2022 program

Big ideas from the best minds at the University of Sydney and beyond
Explore talks, conversations and panels featuring scientist Emma Johnston, Dr Karl, author and political scientist Kylie Gilbert-Moore, First Nations lawyer and activist Teela Reid and many more leading thinkers from Australia and around the world.

Highlights

Full program

  • 17/02/2022

    The shape of things to come

    Sydney Ideas launches its 2022 programming by canvasing bold ideas from across the University to understand what’s on the horizon and the priorities for the year. What’s trending – or what shouldn’t be trending – and how should we set the agenda?

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  • 02/03/2022

    Lights on: bringing the nightlife back to our city   

    How can we foster the conditions for creativity to thrive? Hear from NSW's 24 Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues, City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully, writer and poet Sara Saleh, Carla Theunissen from Sydney Olympic Park Authority, and host Steph Harmon, Culture Editor of Guardian Australia.

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  • 18/03/2022

    Maths, AI and intuition

    Delve into the surprising ways that artificial intelligence can enhance our human intuition with esteemed Australian mathematician Professor Geordie Williamson and MC Adam Spencer. 

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  • 23/03/2022

    Young people as experts: creating change in out-of-home care

    Hear from young people and academic experts, including a leading US researcher, who are driving research that is changing the out-of-home care system, using creative methods for social change.

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  • 21/04/2022

    A flood of emotions: Climate anxiety and trauma in Australia

    In the aftermath of devastating climate disasters like Australia’s recent east-coast floods, how do communities – those at the centre of the crisis and those on the periphery – support each other emotionally during times of climate distress?

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  • 28/04/2022

    2022 federal election series: Part 1

    Respected journalist Fran Kelly moderates a panel featuring ABC Chief Election Analyst Antony Green and leading political experts, discussing the main policy issues guiding the upcoming election.

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  • 19/05/2022

    Dr Kakenya Ntaiya: Empowering girls and women in education

    Hear from global leader Dr Kakenya Ntaiya, scholar, activist and 2021/2022 Senior Fellow at Brown University. Kakenya is the founder of an international nonprofit organisation that seeks to educate girls, end harmful traditional practices including FGM and child marriage, and transform her community.

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  • 25/05/2022

    Reconcile what? Why white Australia needs to rectify its wrongs

    Teela Reid, proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer and the University of Sydney's inaugural First Nation’s Practitioner-in-Residence, will examine the hard questions that cut to the legitimacy of our democracy.

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  • 20/07/2022

    Can there be a different kind of politics?

    How will the new government deliver on its promises? Respected journalist Nick Bryant hosts this conversation with Sally Sitou, Member for Reid; Kylea Tink, Member for North Sydney; Constitutional reform expert; Anne Twomey; and political theorist Tim Soutphommasane.

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  • 21/07/2022

    Wild weather, lost land and persistent pollutants

    Renowned environmental scientist Professor Emma Johnston AO, co-chief author of the 2021 Australian State of Environment Report, is joined by her co-authors to discuss key findings of the report and what is in store for our environment and wellbeing.
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  • 25/07/2022

    How AI is changing medical practice

    Sydney Ideas is delighted to welcome back Professor Frank Pasquale (Brooklyn Law School), a leading author and academic on the law of artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and machine learning, along with local experts to unpack the challenges and advantages of AI and how it is changing medical practice.

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  • 07/09/2022
    stars in the night sky

    Invisible Infrared: Connecting the James Webb Space Telescope & Climate Change

    Hear from Dr Karl and Professor Peter Tuthill on a guided tour of the latest photos from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – our Infrared Eye in the Sky. The JWST is NASA’s largest and most powerful space science telescope ever constructed.
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  • 29/09/2022
    chessboard

    Hostage Diplomacy: who's in control?

    British-Australian academic, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, highlights the complex nature of state hostage taking, and outlines ways in which Australia’s approach can be refined to tackle this insidious and growing global problem.

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  • 27/09/2022

    How do our minds work?

    What is really going on 'under the hood'? What can we do each day to improve our own - and our collective - mental health? In this Sydney Ideas event, a team of experts share cutting-edge research and explore practical ways to reach peak mind and brain health.

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  • 13/12/2022

    Extreme heat and human health

    What is the impact of extreme heat and hot weather on human health across the human lifespan? How can we thrive in a hotter world? In this Sydney Ideas event, experts from the University's Heat and Health Research Incubator discuss the latest research and provide us with some pretty cool solutions.

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Header image: Dr Karl and Professor Peter Tuthill presenting a Sydney Ideas public talk, 'Invisible infrared: connecting the James Webb Telescope and climate change'. Photo credit: Michael Amendolia