PODCAST · arts
UNSW Centre for Ideas
by UNSW Centre for Ideas
An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.
Episodes
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We built this thing Ep5: The age of consent: When your social media post causes a national reckoning with Chanel Contos
When Chanel Contos first hit post on an Instagram poll in 2021, she had no idea of the cultural reckoning she was about to unleash. She asked a simple question, “Have you or has anyone close to you ever been sexually assaulted by someone who went to an all-boys school in Sydney?”. But the…
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We built this thing Ep4: The ethical executive: when your moral compass guides your career decisions with Raji Ambikairajah
Raji Ambikairajah has had a very successful career. She was awarded NSW Woman of the Year for her work with Room to Read, she has a PhD in electrical engineering from UNSW, she’s been the CEO of several start-ups, and she’s been on company boards since she was in her 20s. But if you asked her…
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Daniel Joinbee: Indigenous aerospace trailblazer
From a family story rooted in Yarrabah, to the lawns of the White House in Washington DC, hear the incredible story of Daniel Joinbee, a proud Gunggandji man, Royal Australian Air Force veteran, and founder of Australia’s first and only 100% Aboriginal-owned aerospace consultancy and Indigenous...
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Andrew Upton: From stage to page
What happens when a master of the stage turns to the page? Acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, artistic director and now novelist Andrew Upton has never been one to stay in his lane. Across theatre, film, television and fiction, his many creative pursuits are united by one calling: storytelling.…
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We built this thing Ep3: From incarcerated to CEO: driving change in youth justice from the inside-out with Michael Kwan
During his first night in prison at 16 years old, Michael Kwan knew it was time to take accountability for the choices he’d made. Now, Michael wants to share the opportunities he made for himself - an education, a part-time job, a place to call home - with other at-risk youth and those already...
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We built this thing Ep2: The competitive edge as a first-time founder in your 40s with Janet Salem
After 17 years at the United Nations, Janet Salem was growing frustrated with the gap between the sustainability data she was gathering, and the information businesses were using to make investment decisions. She saw an opportunity to give business’s crucial insight into their resource…
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We built this thing Ep1: When solving the water crisis comes from thin air with Shannon Lemanski
As a veteran, Shannon thought his business idea, a machine that filters water from the air, would be a no-brainer for the military. But when the first round of funding fell through, he had to pivot. His next move led Shannon all the way to Buckingham Palace and is transforming countless lives...
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Human vs Machine: Joel Pearson on staying optimistic about the intelligence revolution
The development of AI has brought humanity to the cusp of a seismic change the likes of which has never been seen before. Workforces of the future will be dramatically different, as some jobs become obsolete and people scramble to learn new skills and ways of working. But just as this…
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Human vs Machine: Barbara Wilby and Joel Pearson in conversation
The development of AI has brought humanity to the cusp of a seismic change the likes of which has never been seen before. Workforces of the future will be dramatically different, as some jobs become obsolete and people scramble to learn new skills and ways of working. But just as this…
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Women on Top
Statistics can sometimes paint a rosy picture. Women now make up half of federal parliamentarians in Australia, more women graduate from university than men, and over 60% of Australia’s Winter Olympic team in 2026 were women. But the reality of gender equality and progress is disappointingly...
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Whistleblowers: In defence of truth
Most whistleblowers are unknown and ordinary people shedding light on corruption and misconduct. They rarely make the front page; many pay a devastating personal price. Australia’s whistleblowing protections are failing them. Hear two of the foremost experts in Australia on protecting and…
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Sue-Anne Hunter: Our kids deserve better
Following the historic appointment of Sue-Anne Hunter as the inaugural National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Australia finds itself on a new journey but an old and critical road to mend. From the over-representation of Indigenous kids in child...
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Nalini Prasad on global oil and the Aussie wallet
The ongoing conflict between Iran, the US and Israel has not only led to the deaths of many thousands of people, it has destabilised the global world order. As a middle power, Australia is being drawn into the conflict amid global pressures and strategic resource dependencies. Closer to home, the...
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Nila Ibrahimi: Song of Rebellion (Re-release)
When Nila Ibrahimi posted a video of herself online, singing proudly in protest of the ban on girls over 12 singing in public, she hoped the music would inspire young girls to continue their education. It was 2021 and the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan had come down swiftly on women's freedom.…
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Guardians of the future: Māori knowledge in the age of AI
Dr Karaitiana Taiuru is a leading global voice at the forefront of Māori data sovereignty and AI ethics. His practice draws on tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori to facilitate conversations about the ways emerging technologies must uplift, protect and empower Indigenous knowledge, culture and...
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Meditation on Country: Professor Angie Abdilla
Angie Abdilla creates video installations interrogating Indigenous deeptime knowledges, automation and AI, focusing on technology as cultural practice. Her research, artworks and films have been exhibited at premier cultural institutions, including the current Data Dreams: Art and AI exhibition…
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Look Again: Why AI images don’t tell the whole picture
Every day, generative AI is pumping millions of new pictures into existence. Researcher and UNSW lecturer Dr Charu Maithani is redefining how we think about the images flooding our world, exposing how they capture only the narrowest sliver of human experience. Her work reveals how reimagining the...
