The stubborn art of being human: A symposium on AI, students, and the future of higher education
Description
The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) presents The stubborn art of being human: a symposium on AI, students, and the future of higher education, a free in-person and online event on Thursday, 19 November, 11:00am to 4:30pm (AEDT).
In March 2025, our symposium GenAI: Graduate skills and employability left us with a challenge: be bold, be brave, be curious, and treat AI as a tool that augments human skills rather than replacing them. Eighteen months on, we are checking in. What played out how we thought? What didn't turn out the way we expected? And what has changed that nobody saw coming?
This year, students are at the centre of the conversation. You will hear from students about how they really use AI and how they feel about their futures; from employers about what they now need from graduates; and from educators who are redesigning curriculum and assessment in real time. Then our academics will debate that you could replace them with an AI and no-one would notice. Students get the last word.
Expect honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations, with a constructive purpose: working out what universities, students and industry can do together so that educators can prepare the graduates of tomorrow for the workforce of the future, and so that the things only humans can do are the things we guide our graduates to do best.
Who should attend
Students and recent graduates who want a say in how education changes
Educators, academic leaders and learning designers across tertiary education
Employers across small, medium and large enterprises who hire graduates and upskill their workforces
Policy makers and anyone interested in the future of work and learning
Program:
Keynote | Mohammad Chowdhury (Founder and CEO of Long Street Advisors & Visiting Fellow at UTS)
Student Panel | (Re)claiming the art of learning in an AI-enabled world
Industry Panel | Hire the human: What employers need from graduates now
Curriculum Panel | Teaching the stubborn art: Curriculum, assessment and credit when AI can do the homework
Hypothetical Discussion | You could replace each of us with an AI and no-one would notice
Student Reflections | The last word: What should we be stubborn about?
Find out more about the Australian Technology Network of Universities at www.atn.edu.au
Agenda
- 11:05 am
Keynote | Mohammad Chowdhury (Founder and CEO, Long Street Advisors & Visiting Fellow, University of Technology Sydney)
As AI raises the bar for what counts as “competence,” what does a university degree need to offer that AI can’t? This keynote argues that the shift is less a threat than an opportunity for higher education to redefine how it prepares students to go beyond what AI can do. Through three lenses - Experience, Trust and Ethics - it explores the human capabilities that remain out of AI’s reach, then works them back into practical ideas for how future education could reshape its content, learning experience and delivery. Drawing on real-world examples from Mohammad’s own career, it offers a grounded, forward-looking view of what it will mean to be truly capable in an AI-shaped world. --- Mohammad has architected reforms and strategies in 80+ countries, impacting access to the internet for some 2 billion people. In 2025, his team at Long Street estimated that the world is looking at an “AI Gap” of some 4bn people, threatening a second and deeper digital divide. An economist who trained at Oxford and Cambridge universities, Mohammad is a Visiting Fellow at UTS’ Faculty of Engineering and IT, a Ministerial Programme chair at Mobile World Congress, and President of the Victoria branch of the Australian Institute for International Affairs.
- 11:30 am
Student panel | [Re]claiming the art of learning in an AI-enabled world
This student panel explores what it means to reclaim learning as a distinctly human practice in an AI-enabled world. Panellists will consider where AI can support learners – and where it cannot – from reducing routine demands and shortening the path from idea to product, to navigating online learning, assessment and a rapidly changing workplace. At the heart of the conversation is a critical tension: how can students think with AI without outsourcing the intellectual effort, productive struggle and personal investment through which learning takes shape? Rather than rejecting AI, the panel asks what we should continue to do slowly and deliberately because the thinking, questioning and becoming are the point. You'll hear perspectives from diverse undergraduate and postgraduate students from each of our universities - Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, The University of Newcastle, and University of Technology Sydney.
- 1:10 pm
Industry panel | Hire the human: What employers need from graduates now
In March 2025, employers told us critical thinking and problem-solving had never mattered more. Since then, AI tools have moved deeper into everyday work. This panel asks employers what has actually changed inside their organisations, what they now look for in a graduate, where they need to upskill their workforce, where universities are getting it right or could do more, and – in the panellists’ industries – what remains stubbornly and critically human. You'll hear perspectives from a wide range of organisations and industries - Microsoft AU & NZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Code Black Consulting, Rising Sun Pictures, Haileybury, and MinterEllison.
