Talks and ideas to challenge your mind and shake up your thinking.
Off the cuff and unfiltered, live talks and digital content, where you hear the content you can’t Google. The UNSW Centre for Ideas presents a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers. As we grapple with questions surrounding climate change, technological disruption and global politics, a program which provides a platform for public debate and the s
haring of knowledge, that is also open to everyone, is crucial. SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES: We believe in academic freedom, so posts don’t necessarily represent official UNSW views. Our Social Media Terms of Use (www.unsw.to/sm) explain more about what academic freedom means for our content, and outlines the house rules for engaging with our social media pages and content. Most of all, be respectful and kind to each other - these pages are for our broad community to come together, contribute to academic discussions and talk all things UNSW. You can trust you’re engaging with an endorsed UNSW social media page by checking the Social Media Directory (www.unsw.edu.au/socialmedia), or in most cases simply look for the blue verified tick on major social platforms.
01/04/2026
JUST ANNOUNCED: 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. In an evening of reflection and hope, Sue-Anne Hunter will share her vision for uplifting the lives and voices of Indigenous Youth in Australia.
🗓️ Wed 6 May, 6.30pm
📍UNSW Health Translation Hub
🎟️ unsw.to/SueAnneHunter
24/03/2026
ON SALE NOW: Join international bestselling author Mieko Kawakami for an evening of conversation with presenter Michaela Kalowski. They’ll discuss breaking Japanese cliches and a life well lived plus her latest book, Sisters in Yellow, a novel heavily based on Kawakami’s early years growing up in a working-class home in Japan.
🗓️ Tue 12 May, 6.30pm
📍Science Theatre, UNSW Kensington
🎟️ Tickets: unsw.to/MiekoKawakami
14/11/2025
Think you know how polymers can protect a house from wildfire? Tune in to Genius and find out how Professor Guan Yeoh and his team have formulated a fire-retardant paint that shares a surprising feature with marshmallows...
🎥Watch the full series: unsw.to/genius
13/10/2025
Award-winning author, human rights advocate and Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo alongside former Aussie Rules player and Sydney Swans CEO and newly appointed COO for the AFL, Tom Harley share their own journeys figuring out masculinity while providing insights to help combat the ever-growing grip the manosphere has on boys and young men.
UNSW's Bronwyn Graham explores the serious gaps in our understanding of female health and the urgent need to include women more meaningfully in scientific research. It’s not just about equity. It’s about better science, better treatments and better outcomes for everyone.
30/07/2025
JUST ANNOUNCED: Join Ivan Coyote for an evening beyond the binary with Playlist, followed by an artist talk with writer Yves Rees. Combining Coyote’s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking stories with long-time collaborator Clyde Petersen’s animations, this mix tape meets old school slideshow performance follows Ivan on their journey from baby tomboy to masculine-appearing predominantly estrogen-based organism, and onto life today as a trans person.
In a world that's heating up, how do we face the flames? Join award-winning ‘Fire Weather’ author John Vaillant and UNSW’s bushfire expert Jason Sharples as they unpack the science, stories and strategies we need to adopt in an increasingly flammable world.
UPCOMING EVENT: Nobel Prize-winning physicist Donna Strickland joins us to talk lasers, groundbreaking discoveries and why science is worth our curiosity – and our trust. Don’t miss this rare chance to hear from a true pioneer in science.
🗓️Tue, 15 July (FREE)
🎟️: unsw.to/DonnaStrickland
15/05/2025
🖥️ Machines lead the charge on today’s battlefields, but what does this mean for the people caught in the crossfire? Listen to this vital conversation with Antony Loewenstein, Toby Walsh and Michael Richardson about the intersection of technology, conflict, occupation and surveillance.
🍆 Bone up on carnal knowledge across the centuries and find out what the future of fornication holds in a discussion with Esmé Louise James, David Baker and Rob Brooks.
💭 How can policy revive a fading "American Dream" of progress and social mobility? John N. Friedman and Richard Holden explore what this could mean for Australia.
🤰🏻 Is the emergence of artificial wombs and womb transplants a ‘boon’ or a ‘bane’ for women? Brigitte Gerstl, Luara Ferracioli and Mianna Lotz explore the transformative possibilities for reproductive autonomy that could redefine the very essence of motherhood.
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Off the cuff and unfiltered, live talks are where you hear the content you can’t Google.
The UNSW Centre for Ideas presents a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers. As we grapple with questions surrounding climate change, technological disruption and global politics, a program which provides a platform for public debate and the sharing of knowledge, that is also open to everyone, is crucial.
We believe in academic freedom, so posts don’t necessarily represent official UNSW views.
Our Social Media Terms of Use explain more about what academic freedom means for our content and outlines the house rules for engaging with our social media pages and content.
Most of all, be respectful and kind to each other – these pages are for our broad community to come together, contribute to academic discussions and talk all things UNSW.
You can trust you’re engaging with an endorsed UNSW social media page by checking the Social Media Directory, or in most cases simply look for the blue verified tick on major social platforms.