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The Housing Crisis with Alan Kohler (Re-release)
Richard Holden | Alan Kohler Australia, a land of sweeping plains, has one of the lowest population densities on the planet. So, how did we end up with a housing shortage? In conversation with economist and author Richard Holden, veteran finance journalist Alan Kohler’s new Quarterly Essay, The...
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Laurie Woolever: The gluttony of life
Since its 2025 publication, Laurie Woolever’s Care and Feeding was an immediate New York Times bestseller, tracing her path from small-town childhood to working with two of the most powerful men in the food business, chefs Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain. The book’s success is no surprise.…
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6 things you need to know about AI with Toby Walsh (Re-release)
As one of the world’s leading researchers in artificial intelligence, Toby Walsh has been awarded the Humbolt Research Award and elected as a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI. In The Shortest History of AI, Toby outlines the six key ideas for understanding artificial…
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Karen Hao: Empire of AI (Re-release)
Programs like ChatGPT have become ubiquitous with AI, promising to kick start the next industrial evolution. But the scale of resources needed to support AI are staggering, with the cost largely being levied on the marginalised. From energy demands eclipsing whole cities, to labour exploitation…
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Yael Stone: Giving to gain
Many people would recognise Australian actress Yael Stone from her breakout role as the red-lipped Lorna Morello in TV series Orange is the New Black. But, in 2020 she gave up her green card, and her acting career in the United States, unable to reconcile the carbon emissions of the jet-setting...
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Who's the Man? (Re-release)
Within today's social media landscape, a finely tuned content algorithm is serving up often unhealthy and sometimes extreme views on masculinity. For boys, in particular, the injection of vitriol into playgrounds, classrooms, backyards and wider society has turned the question of what it means to...
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Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New
Hear acclaimed political biographer Troy Bramston in conversation with UNSW’s Verity Firth and delve into his latest book Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New. From Whitlam’s rise through the Labor party to Prime Minister, to his family, upbringing and life after politics, Troy lifts the lid on…
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Lesbians are Lovely!
We’ve come a long way since references to lesbians could potentially land you jail-time and lesbian culture was less visible in literature and the arts, social commentary and public life. From anthemic pop icons Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish to commercially successful flicks like Bottoms and…
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David Cooper Lecture | Ending AIDS: A Global Responsibility
With Australia on track to be among the first countries in the world to eliminate the transmission of HIV, there is a lot to be optimistic about. Yet globally the rates of transmission and AIDS-related deaths are predicted to rise, disproportionately impacting marginalised communities and people...
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Kind by Design with Dr Gabi Nudelman | One Big Idea
In an era of increasing productivity, efficiency and automation it’s important not to lose sight that education – the learning and teaching that we all pursue – is about human connection and transformation. Tune in to learn from Dr Gabi Nudelman, a Senior Lecturer in business sustainability and...
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Unpicking the Lock to the Blood-Brain Barrier with Dr Alexis Minchaca Acosta | One Big Idea
The blood-brain barrier prevents 98% of medicines from reaching the brain. This prevents the effective treatment of neurological disorders, from cancer to Alzheimer’s. If we knew how to create drugs that could pass through this barrier, then we’d be able to create targeted, effective treatments....
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Reframing Rescue with Communities at the Heart with Dr Regina Jefferies | One Big Idea
As natural disasters increase in frequency and severity, we are all at risk of one day having our homes and our lives being in danger from fire or flood. Right now, we are seeing an unprecedented level of people needing rescue in the midst of disaster. But rescue shouldn’t just be after the point...
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Grand Designs for our Oceans' Habitats with Ann Flemming Nielsen | One Big Idea
Our coastal marine habitats are suffering from the man-made degradation of climate change. From coral reefs to seagrass meadows, oyster reefs and kelp forests, these ecosystems are vital nurseries for marine life and natural coastal buffers against storms and we’re losing them at a rapid pace.…
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Who's the Man?
Within today's social media landscape, a finely tuned content algorithm is serving up often unhealthy and sometimes extreme views on masculinity. For boys, in particular, the injection of vitriol into playgrounds, classrooms, backyards and wider society has turned the question of what it means to...
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The Power of Light with Dr Alison Goldingay | One Big Idea
Light has unlocked many technologies over the course of human history. The more we learn about what light is and what it can do, the more applications we find to advance our lives. When we study light at the smallest scale possible, at the atomic level, we can unlock some pretty amazing, pretty...
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Rewiring AI with Dr Charu Maithani | One Big Idea
Ask any AI image generator to create an image of a garden and you’re likely to receive a very specific type; manicured English or French, colourful plants, geometric forms and a winding pathway made of stone or gravel. Why is this such a big deal? Millions of AI images are generated every week…
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Tailor-Made Childhood Cancer Treatments with Professor Maria Kavallaris AM | One Big Idea
More than 400,000 children and adolescents will be diagnosed with cancer worldwide this year. Many treatments that are meant to save a child can leave them with lifelong side-effects, including heart damage, infertility and cognitive issues. But for the first time, precision medicine is using the...
