In Person/Online

Dr Fleming has a PhD in paediatric nutrition and dietetics and over 12 years’ experience in paediatric nutrition relating to infant and young child feeding, paediatric food allergy and childhood obesity. In particular, she has expertise in metabolic disorders in specialised paediatric populations such as childhood cancer survivors.

Dr Fleming is a member of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology, Paediatric Oncology in Developing Countries Nutrition Working Group and has an active part in coordinating the global development of a nutritional screening tool. Dr Fleming has provided nutritional consultation for the development of a unique, participatory, workshop-based method to explore adolescent and maternal/infant diet and nutrition as a contribution to the 2019 State of the World’s Children report on child and maternal diet and nutrition by UNICEF.

Date and Time: Wednesday 8th November, 2023, 12 noon to 1pm

Location: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Conference room 2 (PC-01.9.16) or online via Zoom.

Bookings for this hybrid event are essential

In-Person / Online

Dr Michelle Ryan is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science. Michelle has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Management and since completing her PhD in 2014 Michelle has worked in both academia and industry working at Sydney Water as part of the education and engagement team. Michelle’s areas of interest are in aquatic environments and environmental health. At WSU, Michelle has taught units such as Integrated Science, Urban Environment, Field Project, Environmental Issues and Solutions and Water Quality Assessment and Management. Michelle's passions include working with local communities to create positive environmental outcomes through education. Michelle’s research interest include human impacts on aquatic environments with a focus on the ecological health of freshwater systems and aquatic vertebrates. Her current research focuses on platypus populations in Greater Sydney.

Date & time: Tuesday, 12th March, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Hawkesbury Campus (Building TBC)

Bookings for this hybrid event are essential

In-Person / Online

Public Thought Leadership Event

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a devastating wildlife disease that has killed millions of insectivorous bats in North America since 2006, when the causal fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) was first detected. Australian bats might soon face exposure to this potentially catastrophic fungal disease. Limited initial screening indicates the fungus is not currently in Australia. However, a Commonwealth-initiated expert risk assessment has concluded it is 'almost certain' that Pd will be inadvertently introduced into an Australian cave within the next ten years.

Dr Nicholas Wu discusses his research which aims to understand, prepare for, and respond to the imminent threat posed by WNS to Australia's bat fauna. Learn what you can do to also protect Australian bats, and how to respond if you come across a potentially infected animal.

Date & time: Wednesday, 17th April, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Hawkesbury Campus (Building TBC) or Online via Zoom

Bookings for this hybrid event are essential

Gender, Work and Social Theory: The Critical Consequences of the Cultural Turn – Kate Huppatz, Associate Professor, Associate Dean, Research, Discipline Lead, Sociology, School of Social Sciences

Masculinity, Backlash and Antifeminism – Lucy Nicholas, Associate Professor, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

How Australian Forests Will Cope with A Hot, Dry and Fiery Future – Associate Professor, Matthias Boer, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Teasing-Eve: Diverse Perspectives on the Sexual Harassment of Women in Dhaka City, Bangladesh – Arunima Kishore Das, Associate Lecturer, Culture and Society

Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession – Ashlee Gore Academic Program Advisor, Criminology & Policing, Liverpool

Female Entrepreneurship and the Creative Industries: Women’s Participation in Cultural Labour – Sheree Gregory, Senior Lecturer, School of Business

The African Great Lakes Diaspora: Community-led research on Gender-based Violence – Selda Dagistanli, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences

Building Custodianship of Antarctica – Professor Juan Francisco Salazar, School of Humanities and Communication Arts

In-Person / Online

Why do countries torn by civil war rarely emerge as robust democracies with sustainable peace?

Join the conversation on the International Day of Peace as former UN Peacekeeper Dr Izabela Pereira Watts discusses her new book Peace or Democracy: Dilemmas for Peacebuilding after Civil Wars and her professional and practical experiences, with special guest Leanne Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Human Rights Commission, and Dr Simon Longstaff, AO (CEO of The Ethics Centre) as part of the Library's Thought Leadership series.

