CUPUM 2027

Visa Information

Plan ahead for your visit to Australia.

5-9 July 2027
Sydney, Australia

Destination NSW

Visa information for international participants

International participants should check which Australian visa is appropriate for their passport, role at CUPUM 2027, planned activities and length of stay. Attending the conference and being invited to speak or otherwise contribute to it can have different visa requirements.

Delegates: If you are attending but will not be paid to contribute, you may be eligible for a Visitor visa (subclass 600), Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) or eVisitor (subclass 651), depending on your circumstances and passport.

Speakers and other contributors: If you have been invited by an Australian organisation and will be paid to speak, present, exhibit or facilitate a workshop, check the Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) Invited Participant stream. If CUPUM 2027 is covering your expenses but you will not receive a fee, check your circumstances before applying for a visitor visa; the IECN guidance for unpaid presenters on visitor visas refers to events that are free to attend and not ticketed.
We recommend applying six to eight weeks before your intended travel and allowing longer if Home Affairs requests additional information. An invitation letter may be requested to support a visa application. Explore visa options and check current processing times.

Disclaimer

Information provided by the Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs

Visa Options for Event Participants

Click Here

General Visa Information

Click Here

Professor Sarah Williams

Professor of Technology and Urban Planning at MIT

Sarah Williams is a Professor of Technology and Urban Planning at MIT, where she directs the Civic Data Design Lab and the Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism. Trained in
computation and design, she creates tools and visualizations that make complex urban issues visible to the public, a process she calls Data Action, also the title of her recent MIT Press book. Her projects, ranging from mapping informal transit systems to visualizing the cost of migration, aim to spark dialogue and drive policy change. Her work has been exhibited at the Guggenheim, MoMA, the Venice Biennale, and the Cooper Hewitt, and has been presented to Congress. She has received numerous awards for innovation in design and civic engagement. Before MIT, she co-directed the Spatial Information Design Lab at Columbia University.

Dr Ali Soltani

Adjunct Fellow, CFRC, ADA | Co-Chair of Academic Proceedings

Ali Soltani is a researcher specialising in urban planning, transportation and road safety. His work examines interactions between urban systems and traffic safety using spatial analysis and statistical modelling, with interests including infrastructure, urban amenities and changing traffic patterns.

Dr Wayne Williamson

Senior Research Associate, CFRC, ADA | Workshops Lead

Wayne Williamson is a Senior Research Associate at the City Futures Research Centre. With a background spanning information technology and urban planning, his research interests include digital technologies in planning practice, planning discourse in media and social networks, and trustworthy AI in urban development assessment.

Dr Sara Shirowzhan

Senior Lecturer, CFRC, ADA | Co-Chair of Academic Proceedings

Sara Shirowzhan is a Senior Lecturer at UNSW whose research focuses on technologies relevant to the built environment, including AI, advanced GIS, BIM, sensing technologies and digital twins, with applications in sustainable and resilient cities, smart cities, infrastructure and urban strategy development.

Georgia Wigan

Administrator, CFRC, ADA | Communications & Engagement Lead

Georgia is a business professional with a background in project management, property, purchasing and sales. She holds a Bachelor of Business from Western Sydney University and brings experience in leadership, stakeholder engagement and creating positive, high-performing team environments.

Dr Balamurugan Soundararaj

Senior Research Fellow, CFRC, ADA | Program Lead

Balamurugan Soundararaj is a researcher at the City Futures Research Centre with a background in urban planning, spatial analysis and human geography. His research focuses on the collection, analysis, modelling and visualisation of large-scale spatial data, including applications of machine learning and AI to land and property analysis.

Professor Hoon Han

Professor, CFRC, ADA | Co-Convenor

Hoon Han is Professor of City Planning, Director of the UNSW Cities Institute and Associate Director of the City Futures Research Centre. His research focuses on Urban AI, smart cities and automated real estate analytics, using methods including machine learning, spatial modelling and 3D visualisation.

Professor Christopher Pettit

Director, CFRC, ADA | Conference Chair; Co-Partnerships & Sponsorship Lead

Chris Pettit is Scientia Professor and Director of the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Sydney and Chair of the CUPUM Board of Directors. His expertise sits at the intersection of city planning and digital technologies, including GIS, planning support systems, urban analytics and data-driven approaches to future city scenarios.