Sydney Ideas

Ocean imaginaries

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What stories have taken hold in the public imagination about sharks and marine animals? How does this shape attitudes and policy responses to ocean co...

An optimised life, examined

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How, and for what, should life be optimised? Is the growing culture of optimisation leading us towards the homogenisation of culture? These days we'r...

The social life of food - Part 2

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we eat well to live longer, feed future populations, and sustain planetary health? What's the science behind creating the world's most resilie...

The social life of food - Part 1

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we eat well to live longer, feed future populations, and sustain planetary health? What's the science behind creating the world's most resilie...

Slow ageing with University of Sydney Experts

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join University of Sydney experts for fresh insights and evidence unlocking our understanding of healthy brain ageing. How might we all live – and s...

The Ideas Roundtable: Is Australia alright?

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is Australia still the Lucky Country? In public opinion polling, more and more Australians believe things are, on the whole, getting worse than better...

Katie Mack: The end of everything

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science has shown us the universe began with a Big Bang but what about its endgame? Will everything burn out and freeze over, or collapse in on itself...

Critical minerals: The global race for resources

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why are nations around the world racing to secure critical minerals? What’s at stake, and what does it mean for you? In this conversation, our exper...

Is language power? with John McWhorter

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is a language owned by its speakers or is it a public good? 'Who' gets to have a say, lay claim to, and wield a language? What does this all mean for ...

An evening with Sir Simon Schama

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hear Simon Schama, acclaimed historian, writer and Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University, in-conversation with Professor Avril A...

Is storytelling essential to innovation?

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If we can define the elements of a breakthrough, can we engineer the next great discovery in business, science, policy and civic life? Join a conversa...

Battlers and Billionaires

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Economist and parliamentarian Andrew Leigh is in conversation with technology entrepreneur and philanthropist Cliff Obrecht about Andrew’s new book,...

Trust and error

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fake research papers are on the rise. Explore what's fuelling this, why it's concerning, and how we can address this issue with science integrity cons...

Mental wealth forecast

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join epidemiologist and complex systems scientist Jo-An Occhipinti, labour market expert John Buchanan and economist Richard Denniss to explore mental...

Alexandre Lefebvre: Liberalism may be the source of your soul

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can liberalism be the basis of a meaningful and fun way of life? Philosopher Alexandre Lefebvre delves into this idea with Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor...

Medical moonshots

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can we fast-track cures for diseases? Hear about exciting discoveries in novel therapeutics, nanomedicines, AI and neuroimaging with leading researche...

Music on your mind

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologist Lee-Fay Low, and music scholars Neal Peres Da Costa and Helen Mitchell and host Angharad Yeo unravel the fascinating links between music ...

Oceanic narratives: Interweaving past, present and future

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Delve into the history, science, and beauty of the natural world with Australian author James Bradley, Professor of Marine Biology Maria Byrne, ocean ...

Art of good health and wellbeing

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Explore how the arts are transforming health and education to improve care and wellbeing with acclaimed playwright Wesley Enoch, poet Selina Tusitala ...

Alastair Campbell: Setting The Mental Health Agenda

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do we move the needle on mental health outcomes? Alastair Campbell and leading experts discuss what can be done to influence the appropriate socia...

Activating allies for gender equality

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A public conversation about intergenerational perspectives on allyship for gender equality – its importance, how to activate allies, and what effect...

What art ought to be

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yorta Yorta woman, composer and soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon was joined by some of the country’s most creative minds for an expansive conversat...

Introducing The Solutionists, with Mark Scott

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s show we wanted to introduce to you a new podcast we think you might enjoy. It’s called 'The Solutionists', with Mark Scott. Big chall...

Zara Seidler in conversation with Phoebe Saintilan

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from two pioneering University of Sydney alumni changing the game in news and media: Zara Seidler, co-founder of Australia's fastest growing soci...

Breaking down disinformation

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this conversation, hear academic experts discuss disinformation – what makes it so influential and problematic, roles and responsibilities of our...

