Workshops History

Workshop History/SIBS 2026 Camden

To be held from 30 January 2026 to 6 February 2026 | Registrations are closed

The SIBS 2026 workshop will be an exciting week of scientific discovery and hands-on learning at the Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, University of Sydney, in Camden! Participants will delve into the world of stable isotopes and their applications in agriculture, ecology, and environmental research. Through lectures, lab sessions, and fieldwork, attendees will gain practical skills in isotope analysis and apply them to their own research projects.

Details

Main organiser

Dr Claudia Keitel

University of Sydney, Australia

🌐 Personal link

📧 claudia.keitel@sydney.edu.au

Programme

▸ Day 1 Fri 30 Jan 2026 — Arrival
12:00 –18:00	Break	Arrival
18:00 –19:00	Break	BBQ
▸ Day 2 Sat 31 Jan 2026 — Isotope theory and instrumentation
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Lecture	Isotope Theory Dr Claudia Keitel
09:15 –09:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
09:22 –10:07	Lecture	Isotope Calculations Dr Cesca McInerney
10:07 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Practical
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –11:30	Lecture	A quick and incomplete survey of stable isotopic applications Dr Hilary Stuart-Williams
11:30 –11:37	Lab / Practical	Q&A
11:37 –12:22	Lab / Practical	Instrument tours
12:22 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Q&A
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –14:15	Lecture	Magnet-based IRMS Instruments
14:15 –14:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
14:22 –15:07	Lecture	Laser-based instruments
15:07 –15:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
15:15 –15:45	Break	Break
15:45 –16:30	Lecture	GROUP Pitches
16:30 –17:15	Lecture	Student discussions/group formation
17:15 –18:00	Lecture	Student discussions/group formation
18:00 –19:00	Break	Dinner
▸ Day 3 Sun 1 Feb 2026 — Plant carbon and oxygen isotopes
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Lecture	C isotopes in C3 Plants
09:15 –09:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
09:22 –10:07	Lecture	C isotopes in C4/CAM Plants Prof. Lucas Cernusak
10:07 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –11:30	Lecture	C isotopes in leaf gas exchange Dr Florian Busch
11:30 –11:37	Lab / Practical	Q&A
11:37 –12:22	Lecture	Probing plant physiology with isotopes Dr Alexander Cheesman
12:22 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Q&A
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –14:15	Lecture	H & O isotopes in Plant Water Prof. Lucas Cernusak
14:15 –14:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
14:22 –15:07	Lecture	O isotopes in plant tissues Dr Nathan English
15:07 –15:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
15:15 –15:45	Break	Break
15:45 –18:00	Lecture	GROUP PROJECTS
18:00 –19:00	Break	Dinner
19:00 –21:00	Break	Activity
▸ Day 4 Mon 2 Feb 2026 — N, C, O, H isotopes in plants, microbes, water and ecosystems. Calculations, standards and QC
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Lecture	H and O isotopes in the Water Cycle
09:15 –09:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
09:22 –10:07	Lecture	C isotopes in Plant-Soil-Microbes Prof. Feike Dijkstra
10:07 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –11:30	Lecture	N and O isotopes in Plant-Soil-Microbes Prof. Feike Dijkstra
11:30 –11:37	Lab / Practical	Q&A
11:37 –12:22	Lecture	Equation practical/modelling/theory exploration
12:22 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Q&A
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –14:15	Lecture	Isotope Standards
14:15 –14:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
14:22 –15:07	Lecture	GROUP PROJECTS
15:07 –15:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
15:15 –15:45	Break	Break
15:45 –18:00	Lecture	GROUP PROJECTS
18:00 –19:00	Break	Dinner
▸ Day 5 Tue 3 Feb 2026 — Ecosystem isotopes and isoscapes; fieldtrip
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Lecture	Ecosystem N isotopes Dr Naomi Wells
09:15 –09:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
09:22 –10:07	Lecture	CSIA with conventional MS instruments
10:07 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –11:30	Lecture	Isotopes and Climate Change
11:30 –11:37	Lab / Practical	Q&A
11:37 –12:22	Lecture	Isotopes in agricultural systems Dr Cesca McInerney
12:22 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Q&A
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –18:00	Field	Field trip
18:00 –19:00	Break	Dinner
▸ Day 6 Wed 4 Feb 2026 — Food webs, isotopes in agriculture and archaeology
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Lecture	Stable isotopes in pyrogenic carbon Mx Michael Bird
09:15 –09:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
09:22 –10:07	Lecture	Radiocarbon
10:07 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –11:30	Lecture	Isoscapes
11:30 –11:37	Lab / Practical	Q&A
11:37 –12:22	Lecture	Isotopes in animals
12:22 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Q&A
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –14:15	Lecture	Isotope labelling of coastal ecosystems
14:15 –14:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
14:22 –15:07	Lecture	Bird isotopes and archaeology
15:07 –15:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
15:15 –15:45	Break	Break
15:45 –18:00	Lab / Practical	GROUP PROJECTS
18:00 –21:00	Break	Workshop dinner
▸ Day 7 Thu 5 Feb 2026 — Isotopes in teeth, carbonates, radioisotopes
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Lecture	Oxygen isotopes in tooth and bone phosphate as climate proxies Dr Hilary Stuart-Williams
09:15 –09:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
09:22 –10:07	Lecture	Laser ablation IRMS
10:07 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –11:30	Lecture	RNA/DNA based isotope probing
11:30 –11:37	Lab / Practical	Q&A
11:37 –12:22	Lecture	Isotopes in ecosystem gas exchange Dr Naomi Wells
12:22 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Q&A
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –14:15	Lecture	Carbonates Mx Michael Bird
14:15 –14:22	Lab / Practical	Q&A
14:22 –15:07	Lecture	GROUP PROJECTS
15:07 –15:15	Lab / Practical	Q&A
15:15 –15:45	Break	Break
15:45 –18:00	Lecture	GROUP PROJECTS
18:00 –19:00	Break	Dinner
19:00 –21:00	Break	Activity
▸ Day 8 Fri 6 Feb 2026 — SIBS 2026 symposium and Departure
08:00 –08:30	Break	Breakfast
08:30 –09:15	Break	Attendees to move out of accommodation
09:15 –10:15	Lab / Practical	Symposium I
10:15 –10:45	Break	Break
10:45 –12:30	Lab / Practical	Symposium II
12:30 –13:30	Break	Lunch
13:30 –18:00	Break	Participants leave

