My brother’s text messages can read like fragments of an ancient code: “hru,” “wyd,” “plz” – truncated, cryptic and never quite satisfying to receive. I’ll often find myself second-guessing whether “gr8” means actual excitement or whether it’s a perfunctory nod. This oddity has nagged at me for years, so I eventually embarked upon a series of studies with fellow […] … learn more→

In a society where equality for all is a fundamental principle, but where “positions” are endowed with very unequal advantages (in terms of salaries, working conditions, etc.), it is a question of distributing these in such a way that the hierarchy of jobs is considered legitimate by all. This is a real challenge. There is […] … learn more→

Part-time postgraduate study can be an isolating experience, with students often having to balance their research with careers, family, or care commitments. Factoring remote working into this mix can leave postgraduate researchers (PGRs) without an established community to work within. This post shares insights from a writing retreat we developed as part-time PGRs, for part-time […] … learn more→

“Avoid screens before bed” is one of the most common pieces of sleep advice. But what if the real problem isn’t screen time − it’s the way we use social media at night? Sleep deprivation is one of the most widespread yet overlooked public health issues, especially among young adults and adolescents. Despite needing eight to […] … learn more→

I’m generally concerned about writing with partners. That’s because the power to say what is important, to name and to categorise, to summarise and to draw out implications, happens in writing. And in the writing, power can revert back to academic researchers. Despite our best intentions. In some situations where researchers do all of the […] … learn more→

“I’m really not sure what to do anymore. I don’t have anyone I can talk to,” types a lonely user to an AI chatbot. The bot responds: “I’m sorry, but we are going to have to change the topic. I won’t be able to engage in a conversation about your personal life.” Is this response […] … learn more→

Understanding intelligence and creating intelligent machines are grand scientific challenges of our times. The ability to learn from experience is a cornerstone of intelligence for machines and living beings alike. In a remarkably prescient 1948 report, Alan Turing – the father of modern computer science – proposed the construction of machines that display intelligent behavior. He also discussed the “education” of […] … learn more→

There’s been a lot of … stuff going on at my university lately (just Google “Australian National University” on the news setting and you’ll see what I mean). People are, to put it mildly, upset. So upset that they’ve taken to writing articles for and against said management in our local city newspaper, The Canberra […] … learn more→

The wellness industry is one of the fastest growing markets, with an estimated global value of US$6.3 trillion in 2023. Gen Z and millennials are driving much of this growth, spending more on wellness products and services than older generations. The challenge, however, is that the wellness industry has few guardrails, allowing social media influencers and media […] … learn more→

Last year, the Coalition made the surprise decision to oppose Labor’s plans for new international student caps. On Sunday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton proposed an even more radical policy of his own to limit the number of international students in Australia. He announced a combination of tighter enrolment limits, increased visa application fees and changes to temporary graduate visas, which allow […] … learn more→