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SWF Great Debate: True Friends Stab You in the Front
The scintillating chronicler of human weakness, Oscar Wilde, once said, “True friends stab you in the front”. In this popular event, writer and presenter Annabel Crabb and writer David Marr lead opposing teams in a rollicking debate on the legitimacy of this aphorism about friends who betray each...
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Ivan Coyote: Playlist
Ivan Coyote doesn’t fit neatly into one of two gender boxes, they never have. From an early age in the Canadian Yukon, they can remember discovering a coded but very possible queer future hidden in the music coming out of the AM radio in the kitchen, lurking in their parent’s record collection…
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Nila Ibrahimi: Song of Rebellion
When Nila Ibrahimi posted a video of herself online, singing proudly in protest of the ban on girls over 12 singing in public, she hoped the music would inspire young girls to continue their education. It was 2021 and the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan had come down swiftly on women's freedom.…
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The Business of Beauty
Women’s bodies are a battleground for beauty capitalism with a constant pressure to reach unachievable beauty standards. Writer, presenter and entertainer Lucinda Price (aka Froomes) spent 30 years striving to fulfil those standards, which she unpacks in her debut memoir, All I Ever Wanted Was To...
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Philippe Sands: 38 Londres Street
In 1998, at the beginning of his esteemed career as an international human rights lawyer, Philippe Sands was invited to advise Augusto Pinochet as the Chilean dictator faced arrest in London. Instead, Philippe chose to act as a barrister for Human Rights Watch, where he uncovered the well-hidden...
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STEMMinist Book Club
The STEMMinist Book Club was founded in 2018 and is dedicated to reading and discussing books related to feminism and STEMM (science, technology, engineering, medicine and maths). The book club has over 5,000 members from 25 countries. As well as discussing great books, the book club provides a...
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Karen Hao: Empire of AI
Programs like ChatGPT have become ubiquitous with AI, promising to kick start the next industrial evolution. But the scale of resources needed to support AI are staggering, with the cost largely being levied on the marginalised. From energy demands eclipsing whole cities, to labour exploitation…
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Sherine Al Shallah and Lucas Lixinski on Cultural Objects
The Parthenon Marbles. The Benin Bronzes. Grandma's jewellery that she smuggled in her clothes, never to return. What if taking an object is the best way to keep a community's culture alive? Legal experts Sherine Al Shallah and Lucas Lixinski engage with old and new arguments about cultural...
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Kaliane Bradley: The Ministry of Time
The Ministry of Time landed on multiple bestseller lists thanks to its highly original, genre-defying story, which combines elements of time travel, romance and spy thriller. Described by Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton as “outrageously brilliant”, Kaliane Bradley’s debut challenges the...
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Psychedelia
Since early 2023, MDMA has been authorised for use in Australia to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Still, it remains a controversial treatment publicly and among experts. Adam Bayes from the Black Dog Institute and researcher Rebecca Huntley, whose book Sassafras: A memoir of love, loss and...
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John Valliant: Fire Weather
Black Saturday razed towns, Canada’s Fort McMurray wildfire forced 88,000 people to flee, the LA fires obliterated over 12,000 buildings and Australia’s Black Summer fires scorched 24 million hectares – an area the size of the United Kingdom. Bushfires are no longer seasonal, they’re unrelenting;...
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Luke McNamara on Hate Speech and the Law
As state and federal governments move to criminalise forms of hate speech, it's time to look at what evidence shows about the effect that laws can have on hate speech and its victims, with legal expert Luke McNamara. This event was presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW...
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Kerrie Davies on Miles Franklin’s Little Known Years
Not two years after making Australian literary history with My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin fell into obscurity – and when publishers rejected her subsequent novels, she left Australia for Chicago. Uncover the mysteries of the legend’s life with Kerrie Davies, whose Miles Franklin Undercover...
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Toby Walsh on the Six Ideas You Need to Understand AI
As one of the world’s leading researchers in artificial intelligence, Toby Walsh has been awarded the Humbolt Research Award and elected as a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI. In The Shortest History of AI, Toby outlines the six key ideas for understanding artificial…
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Donna Strickland: Laser Jock
In 2018 Donna Strickland became the first woman in over 50 years to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and only the third woman in history. Her award-winning work however began decades earlier. While undertaking her PhD Donna developed chirped pulse amplification – a unique way to amplify ultrashort...
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Adam Bayes on Mind-Altering Mental Health
Adam Bayes is leader in the field of mental health, working as a clinical academic psychologist at UNSW Sydney and a senior research fellow at the Black Dog Institute specialising in mood disorders including depressive and bipolar disorders. In this podcast Adam shares his cutting-edge research…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does UNSW Centre for Ideas have?
UNSW Centre for Ideas currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is UNSW Centre for Ideas about?
An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.
How often does UNSW Centre for Ideas release new episodes?
UNSW Centre for Ideas has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to UNSW Centre for Ideas?
You can listen to UNSW Centre for Ideas on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts UNSW Centre for Ideas?
UNSW Centre for Ideas is created and hosted by UNSW Centre for Ideas.
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