Dr Izabela Pereira Watts accumulates more than 15 years of experience in development cooperation projects with major international organizations, such as the United Nations and the Organisation of American States, as well as private and public sectors, including think tanks, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Peruvian Embassy. Her experience in international development across Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe intersects with public policy design, project management, monitoring and evaluation, peacekeeping, elections, humanitarian affairs, strategic analysis and gender in fragile states. She is a former UN Peacekeeper (Democratic Governance Officer to the United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste). She holds a Doctorate in International Relations and two master's degrees in Economics and Political Sciences and Peace Studies, respectively. Her bachelor's degree was also in International Relations.

Her passion and energy led her to multiple awards, including, “Top 99 Under 33 Most Influential International Leaders” by the global affairs magazine Diplomatic Courier (USA-2013) and the Yunque Prize for Humanitarianism and Education (Argentina-2007). She was also nominated twice for the Outstanding Contribution for Teaching and Learning Award (OCTAL-University of Wollongong- 2020 & 2022). Dr Pereira Watts is a senior international consultant and lecturer at the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University. She is a research member of the Future of Rights Centre (FoRC) at the University of Wollongong and an Adjunct Fellow for the Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI) at Western Sydney University. She is also a former Ambassador for the Global Peace Index of the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) and a former research coordinator of Armed Conflict Prevention and Resolution–(GapCON University Rio de Janeiro). Dr Pereira Watts has many publications, including the book Peace or Democracy: Dilemmas for Peacebuilding after Civil Wars (2023 Routledge- UK) the foreword of which was written by Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, and endorsed by former members of the Parliament of Kosovo and Rwanda and UN high Officials. Dr Pereira Watts’ excellent communication skills are also evident in her fluency in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Date & time: Thursday, 21st September 2023, 1:30pm-2:30pm

Location: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Conference room 2 (PC-01.9.16) or Online via Zoom.

Registration for this hybrid event is essential

In-Person / Online

Food security is essential for the survival of humankind and is linked to many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each SDG has some connection to other SDGs creating a complex web of interconnected systems. At a fundamental level, these interconnections facilitate the exchange of knowledge, material, services, and money. Smart Computing can facilitate these exchanges to significantly enhance economic, social, and environmental outcomes.

In this seminar, we will show practical applications of Smart Computing to achieve food security by creating Digital Agrifood Ecosystems. Unlike traditional digital agriculture, digital agrifood ecosystems take a holistic approach by integrating various stakeholders in the food system, including farmers, consumers, supply chains, agriculture extension and other service providers, and policymakers. It enhances the flow of information among these stakeholders, enabling them to coordinate activities leading to improved productivity, distribution, quality, and food availability, focusing on achieving food security. These ecosystems leverage advances in digital technologies, social computing, inferencing, predictive, and generative computational techniques to create necessary information flows to facilitate the timely and context-specific exchange of knowledge, material (inputs and harvest), and money. We will present some case studies of application of these innovations in agriculture practices in Sri Lanka, India, and Africa.

Professor Athula Ginige holds a B.Sc. first-class honours in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge on a Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarship. Formerly an Associate Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), he is currently the Head of School and Professor of Information Technology at Western Sydney University. His research interests include Web Engineering and remote healthcare. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer).

Dr. Bahman Javadi Jahantigh is an Associate Professor in Networking and Cloud Computing at Western Sydney University. He holds MS and PhD degrees in Computer Engineering from the Amirkabir University of Technology. Prior to his current role, he was a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and INRIA Rhone-Alpes, France. He is the co-founder of the Failure Trace Archive and has served on various international program committees.

Dr. Ashini Wesumperuma is an Information Technology Lecturer at Western Sydney University, specializing in eLearning Design and Development. She is keen on incorporating sustainability into teaching.

Date & time: Thursday 7th September 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Conference room 2 (PC-01.9.16) or Online via Zoom.

