UNSW's Engineering the Future
Episodes
Why diversity matters in engineering
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Engineering touches almost every aspect of our lives. From building our roads and powering our homes to developing the medical equipment that will hel...
How quantum is moving from the lab to everyday life
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For more than a century, quantum mechanics has challenged how we understand the universe. Once confined to theory and thought experiments, quantum is ...
Finding a pathway to replace fossil fuels in big industries
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Using renewable energy such as wind and solar to create environmentally friendly electricity is great - but what can we do to replace the use of fossi...
PFAS: How a useful invention became a global contaminant
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
PFAS—also known as "forever chemicals"—are in your water, your clothes, your food packaging, and even in your body. They’ve been wide...
Equitable healthcare isn’t about treatment – it’s about justice
22 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Not all healthcare is created equal. Whether it’s a postcode that limits your services, a language barrier at the clinic, or a system that overlo...
AI in cybersecurity - friend or foe?
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
📧 Have you ever fallen victim to a phishing email? You're not alone. Cybersecurity threats are growing more sophisticated every day, making ...
City sabotage and cyber spectacles: The where and wear of smart technology
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From smart homes and cities to business and healthcare, smart technology is promising to enhance efficiency, convenience, and connectivity in daily li...
For a circular economy, water needs to go round and round
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Too much water in the form of flooding, or too little water in the form of drought. Two of the biggest global challenges when it comes to water are at...
The net-zero emissions by 2050 challenge needs everyone to play their part
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial decarbonisation is a fundamental way Australia and other countries around the world can achieve 'Net Zero' emissions targets by 205...
A supersonic jet for people like Taylor Swift, flying cars for everyone else
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Supersonic commercial planes are making a comeback, but it may be only high flyers that can afford them. For everyone else, our cities could soon dr...
Insects, Ozempic and the science fiction of all your food in a single pill
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
800 million people currently go to sleep hungry, but 1 in 4 of us are predicted to be obese by 2035. Securing access to food for everyone and making i...
Get ready for solar to be everywhere by 2050
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
UNSW researchers are largely responsible for the way the world uses solar power today. Decades of innovation on photovoltaic cells from people at this...
Brain-machine interfaces…coming soon to a cerebrum near you
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It might seem like something out of Star Trek, but people controlling so-called ‘smartbrains’ with their own thoughts could happen sooner than you...
Smarter, sustainable, and more resilient use of cities and space
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the world is expected to gain 2.2 billion new urban residents by 2050, emerging technologies will dramatically transform the way growing population...
Energy decathlon: the long race to redesign the industry
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The energy landscape is evolving and it’s demanding change in the way we produce and consume energy in a more sustainable way. But how can our indus...
Let’s talk about nuclear
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The on-going debate on nuclear feels like a constant battle of weighing the benefits of low carbon electricity generation against the public perceptio...
If it’s not grown, it’s mined
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the world shifts towards renewable energy production, experts predict that mining will play a critical role in the extraction of minerals necessary...
Transport, healthcare, education and defence: where to next with AI?
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
AI-powered programs like ChatGPT can do everything from plan an itinerary for your next holiday or help you write a resume or business proposal. But w...
UNSW's Engineering the Future Trailer
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
UNSW’s Engineering the Future podcast is a space for thought-provoking conversations about the bold ideas that will impact society over the next two...