and make it better. He believes that giving young people the confidence to create is just as important as teaching them scientific knowledge.
Through ANMFC, Jiahui works closely with researchers, educators and industry mentors to open doors for primary and secondary students-helping them experience emerging technologies firsthand, discover their own creative potential and see that they too can become the scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators shaping the future.
Date
Tuesday 10 November 2026
Time
6:00 PM - 9:00 PMCost
In-Person Dinner: $45
Online: Free
Online: Free