Greening healthcare

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can we save lives and save the planet? Hear how the healthcare sector is tracking, finding solutions and making changes, to be more sustainable and gr...

Unlocking the housing crisis

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why taking a moral and philosophical lens to understanding housing can help us get out of the crisis in Australia – and create a fairer, sustainable...

Voices on the Voice: Marcia Langton

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A keynote address by prominent anthropologist and geographer Professor Marcia Langton AO, on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The Indigenous Voic...

The loneliness epidemic

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Epidemiologist and population behavioural scientist Melody Ding gives a talk on the trends and predictors of loneliness and why it’s a public health...

Rise of the Machines: how worried should we be about AI?

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If there’s a 10% chance that human-level artificial intelligence (AI) would lead to existential risk or an “extremely negative outcome”, what wo...

Voices on the Voice: Noel Pearson

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear a keynote address by University of Sydney alumnus Noel Pearson (BA '87, LL B '93), a proud leader from the Guugu Yimidhirr community of Hopevale ...

Nanotechnology: scalable solutions for climate action

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carbon removal, solar power and clean hydrogen – these are just some of the renewable technologies touted as solutions to fossil fuel. How can these...

Pacific influence

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we meaningfully engage with Pacific peoples and issues across the region? We invite you to this Talanoa (shared conversation) with host Profess...

Ukraine: the country that surprised the world

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from acclaimed writer and historian Dr Olesya Khromeychuk, a leading voice on Russia's war against Ukraine. International observers estimated th...

Extreme heat and human health

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the impact of extreme heat and hot weather on human health across the human lifespan? In this Sydney Ideas event, experts from the University'...

How do our minds work?

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is really going on 'under the hood'? What can we do each day to improve our own - and our collective - mental health? A team of experts share cut...

Andrew Leigh - A Zippier Economy

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this talk, The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury shares why he believes that competition policy is...

Hostage Diplomacy: who's in control?

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2022 Michael Hintze Lecture with Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert British-Australian academic, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, highlights the complex nature of state ...

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

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Professor Peter Tuthill on a guided tour of the latest photos from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – our Infrare...

How AI Is Changing Medical Practice

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sydney Ideas welcomes back Professor Frank Pasquale (Brooklyn Law School), a leading author and academic on the law of artificial intelligence (AI), a...

Can there be a different kind of politics? 2022 federal election series: Part 2

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How will the new government deliver on its promises? Respected journalist Nick Bryant hosts this conversation with Sally Sitou, Member for Reid; Kylea...

Wild weather, lost land and persistent pollutants

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned environmental scientist, Professor Emma Johnston AO, the co-chief author of the 2021 Australian State of Environment Report and the Universit...

Teela Reid: Reconcile what? Why white Australia needs to rectify its wrongs

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are we a nation that has not yet recognised the First People, and what can we do to take action? Teela Reid, proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, l...

Dr Kakenya Ntaiya: Empowering girls and women in education

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from global leader Dr Kakenya Ntaiya, scholar, social activist and 2021/2022 Senior Fellow at Brown University. Kakenya is the founder of Kaken...

2022 federal election series: Part 1

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the lead up to the federal election, as the parties vie for voter’s attention, Sydney Ideas brings together a panel of experts to examine some of...

A flood of emotions

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of devastating climate disasters like Australia’s recent east-coast floods, how do communities – those at the centre of the crisi...

Maths, AI and intuition

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How can artificial intelligence help us solve tough mathematical problems? Delve into the surprising ways that AI can enhance our human intuition wi...

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

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Lights on: bringing the nightlife back to our city

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What can the 24 hour economy look like and how might it help future proof the city? FEATURING: – Michael Rodrigues, 24 Hour Economy Commissioner ...

The shape of things to come

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2022. It's a new year yet the same-old. Off the back of the pandemic, there was talk of a Great Reset, a chance to turn a crisis into an opportunity. ...

Big solutions on the nanoscale

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from researchers at the University of Sydney Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), who are working at the cutting-edge of nanoscience. Professor Zdenka...