- 1:55 pm
Curriculum panel | Teaching the stubborn art: Curriculum, assessment and credit when AI can do the homework
Students have told us how they learn. Employers have told us what they need. Now educators take on the enormous task of determining what good teaching looks like. AI is also changing how students find, evaluate, create and cite information, raising questions of authorship, evidence and epistemic trust across every discipline. This panel looks at how ATN universities are guiding educators and students through this shift, through policy and assessment redesign, assurance, teacher capabilities, and AI and information literacy. Panellists will then reflect on the larger questions of where the value of a university education now lies, and whether our structures, incentives and partnerships are fit for that purpose. You'll hear from academics from our member universities in diverse areas - assessment design, innovation in learning and teaching, university libraries, GenAI labs, and entrepreneurship.
- 3:05 pm
Hypothetical discussion | You could replace each of us with an AI and no-one would notice
Six academics, one uncomfortable hypothetical discussion. Expect a provocative, entertaining counterpoint to the day with the topic serving as a vehicle for exploring the tensions, assumptions and implications of AI in higher education. Lively conversation will surface different perspectives and a more light-hearted reflection on AI. You'll hear from academics from our member universities and Danny, who snuck in from USYD, specialising in public policy, learning informatics, educational technologies and innovation, research in assessment and digital learning, education and student matters in engineering, IT, business and law.
- 3:55 pm
Student reflections | The last word: What should we be stubborn about?
Our student panel return to close the symposium. They test the 2025 message (be bold, be brave, be curious; augment, don’t replace) against everything they heard, and decide what still holds, what has changed, and what they would add for 2026.
Keynote and Panellists
Mohammad Chowdhury
Founder and CEO, Long Street Advisors & Visiting Fellow, University of Technology Sydney Mohammad Chowdhury leads Long Street Advisors; an advisory firm based in Melbourne focused on supporting meaningful digitalisation with clients and partners around the world. Mohammad focuses on technologies such as 5G, IoT, cyber, AI, fibre, data centres and satellites and how they impact Society, Economy, Government and Nation. He has architected reforms and strategies in 80+ countries, impacting access to the internet for some 2 billion people. In 2025, his team estimated that the world is looking at an “AI Gap” of some 4bn people, threatening a second and deeper digital divide. An economist who trained at Oxford and Cambridge universities, Mohammad is a Visiting Fellow at UTS’ Faculty of Engineering and IT, a Ministerial Programme chair at Mobile World Congress, and President of the Victoria branch of the Australian Institute for International Affairs.
Professor Amanda Mooney
Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Deakin University Professor Amanda Mooney is Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic at Deakin University, providing strategic leadership for the University’s academic enterprise and educational vision. She leads initiatives that advance academic excellence, student success, educational innovation, and institutional performance across the student lifecycle. With extensive experience in senior academic leadership, Amanda has driven transformative outcomes in curriculum renewal, assessment reform, digital learning, quality assurance, and academic governance. She is a strong advocate for inclusive, future-focused education that enhances graduate outcomes, strengthens Deakin’s reputation for teaching excellence, and positions the University to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges in higher education.
Professor Belinda Tynan
Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, The University of Newcastle Professor Belinda Tynan is an accomplished university executive with extensive experience leading strategy, transformation and growth across higher education institutions in Australia and internationally. As Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Newcastle, she is responsible for delivering institutional performance through educational innovation, industry engagement, international partnerships and student success. Known for her collaborative leadership style and ability to build strong relationships across government, industry and the education sector, Belinda has consistently translated strategic opportunities into tangible outcomes for students, universities and communities. Her experience as National Education Lead at Deloitte further reflects her commitment to bridging education and workforce needs, ensuring graduates are equipped to thrive in an increasingly complex and changing world.
