Tuesday, 3 September 2024
Three Nobel Prize laureates to share the stage at UNSW
This October, the Nobel Prize Dialogue makes its debut in Sydney, uniting some of the world’s leading thinkers on the science and the art of decision-making.
The evening event at UNSW Sydney will feature conversations between three Nobel Prize laureates: Peace laureate Tawakkol Karman and Physics laureates Professor Saul Perlmutter and Professor Brian Schmidt.
Writer, composer and advocate for critical thinking Tim Minchin will also be on stage, alongside other prominent regional and international experts.
The discussion will centre around decision-making. Humanity evolved thanks in large part to our ability to cooperate with one another. However, in a world where the deep problems of war, threats to democracy and climate change are sowing chaos, our collective decision-making processes need to evolve.
The Nobel Dialogue at UNSW will explore how our choices are shaped, do we truly have free will, and what are the opportunities and threats we face from artificial intelligence?
UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs said it’s an honour that UNSW has been selected to host this event.
“To have three Nobel Prize laureates on stage together will be a unique opportunity to hear from some of the planet’s brightest minds on how we can tackle society’s most fundamental problems,” he said.
Sandra Brandin, Acting CEO of Nobel Prize Outreach, expects the three laureates will enlighten audiences.
“In a year of elections worldwide and a concerning decline in democracy, the theme of decision-making is more relevant than ever,” she said. “We are thrilled to bring this event to Australia for the first time and partner with UNSW.”
Professor Verity Firth, UNSW’s Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement, said the event offers students, staff and the broader community a chance to hear from some of the world’s most distinguished scholars.
“In this age of misinformation, we must equip ourselves for a future where the line between fact and fiction is increasingly blurred. Universities have a vital role to teach critical thinking and help society distinguish between trustworthy and non-trustworthy information so that we learn how – not what – to think,” she said.
The Nobel Prize Dialogue Sydney is a free event. It will be held at UNSW Sydney on Thursday, 24 October, 6pm – 8pm at the Clancy Auditorium. The theme is “The Future of Decision Making”.
Media are invited to the event and can request interviews. Please contact UNSW Media, media@unsw.edu.au and register for tickets via this link.
The public can register for the free event on Eventbrite.
About the Nobel Prize laureates
Tawakkol Karman is a Yemeni journalist and human rights activist. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her non-violent efforts to promote peace and women’s rights. At 32, she was one of the youngest-ever recipients of the prize, and the first Arab woman to be given the honour. She led protests against Yemen’s dictatorial regime, spending months living in a protest camp outside Yemen’s Presidential Palace. Her bravery and activism led to countless death threats and multiple arrests, and she was described as the “Mother of the Revolution” and “The Lady of the Arab Spring”. She founded Women Journalists Without Chains and the Tawakkol Karman Foundation, which helps build schools, fight poverty and provide medical help across Yemen.
Saul Perlmutter shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2011 with Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe. He is a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His interests go well beyond physics, and his research has inspired interdisciplinary courses for undergraduates called Sense & Sensibility & Science as well as Physics & Music, which he has taught for more than a decade.
Brian Schmidt is Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and a former Vice-Chancellor at the Australian National University. He moved to Australia in 1995 and, as leader of the High-Z SN Search team, he shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the accelerating universe. Brian Schmidt has worked across many areas of astronomy including studying supernovae, gamma ray bursts, gravitational wave transients, exo-planets and metal poor stars. He also has a strong interest in agriculture and is a vigneron and winemaker.
Event program
Decision-making for the greatest benefit to humanity: Brian Schmidt
Nobel Prize laureate Brian Schmidt will lay out the new risk landscape and how we can navigate it.
Democracy reimagined: New thinking for the 21st century: Tawakkol Karman and UNSW constitutional law expert Megan Davis
Cooperation is humanity’s superpower, but we take it for granted at our peril. Around the world, democratic principles are being undermined while many voices are ignored.
Facts, fiction and critical thinking: Saul Perlmutter and Tim Minchin
The ability to think critically is essential to make good decisions and to solve some of the world’s most intractable problems. Saul Perlmutter believes everyone can learn the critical thinking skills scientists use every day, and he’ll be joined by writer and composer Tim Minchin to discuss how it can be used to grow creativity and curiosity.
Live performance from rapper and UNSW alumni Dobby.
About the Nobel Prize Dialogue
The Nobel Prize Dialogue brings together Nobel Prize laureates and world-leading thinkers to discuss global issues that affect us all. The conference is inspired by the Nobel Week Dialogue, which has been held in Sweden since 2012 on the day before the Nobel Prize award ceremony. Nobel Prize Dialogue is organised by Nobel Prize Outreach and UNSW Sydney, with the support of Nobel International Partners 3M, ABB, EQT, H2 Green Steel and Scania. Read more about the program and the speakers.
Nobel Prize Outreach
Nobel Prize Outreach spreads knowledge about Nobel Prize-awarded achievements and stimulates interest in science, literature and peace in line with Alfred Nobel’s vision and legacy. The company reaches a global audience of millions through its high-quality productions: the official digital channels of the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Prize Concert, as well as a series of intercontinental, inspirational lecture events featuring Nobel laureates.
Disclaimer: Nobel Prize Outreach is not directly or indirectly involved in the process of nominating or selecting Nobel laureates. These procedures are strictly confidential and regulated by the Nobel Prize awarding institutions.
© Nobel Prize Outreach 2024. Nobelpriset®, Nobel Prize® and the Nobel Prize medal are registered trademarks of the Nobel Foundation.
UNSW Sydney
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Ranked #1 in Australia for research quality and impact, UNSW pioneers research that improves lives the world over. We have a global reputation for driving breakthroughs in a range of fields, including inequality, climate change, renewable energy and quantum computing. We turn ideas into action to advance progress for all.
Contact details:
Julia Holman, UNSW Media
T: 0435 124 673
E: julia.holman@unsw.edu.au