Bookings for this hybrid event are essential

Public Thought Leadership Event

In-Person / Online

There are 4.4 million people living with disability in Australia. That’s 1 in 6 people. The likelihood of disability increases with increasing age. People with disability experience more disadvantage when it comes to participation and employment. This presentation discusses the work of Western Sydney University and the Western Sydney Disability Hub with a focus on two key workforce issues. First, there are not enough workers to meet demand within the disability sector. This is putting a strain on existing services and staff, compromising participation and outcomes for people with disability who want to access therapies and supports in the daily life. Second, people with disability are less likely to be employed. This can cause a cycle of poverty and welfare dependency negatively impacting on outcomes for people with disability. Come and hear from industry professionals and lived experience to see how this issue may be addressed.

Dr Caroline Mills is an occupational therapist and academic in the School of Health Sciences at Western Sydney University. Her work focuses on health and disability and is often co-designed with industry stakeholders and those with lived experience.  
Kitty Mach is a provisional psychologist and WSU alumni, with lived experience of autism and ADHD. She brings a unique perspective to her work in the disability sector.

Jeff Scobie is a recognised leader in the disability field with over 40 years experience in the disability sector in various roles. He is currently the CEO of Macarthur Disability Services.

Date & time: Thursday, 31 August 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Conference room 2 (PC-01.9.16) or Online via Zoom.

In-Person / Online

Western Sydney University design and water researchers Dr Leo Robba and Dr Ian Wright have combined art and science in The Painted River Project, which highlights the importance of preserving and improving river and water catchments in Australia through community engagement and education.

The Painted River endeavours to engage the community through art on the health and future vision for rivers. Water and our river systems are the foundation of healthy cities and human well-being.

Date & time: Friday, 4 August 2023, 1:30pm-2:30pm

Location: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Conference room 2 (PC-01.9.16) or Online via Zoom.

In-Person / Online

This talk presents the findings of an Australian Research Council Discovery project called "Innovative Waste Economies: Redrawing the Circular Economy". The circular economy is a policy response to the global waste crisis, aiming to replace the "take-make-waste" economy with a more sustainable model that prolongs product life, reduces waste, and recovers the value of discarded materials. However, achieving circularity requires more than just technical improvements in waste management - it also involves reconfiguring social practices, economic relationships, and ingrained habits.

Our research centres social-practices of experimentation with waste already underway in Australia that are attempting to renegotiate how we live with waste. In this talk, we discuss one such experiment that involves a range of stakeholders working together to organize the reverse logistics of transporting organic waste (specifically, spent coffee grounds) from Sydney city cafes, businesses, and universities to peri-urban farms practicing regenerative farming. Our research aims to explore the social and economic relationships required to make this type of circularity work. The City of Sydney has set the ambitious goal of an 80% reduction of organic waste from landfill by 2030. Meeting this ambitious goal involves rapid and ambitious transformation. What emerges from our research is a more inclusive and participatory vision of circularity, which aims to achieve a wider range of goals beyond simply waste reduction.

Date & time: Tuesday, 25 July 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Location: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Conference room 2 (PC-01.9.16).

In-Person / Online

As part of Reconciliation Week and in celebration of World Turtle Day, Western Sydney University Library and Associate Professor Ricky Spencer, in partnership with Penrith City Library, present an interactive family workshop on how we can all help protect Australian endangered turtle species, incorporating mindful rock painting activities, following on from turtle-themed Indigenous story time activities led by Pearl Wymarra, Aboriginal Elder.

This event is part of the Growing Thought Leadership Series which aims to promote and celebrate Western Sydney University's work aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for people of all ages.

Time: 12 noon to 1pm

Location: Penrith City Council

In-Person / Online

As many as 50,000 German, Italian, and Japanese civilians were sent to Internment camps in Australia during WWII. Until today, the lives and fates of 512 German civilians of Persia (Iran), the imprisoned inhabitants of Australian World War II confinement centres, and the roles that they and their family members played in the development of post-war Australia has been ignored by academia.

