AU in Conversation

AU in Conversation

Exploring the ideas shaping our world and the higher education sector — with Vice Chancellor Nicola Phillips

Join Adelaide University Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips for AU in Conversation, a thought-provoking podcast series exploring the ideas, challenges and breakthroughs shaping the future of higher education and society.

Available on your favourite streaming platform, each episode features Professor Phillips in conversation with leading voices from across the University, bringing fresh perspectives to the issues influencing our communities, industries and global future. From emerging research and innovation, to complex social debates and transformative ideas, AU in Conversation dives into topics that are timely, insightful and often provocative. Designed to spark curiosity and meaningful discussion, the series connects audiences with the people and thinking that contribute to conversations within and beyond the University.

Whether you’re passionate about education, research, leadership or the big questions facing the world today, AU in Conversation offers engaging discussions that inform, challenge and inspire.

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What will it take for us to become a spacefaring species? Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips joins Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart to explore humanity’s next chapter. Coinciding with the launch of our Andy Thomas Institute for Space Resources, they discuss how the challenge of living beyond Earth extends far beyond rockets and robots, demanding new thinking about law, health, ethics, resource stewardship, and what it means to build sustainable communities off our home planet.

Housing has become one of Australia's most pressing challenges, but what happens when a society built around the promise of home ownership can no longer reliably deliver it? Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips joins Professor Emma Baker, founding Director of the Australian Centre for Housing Research, and geospatial analyst Kira Page to examine one of Australia's most pressing challenges: housing affordability, health and economic inequality. They explore what happens when a society built around the promise of home ownership can no longer reliably deliver it, and how younger generations are adapting through long-term renting, shared living and rentvesting.

Do the humanities matter more than ever as AI transforms how we live, work and connect?

Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips joins musician, author and cultural leader Professor Anna Goldsworthy and internationally recognised screenwriting scholar Professor Craig Batty to explore creativity, culture and storytelling, and why human insight is our best hope in a complex and polarised world.

What are the issues keeping public health experts awake at night? How can universities help safeguard communities amid the rise of misinformation and the return of old disease foes? Vaccinologist Professor Helen Marshall joins Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips to explore the next pandemic threat, the vanguard of vaccine research and the forces driving a drop in herd immunity.

The "AI vampire" phenomenon, Claude addiction and the future of learning are all up for debate as Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips sits down with one of Australia's leading voices in artificial intelligence, Professor Anton van den Hengel, and postgraduate student Oliver Lack. Together they explore how AI can lift access to learning and ponder how and indeed whether to police and punish AI cheating.

This is AU in Conversation — a new video podcast from Adelaide University, exploring the big questions, challenges and breakthroughs that are shaping our world and the higher education sector.

Gallery

Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart in studio. Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart in studio.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio. Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Associate Professor John Culton in studio. Episode 5, Our place in space: Associate Professor John Culton in studio.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Professor Melissa de Zwart in studio. Episode 5, Our place in space: Professor Melissa de Zwart in studio.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart in studio. Episode 5, Our place in space: Behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart in studio.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart. Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Associate Professor John Culton and Professor Melissa de Zwart.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Professor Melissa de Zwart. Episode 5, Our place in space: Professor Melissa de Zwart.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Associate Professor John Culton. Episode 5, Our place in space: Associate Professor John Culton.
Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips. Episode 5, Our place in space: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Emma Baker and researcher Kira Page in studio. Episode 4, Home Truths: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Emma Baker and researcher Kira Page in studio.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio. Episode 4, Home Truths: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker in studio. Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker in studio.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker and researcher Kira Page in studio. Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker and researcher Kira Page in studio.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Emma Baker and researcher Kira Page in studio. Episode 4, Home Truths: Behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Emma Baker and researcher Kira Page in studio.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, and researcher Kira Page. Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, and researcher Kira Page.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Researcher Kira Page. Episode 4, Home Truths: Researcher Kira Page.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker. Episode 4, Home Truths: Professor Emma Baker.
Episode 4, Home Truths: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips. Episode 4, Home Truths: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy in studio. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy in studio.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy and Professor Craig Batty in studio. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy and Professor Craig Batty in studio.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anna Goldsworthy and Professor Craig Batty in studio. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anna Goldsworthy and Professor Craig Batty in studio.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anna Goldsworthy and Professor Craig Batty in studio. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anna Goldsworthy and Professor Craig Batty in studio.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Craig Batty. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Craig Batty.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Craig Batty. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Craig Batty.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy.
Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Craig Batty walking on campus. Episode 3, The future of the humanities: Professor Anna Goldsworthy, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Craig Batty walking on campus.
Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall walking on campus. Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall walking on campus.
Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Professor Helen Marshall in studio. Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Professor Helen Marshall in studio.
Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio. Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio.
Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall in studio. Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: behind the scenes, Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall in studio.
Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall in studio. Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall in studio.
Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: : Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall. Episode 2, Immunity and impact: Vaccines, trust, and global health: : Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips and Professor Helen Marshall.
Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anton van den Hengel and postgraduate student Oliver Lack walking to studio. Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anton van den Hengel and postgraduate student Oliver Lack walking to studio.
Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio. Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips in studio.
Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Professor Anton van den Hengel in studio. Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Professor Anton van den Hengel in studio.
Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: postgraduate student Oliver Lack in studio. Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: postgraduate student Oliver Lack in studio.
Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Professor Anton van den Hengel and postgraduate student Oliver Lack in studio. Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Professor Anton van den Hengel and postgraduate student Oliver Lack in studio.
Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anton van den Hengel and postgraduate student Oliver Lack in studio. Episode 1, AI: The Electricity of Our Future — How universities can power what’s next: Vice Chancellor and President Nicola Phillips, Professor Anton van den Hengel and postgraduate student Oliver Lack in studio.