The Western Australia HR and OB/OP Oasis (WAHOO) Research Conference aims to bring together Organizational Behavior (OB), Organizational Psychology (OP), and Human Resource (HR) scholars from across Western Australia to create a vibrant and enduring scholarly community—a collegial ‘oasis’ for collaboration and renewal. This two-day collaborative event will be co-hosted by the Future of Work Institute (FOWI) and the School of Management and Marketing (SOMM) at Curtin University, University of Western Australia (UWA), and Edith Cowan University (ECU).

Perth is the largest and most geographically isolated capital city in the world, and as such faces unique challenges in fostering scholarly exchanges. The distance from major academic hubs and conferences, coupled with impractical differences in time zone, often limits opportunities for in-person and virtual collaboration, mentoring, and sustained engagement with national and international research communities. Due to Perth’s isolation, national and international travel is often cost prohibitive for many academics who lack sufficient financial support from their institutions. WAHOO seeks to address the opportunity challenges faced by our regional academics by creating an accessible, collegial platform for researchers to share expertise, explore collaboration opportunities, and develop joint projects, particularly in competitive national and international grant writing and publication development.