Venue

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Workshop Registration

Lab Methods and Interest

Testimonials

We have run this course since 2013 and every time it is a lot of fun delving deep into the world of stable isotopes. The presentations on the last day are always very impressive and a testimony of how much can be achieved in a week!

by Claudia Keitel, Organiser

Delta Team

In this photo from the 2020 SIBS workshop in Canberra, students and mentors teamed up to form the iconic delta symbol – the classic mark of isotopic ratios. A perfect snapshot of the creativity and camaraderie that define SIBS!

When I attended the first SIBS workshop in 2013, I did this mostly out of interest. It turned out that the workshop itself was not only much more fun than I could have imagined but the skills I learned also shaped my research direction over the following years. Once I got my hands dirty with working with isotopes, I started contributing to SIBS as an instructor. Now stable isotopes are a core technique we use in my lab to study mesophyll conductance in leaves - and it all started at SIBS!

by Florian Busch, Instructor

EucFACE Expedition

Visiting EucFACE during SIBS 2023 was unforgettable — the world’s only mature forest CO2 enrichment site! Our hosts from Western Sydney University showed how isotopes reveal how rising CO2 affects soils, plants, and microbes.

Attending SIBS 2018 in Hawkesbury as a student was a turning point for me. I learned techniques I still use today and connected with an inspiring community of isotope enthusiasts. Since then, isotopes have become a core part of my research, and I’ve had the privilege of returning to other SIBS events as a lecturer and mentor. Looking back, I’m grateful for both experiences, learning and later giving back.

by Diego Márquez, Instructor