OUR 21^st CENTURY BRAIN

Dates: Thursday 2 November 2023, 8.45 am–5.00 pm AEDT
Venue: Live-streamed and now on YouTube
Brochure: A program brochure, comprising the program, abstracts and speaker biographies, is available from this website.

On this page:

• Summary
• Presentations

Summary

The brain underpins our basic instincts and needs, and behavioural responses to the world around us. The brain mediates our compassion, reason, and imagination which are reflected in great works of the arts and sciences. Yet our brain is also the source of distress, dysfunction, and malice. Despite centuries of recurring impacts of tribalism, racism, dehumanisation, and exclusion of ‘outsiders’, we continue to inflict suffering on others.

At the same time, the 21st century brings new challenges that extend well beyond immediate threats to very complex societal challenges such as global security, climate change, massive demographic shifts, resource management, information overload, and artificial intelligence.

Have we reached the edge of our human capacity to respond effectively as either individuals or collective groups?

The context and demands on our brains have been transformed by the very tools we have created, including new information technology platforms, and rapidly developing and deployed forms of artificial intelligence. Diseases of the brain are increasingly prevalent in our ageing population, as are the increasing mental health challenges that are evident across the human lifespan.

Considerable progress across the sciences and humanities has deepened our understanding of genetic, environmental, and social factors that underpin brain development and function. Rising demands on our capacity to respond appropriately to globalised threats bring an urgent need to apply our scientific understanding to the development of just and sustainable solutions.

This year’s Royal Society of New South Wales and Learned Academies Forum focusses on recent progress in unravelling the workings of the brain and opportunities to use our emerging understanding to promote human well-being well beyond the 21st Century.

The Forum is held under the auspices of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.  The Royal Society of New South Wales acknowledges the generous support of Her Excellency, the Academies, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, and Haus Holdings.

Program and Presentations

The full video recording of each session is accessed by clicking on the YouTube video images, while direct access to each of the speakers’ presentations and segments in the sessions is available through the links shown in the program text.  

Welcome, Opening and Keynote Presentations
	Introduction to the Governor Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS President, Royal Society of NSW Official Opening Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC Governor of New South Wales Welcome and Acknowledgements Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS President, Royal Society of NSW Keynote presentations Scientia Professor George Paxinos AO DistFRSN FAA FASSA FAHMS NEURA and UNSW Sydney Moderator and Presenter Professor Lucy Palmer Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellow Florey Institute University of Melbourne Dr Joshua Gordon Director National Institute of Medical Health, USA
Session I: The Developing Mind
	Professor Penny Van Bergen Head, School of Education University of Wollongong Moderator Professor Adam Guastella Michael Crouch Chair in Child & Youth Mental Health Sydney Children’s Hospital and University of Sydney Professor Sharynne McLeod FRSN FASSA Professor of Speech and Language Acquisition Charles Sturt University Professor Anne Castles ARC Laureate Fellow Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy Australian Catholic University Associate Professor Kate Highfield Discipline Lead for Early Childhood Education University of Canberra Audience Q&A Moderated by Professor Penny Van Bergen
Session II: The Brain—Social, cultural, and Philosophical Perspectives
	Emeritus Professor Philippa Pattison AO FRSN FASSA University of Sydney Moderator Professor Andrew Chanen Chief of Clinical Practice and Head, Personality Disorder Research, Orygen, & Professorial Fellow, Centre for Youth Mental Research University of Melbourne The Hon. Dr Andrew Leigh MP FASSA Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, and Treasury Australian Government Dr Jennifer Kent DECRA and Robinson Fellow and Urbanism Research Discipline Lead University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design, and Planning Professor Jakelin Troy FASSA Director, Indigenous Research University of Sydney Professor David Braddon-Mitchell Professor of Philosophy University of Sydney Audience Q&A Moderated by Emeritus Professor Philippa Pattison
Session III: The Brain Disease Burden in Adults
	Professor Anthony Cunningham AO FRSN FAHMS Director, Centre for Virus Research Westmead Institute for Medical Research and University of Sydney Moderator Professor Glenda Halliday FAA FAHMS NHMRC Leadership Fellow Sydney School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney Professor Sharon Naismith NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Leonard P Ullman Chair in Psychology University of Sydney Associate Professor Lycette Cysique Cross-disciplinary Neurophysiologist St Vincent’s Applied Medical Research Centre and Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney Audience Q&A Moderated by Professor Anthony Cunningham
Session IV: Turbocharging Human Intelligence with Artificial Intelligence
	Professor Ian Oppermann FRSN FTSE NSW Government Chief Data Scientist and Industry Professor, University of Technology Sydney Moderator Professor Sally Cripps Director of Technology, Human Technology Institute and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics University of Technology Sydney Ms Stela Solar Director, National AI Centre CSIRO Professor Lyria Bennett Moses Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Law and Justice, and Director, UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law, and Innovation UNSW Sydney Audience Q&A Moderated by Professor Ian Oppermann
Session V: Rapporteur Remarks — Implications for the Future
	Rapporteur Professor Ian Hickie AM FRSN FASSA FAHMS NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director (Health and Policy), Brain and Mind Centre University of Sydney | with panellists Emeritus Professor Peter Baume AC DistFRSN Scientia Professor Helen Christensen AO FASSA FAHMS, Blackdog Institute and UNSW Sydney Emeritus Professor Philippa Pattison AO FRSN FASSA, University of Sydney Professor Jakelin Troy FASSA, University of Sydney