For the birds

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How adaptable are our big city birds to the urban environment and what impact we humans are having on them? Discover some significant citizen science ...

What will living with COVID look like?

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Australia looks to reopen, and in the week NSW emerges from lockdown, we examine the path to reopening and how we can rebuild Australian society lo...

Body clocks and the science of sleep

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do changes to our sleep and body rhythms affect our health, wellbeing and diseases of the brain? In the lead up to Mental Health Month, discover...

Australia’s responsibility to Afghanistan and to its people

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After being involved in two decades of occupying the country, what responsibilities does Australia owe to the people of Afghanistan? What more needs t...

What is happiness

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A philosopher, an improv comedian, a psychologist and an economist walk into a Sydney Ideas webinar... to discuss happiness. Can we find ways to be ha...

The case for vaccination

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vaccines offer a way out of COVID but its success is not without challenges. How do we overcome the gaps in understanding so that we’re backing the ...

Pandemic fatigue: young people and mental health

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does lockdown 2.0 mean for younger people and how does it impact on their mental health? Hear from our panel of passionate mental health experts...

Kate Crawford: Atlas of AI

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from Kate Crawford, Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney and one of the world's foremost scholars on the social and political implicati...

COVID-19: What we know now

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the world we live in. Moving forward, how might we navigate work, health and wellbeing, and safety with COVID as an...

What COVID forgot: orphans of the pandemic response

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the pandemic last year, many of us delayed our health check-ups, from going to the dentist to cancer screenings, and much more. This has major ...

What happened to 2020? The year in review

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a big year. We’ve put together a few of our key talks, with leading thinkers from the University of Sydney and beyond to reflect on 2020 a...

Heart of darkness: black holes and the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics (2 December 2020)

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Black holes are the most mysterious objects in the universe; matter and space folded into an enigmatic knot from which not even light can escape. The ...

Charging ahead with clean energy (30 October 2020)

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The science and economics tells us sustainable energy alternatives make sense. So, what’s the missing link in the path to a clean and prosperous fut...

Vision for the future (28 October 2020)

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This year has seen a complete restructure of how society conducts its business. The shift from traditional "face-to-face” work environments has been...

Bruce Pascoe: Perennial Soil

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It has never been more important to be sharing Indigenous knowledge. So many solutions to the problems we face today can be found in that wisdom. Bru...

The basic income imperative (24 September 2020)

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has ushered in a global economic slump, which may lead to a global depression. But is the coronavirus just the trigger for a financial crisis...

Disruption and disability (23 September 2020)

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How is the shift to digital shaping workplaces, cultures and employment opportunities? Explore future ways of working that are truly inclusive of peop...

Art of influence: Shaun Gladwell

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Shaun Gladwell’s practice engages personal experience and a wider speculation of art history to examine the dynamics of contemporary culture. Shaun ...

Raising the age of criminal responsibility (7 September 2020)

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In Australia, you need to be 18 to vote, 16 to drive a car, 13 to get a Facebook account. But the current age of criminal responsibility is 10. An e...

End-of-life decisions in non-production animals (27 August 2020)

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This special Sydney Ideas conversation marks the 10th Annual Robert Dixon Memorial Animal Welfare Symposium and explores a series of critical question...

Higher degrees of value (26 August 2020)

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s the need to be agile and pivot. How do we prepare our current workforce, and the next generation of graduates, ...

Art of influence: Dr Bronwyn Bancroft

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Bronwyn Bancroft is a proud Bundjalung Woman and Artist. Bronwyn has been exhibiting nationally and internationally for over three decades, and has...

Money talks: divesting from fossils fuels

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How can you ensure that your money is not supporting industries that accelerate climate change, but instead is part of the climate solution? Data, and...

Running out of water (6 August 2020)

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By 2030 supply of natural resources will not meet demand. What can we do? Hear about leading research – from smart sensors to new treatment proces...

Why climate change and unsustainable development are health hazards

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rising temperatures and heatwaves; drought and interruptions to food supply; rising infectious diseases; air pollution; and extreme weather events all...

