We've been running these workshops for more than a decade and although they've changed over time and depending on the venue, they've all been a real success. People have enjoyed them, learnt a fair bit about isotopes and learned to incorporate stable isotopes in their work. I keep meeting researchers who have attended these teaching workshops and stayed in the field. By imprisoning a tight group of students and teachers together for a week, the maximum amount of knowledge has diffused between them, as well as them all having a fair bit of fun.
by Hilary Stuart-Williams, Organiser
The SIBS workshop is a great setting to learn about isotopes — whether you're a first year PhD candidate or a seasoned post-doc. You learn new methods, the subtlety of this complex and elegant discipline, and you make excellent connections with future colleagues and friends.
by Nathan English, Instructor
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!
SIBS was such an important learning experience! Building a background in isotopes science is something I have wanted and needed for my career, but it's not something that's widely taught in Ecology; there just aren't any courses in most undergraduate or Master's degrees. What makes SIBS so unique is having over a week where everyone - attendees, instructors, organizers - are entirely focused on isotopes, so you can make those big knowledge gains and come up with new ideas in such a short time. As an added bonus, the people are all amazing and are building such a robust professional community!
by Lauren Hitt, Attendee — SIBS 2026 Camden
Chasing the Storm
During SIBS 2020, a surprise hailstorm hit Canberra with golf ball–sized hail. Instead of running for cover, we grabbed our vials! Soon we were sampling hailstones to analyse how isotope ratios vary from surface to core — pure scientific curiosity in action!