Professor Pedram Khosronejad and Mrs Helga (Girschik) Griffin present the findings of a research project which explores the socio-cultural history and memories of a group of civilian German detainees and migrants in Australia through their heritage and the roles that they played in the development of the country after World War II.  This presentation is the result of a four year collaboration between Professor Khosronejad and Mrs Helga (Girschik) Griffin, the only surviving female among the civilian Germans from Persia (Iran) who were brought to Australia as families and allegedly kept in detention, but actually lived like prisoners in Tatura’s Internment Camp No. 3 (1941-46).

The daughter of an Austrian railway engineer working in Iran (1936-41), Helga was aged six when, with her parents and younger brother, she became a captive of the British Army’s invasion of that politically neutral country in 1941. Her family was evicted from Iran and sent by sea to a WWII prison camp at a secret destination. Her family’s internment in Australia’s Camp 3, Tatura, in north-western Victoria, lasted five years. Helga’s story represents a rare opportunity to hear a first-hand account of a young female’s experiences arriving in Australia by boat as a stateless refugee and being placed in detention for an unforeseeable time. She is the only surviving female from 512 civilian Germans detained in Iran who were taken into Australian WWII internment prison camps.

The research project investigates whether the concept of internment is a polite euphemism to disguise the political actuality of civilians being treated like prisoners without any political or moral conviction. Helga’s so-called internment was associated with life threatening danger during transportation, long-term detention in an antagonistic political environment, and the fracture of a child’s normal development. It is questionable whether such violations of Human Rights are excusable in the interest of a foreign neutral country’s national security during a time of war.

This event also includes an exhibition curated by Professor Pedram Khosronejad displaying some of the objects from Mrs Griffin’s family collection from their internment periods in Tatura Internment prison camp.

After the event, Mrs Helga (Girschik) Griffin will be signing copies of her book "At Home in Exile", which will be available to purchase for $44. Please bring exact change.

^{Girschik Collection. Curator: P. Khosronejad © P. Khosronejad
Tatura, Victoria, Australia, 10 March 1945. Family groups of German Internees at No. 3 Camp, Tatura Internment Camp. Back row, left to right (standing): Helga Girschik; Rudolf Girschik; Lothar Streker; Daniel Streker. Front row (sitting): Peter Girschik (standing); Elfriede holding baby Herbert Girschik; Elisabeth Streker; Liselotte Streker.}

Biography of Professor Pedram Khosronejad and Mrs Helga (Girschik) Griffin (PDF)

The Growing Thought Leadership series aims to promote and celebrate Western Sydney University's work aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for a younger audience.

Come and learn about wombats, an Australian native marsupial that is endangered and needs our help.

Enjoy hands-on craft activities creating your very own wombat mask and discover more about these fascinating creatures.

Presented by Western Sydney University’s Associate Professor Julie Old, Ecologist and Western Sydney University Library.

In-Person / Online

How and in what ways does gender matter in Australian education? How are pedagogies, practices and policies influenced by understandings of gender? What old ideas and approaches persist and how do these need to change for the present? How are young people, teachers and school leaders responding to contemporary notions of gender? How has feminist thinking and praxis been effective in the in the past and what is needed now? In this presentation, Professor Susanne Gannon revisits her work in this field over more than twenty years, in the school education and university sectors, to consider what does it mean now for schools to be inclusive, safe spaces for all students of all genders to thrive. In particular her work considers initiatives in secondary schools, and the findings from the ARC funded Gender Matters project (with Prof Kerry Robinson).

Associate Professor Jessica Weir discusses what Australia learnt about Country in response to the catastrophic bushfires of 2019-20 and invites discussion from the audience.

What did Australia learn about Country after the 2019-20 catastrophic bushfires?

Australia’s 2019-20 catastrophic bushfires were shocking – the long stretch of burnt out eastern-seaboard localities, the capital cities blanketed in smoke, and particles from this continent circling the globe. There was national and international media interest in Indigenous peoples’ burning practices as ‘the answer’. This media attention reflects generational shifts by non-Indigenous individuals and institutions towards more respectful relations with Indigenous peoples (e.g. Welcome to Country ceremonies).

