Digital Transformation and Environmental Sustainability

A public lecture by Professor Pradip Dutta, Centre for Energy Research, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science.

Tuesday 5 May 2026, 6pm-7pm | Woolnough Lecture Theatre, UWA

Digitalisation continues to move at warp speed, transforming lives and livelihoods. At the same time, rapid digitalisation is leading to exacerbating environmental and climate challenges. This talk highlights the direct environmental impact of our increased reliance on digital tools – from raw material depletion, water and energy use, air quality, pollution, and waste generation. These are accentuated by emerging technologies such as internet of things (IoT), blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), and digital services ranging from emailing to video streaming. At the heart of the expanding digital economy lie the data centres, for storing and processing vast volumes of data for consumers, businesses and the public sector. Data centres are characterised by huge computing capacity and cooling requirement, and accordingly consume large amounts of both energy and water. This talk also highlights the projected growth in energy demand for data centres, and the corresponding need for scale-up of decarbonised electricity grid capacity.

UWA Music presents The 2026 Callaway Lecture

Paul Kelly in Conversation

Friday 8 May 2026 | 6.30pm - 8pm |  Octagon Theatre, UWA

This event is supported by the Forrest Research Foundation and the Institute of Advanced Studies.

The Callaway Lecture is one of the UWA Conservatorium of Music’s most prestigious annual events, welcoming distinguished speakers who explore music’s place in culture, creativity and public life. This year’s event features Paul Kelly in conversation. One of Australia’s most celebrated songwriters and storytellers, Kelly’s career spans more than four decades, with a catalogue of songs that have become part of the nation’s musical landscape.
Join us for this rare opportunity to hear from a truly iconic Australian artist as he reflects on his life in music, songwriting, and the stories behind the songs.

Tickets $25.00. **SOLD OUT**

Atrocity Prevention in a Time of Challenge

A public lecture by Mr Jeffrey Sizemore, Senior Human Rights Research Fellow and Independent policy advisor.

Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 6pm - 7pm, Fox Lecture Theatre, UWA

The elimination of the US Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice, Conflict and Stabilization Bureau, and many offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor as well as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) represents a deliberate dismantling of America’s atrocity prevention architecture and enterprise. This removes much of the international capacity to address atrocity risk at a time when violence, authoritarianism, and atrocity risk is increasing globally.

This conversation will provide clear examples of what has been lost and the challenges that remain. Mr. Sizemore will also provide options and lines of effort where the international community, academia, civil society, and the private sector can step up to fill some of the gaps and vacuum left in the wake of America’s retreat.

Jeff Sizemore is a global leader on atrocity prevention training for practitioners and is currently the 2026 Mary Ming-Wing Lee Senior Human Rights Research Fellow at the University of Queensland School of Political Science and International Studies. He has served as the Deputy Director in the Office of Security and Human Rights and as the Senior Advisor on Atrocity Prevention for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the United States Department of State.

Theory to Practice, an Atrocity Prevention Simulation

Masterclass with Mr Jeffrey Sizemore, Senior Human Rights Research Fellow and Independent policy advisor.

Monday 11 May 2026, 10am-1pm | Institute of Advanced Studies

This masterclass will provide participants with an opportunity to put theory to practice and attempt to address a fictional atrocity risk scenario. Utilizing participants’ understanding of atrocity risk and early warning, the atrocity prevention toolbox, and how atrocity prevention works in practice including in the multilateral sphere, attendees will participate in a tabletop atrocity prevention simulation. Participants will take action to address risk in an ongoing, fictional, atrocity scenario. This simulation is a fictional scenario rooted in real world events and dynamics that continue to play out globally. Before beginning, participants should understand that this exercise contains multimedia content in the form of videos, photographs, text, and audio that include depictions of violence, however simulated. *Some participants may find this content disturbing.