The asset economy: inclusion, exclusion, debt (5 August 2020)

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Young Australians are in danger of being the first generation in memory to have lower living standards than their parents’ generation. What is the ...

Art of influence: Marc Newson CBE

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from one of the most influential designers of his generation. Marc Newson has collaborated with the likes of Apple, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Qantas –...

What will the future look like for women and work? (24 July 2020)

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The global pandemic has harshly exposed pre-existing gender inequalities, particularly around paid and unpaid work. How is the landscape shifting for ...

Connect For: A Better Future (23 July 2020)

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How are organisations and industry utilising the UN Sustainable Development Goals to envisage a better future? To understand the challenges – and ...

Road to recovery: employment opportunities post-pandemic (18 June 2020)

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has revealed the precariousness of our lives and systems. How can employment & education help us temper the long term impacts of continued so...

Geopolitics in a post-pandemic world (2 June 2020)

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Against the backdrop of COVID-19, what's been going on with China and the US, and what does this mean for the global economic and strategic landscape?...

In this together: reckoning before reconciliation (29 May 2020)

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

'In this together' is the theme for National Reconciliation Week 2020 in Australia. Professors Jaky Troy and Lisa Jackson Pulver, lawyer Teela Reid an...

The road ahead: Australia's economic future (28 May 2020)

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As we start down the long road of recovery there are many discussions being had about how we live, work and rebuild. In this, we need to have a discus...

Julie Leask: The vaccination gap (12 May 2020)

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Vaccines have controlled or even eradicated some of the world’s most serious diseases. But the success of immunisation is limited by motivational an...

COVIDSafe app: safe to use? (5 May 2020)

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As we start to chart a COVID-19 recovery course, there are a number of complex issues to consider. Last week, the Australian government announced and ...

Wellbeing and COVID-19 (21 April 2020)

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has put health firmly at the top of the agenda. While we’re practising physical distancing to maintain our physical health, how do we maint...

Flip the Clinic: the digital approach to mental health support (8 April 2020)

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the COVID-19 situation unfolds, now is the time to rethink how we do things, during this pandemic and beyond. What could a digital present and futu...

To the point: how we talk about COVID-19 (1 April 2020)

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're peeling back the layers of language and cognition and how it relates to COVID-19. Particularly at this time, the way we talk about the disease...

COVID-19: fear and anxiety (25 March 2020)

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The situation around COVID-19 is evolving at an astounding rate. Thinking beyond the physical health ramifications to the mental health, anxiety, comm...

To the point: mental health and COVID-19 (20 March 2020)

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's a natural, human response to fear disease. Yet we've seen this fear heightened with the outbreak of COVID-19. After all, the disease has reached ...

COVID-19: What are the facts? (11 March 2020)

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Since COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) first emerged in December last year there’s been a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and misinformation. As of Thur...

Leadership for good: combating viral panic, misinformation and racism (2 March 2020)

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're talking about the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak and the social and political responses to it. Has fear of the disease taken on a racial ...

Nano revolution

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nanotechnology is unlocking new ways to understand human biology. Scientists expect discoveries in this field will completely revolutionise medicine, ...

Mark Coeckelbergh: Wild AI and tame humans

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Do the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) outweigh the potential negative effects, in the context of social responsibilities for the entire huma...

Sydney Ideas in India: Re-imagining the future – together

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Australia and India have much to learn from each other, because while our economies are quite different, we face similar problems, particularly around...

The power of inclusive filmmaking

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning filmmaker Genevieve Clay-Smith has channelled her passion for social justice and desire to equitise the film industry into the practice ...

Who should govern environmental disasters, and how?

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bushfires, hurricanes, life-threatening heatwaves and floods have ravaged our planet in recent years. There is a mounting pool of evidence that climat...

After the Apology: Sorry means you don't do it again

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Indigenous children are still being removed from their families at increasing rates, despite the clear links to negative child health and education ou...

Can calculus cure cancer?

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In her talk, Professor Helen Byrne (Oxford University) explains how mathematical models are being used to understand how tumours grow and to predict h...