However, understanding whether Indigenous fire management is the answer requires understanding first what is the question; and this, as Indigenous leaders keep reiterating,  requires understanding Country.

This presentation considers what the catastrophic bushfire inquiries tell us about where the Federation of Australia is at with learning about Country. Associate Professor Weir will demonstrate how diverging and aligning Indigenous and non-Indigenous bushfire expertise offers not just more possibilities for responding to global environmental crisis, but more possibilities for understanding expert knowledge itself.

Associate Professor Weir: 'I contribute as a white non-Indigenous scholar descended from colonialists, and my scholarship is both charged and constrained by this positionality.'

Join us as we host a panel of scientists from fields such as biology, human anatomy, forensic anthropology, ecology and environmental science. Learn how they got into science, their current research, what challenges they have faced as females in the scientific community and celebrate the rise of women in the industry.

Proudly bought to you by Western Sydney University Library, Science @ The Local and Penrith City Library

Dr Lise Mogensen is an Associate Professor at School of Medicine Western Sydney University, with demonstrated teaching excellence in project based learning. Lise’s areas of expertise include Research Design and Supervision, Lecturing, Medical Education, Medical Sociology, Childhood and Disability Studies. Dr Mogensen holds a PhD in Social Justice and Social Change from Western Sydney University.

Life after school for young people with intellectual disability: “I want to be more than a disability person’’

This session is presented by Associate Professor Lise Mogensen, School of Medicine, Professor Gabrielle Drake, School of Social Sciences, Dr Jenny McDonald, School of Medicine and Dr Nicole Sharp, School of Health Sciences, and Director of Believe and Become Occupational Therapy.

The researchers present findings from a recent study exploring the transition from school to adult life as experienced by young people with intellectual disability in Queensland, NSW, and Victoria. The project also explored whether the change from a social welfare model of disability support to a consumer-focused market-based system, funded by the NDIS, better enable consumer ‘choice and control’ as intended. Findings from interviews with parents, educators, health, and disability services providers will also be presented, questions and discussion will be invited from the audience.

Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, where nearly 90% of the population lives in towns and metropolitan areas. The trend in Australia and elsewhere in the world is towards larger and denser cities. Both processes, expansion of cities at their fringe zones and densifying within, make cities hotter. This is counterproductive in a time where our summers become hotter. We must do the opposite – develop urban spaces so they keep cool.

Dr Sebastian Pfautsch is an Associate Professor at the Urban Transformations Research Centre of Western Sydney University where he develops strategies to keep cities cool. He is an advocate for change who regularly features in the media. His work has changed government policies and practices and he has won state and national awards for his projects.

In this talk, he explained why it is necessary to pivot urban design and development from business-as-usual to cool. Using practical examples, he demonstrated the wide range of possibilities available today to create heat-smart towns and cities for tomorrow – from simple changes around residential homes to turning public parks into large air conditioners.

You may find out about his work on car parks, playgrounds and schools as well.

This presentation was recorded, and is available to watch.

Dr. Roger Attwater discussed operational sustainability at Western Sydney University, and invited discussion from the audience.

WSU’s commitment to the UN-led ‘Race to Zero for Colleges and Universities’ is for Carbon Neutral 2023 and Climate Positive 2029.

The presentation outlined our journey during 2022 towards Climate Active accreditation of carbon neutrality, and our developing Carbon Transition Plan to progress towards being a low carbon organisation and our Climate Positive aspirations.

Associate Professor Louise Crabtree-Hayes and Associate Professor Neil Perry discussed regional collaboration and invited discussion from the audience.

In 2021 after two years of closure, the University's Lithgow building re-opened as Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra - the Lithgow Transformation Hub. The name translates as 'working together, side by side'.

The name was provided by Wiradjuri language holder Sharon Riley to uphold the vision developed by local stakeholders, which is for Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra to act as a catalyst for regional collaboration towards sustainable futures.

Framed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra is now a thriving centre of regional innovation with a program of intertwined capacity-building activities that continues to expand and deepen.