Kate Dixon
Bachelor of Criminology, Deakin University I am a mature-age Cloud student in the final year of a Bachelor of Criminology at Deakin University, transitioning to a new career after many years working in horticulture. I will be the first person in my extended family to complete a university degree. I regard the opportunity to study as a privilege, and I am deeply invested in my learning. Primarily, I use AI as a thinking and learning tool, including to recreate some of the informal intellectual dialogue that I have found difficult to access through online study. I am mindful of not outsourcing the intellectual work of learning, while also recognising the importance of developing AI literacy needed for a changing workplace. I believe universities have an important role in helping students use AI critically, ethically and confidently. I am considering postgraduate study and am keen to pursue a career in criminology, although my experiences at Deakin have sparked an interest in student engagement and higher education.
Paul Hung Li Lim
Master's in Digital Communications, Curtin University Paul is a creative and communications professional with 30 years of experience in the advertising industry, having worked with international agencies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Over the course of his career, Paul has built an award-winning portfolio, contributed to multi-milliondollar pitch wins, and helped build brands for clients both large and small. Beginning as a copywriter, he progressed through creative leadership roles while developing a versatility across ideas, content and brand communications. Over three decades, Paul has witnessed first-hand the advertising industry’s evolution from analogue to digital and, more recently, the emergence of artificial intelligence as a new influence. Alongside his profession, Paul is pursuing a Master’s in Digital Communications at Curtin University, where his research tracks the shifts in AI conversations in the advertising industry. The research examines how conversations around AI are evolving within advertising and what these shifts may mean for creativity and creative practice. Paul is also a tutor for Marketing Communications at The University of Western Australia, bringing industry experience into the classroom and helping students connect marketing communications theory with contemporary advertising practice.
Mikayla Sotiriadis
Bachelor of Criminology & Bachelor of Laws, Deakin University Mikayla Sotiriadis a third-year Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Laws student at Deakin University. I have a passion for student advocacy and have had the privilege of being involved with the Deakin University Student Association (DUSA) and will be continuing my work in this space as a Student Councillor. Through my involvement with the student union, I have been able to attend the National Union of Students’ conferences, which has helped shape my perspective on how students are wishing to proceed with AI usage in Universities. My perspective on AI, is that it should not be a mandatory requirement for students, especially in courses where critical thinking and creativity is prioritised. During this year, many students have let me know their concerns across different faculties about how AI is being integrated into their classwork, and how they are worried about the potential changes to their degrees as a result. As such, I believe, if a unit wishes to incorporate AI into their teaching, it should be optional with an appropriate equivalent assignment alternative being provided to those students who wish to not engage. In the future, I wish to pursue a career as a lawyer, with a current interest in family law and employment law. I also am hoping to continue advocacy work as I am passionate about helping to create a more sustainable and hopeful future.
Elsie Leask
PhD Candidate & Associate Lecturer, The University of Newcastle Elsie Leask is a PhD candidate and associate lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, NSW. She trained as an English and History teacher and worked in the public education sector, where she developed an interest in curriculum design, community engagement and collaboration, and the culturally responsive teaching of traumatic pasts. From there, Elsie commenced (and has submitted for examination) her PhD research on the application of artificial intelligence to the interactive preservation of Holocaust survivor testimony in museum education contexts. A key perspective that Elsie shares on Artificial Intelligence is that, while it seems to have permeated every element of our lives, it is vital that we learn how to use it in a way that prioritises human creativity and criticality. She is currently supporting teacher education students in their History, English, and Geography/Commerce methods courses, and hopes to continue to work in the academic space.
Connor Conkey-Morrison
PhD Candidate, RMIT University Connor Conkey-Morrison is a PhD candidate at RMIT University and a provisional psychologist working in primary schools. Their doctoral research examines emotionally based school avoidance, drawing on population-level longitudinal data, education systems indicators, and online discourse to understand why young people disengage from school and what supports help them return. They’re particularly interested in where AI can support young people and the professionals working with them, but equally wary of where it can’t: opaque data practices that entrench bias, and convenience that erodes the friction needed to build critical thinking. Connor hopes to build a career at the intersection of psychology, technology, and education.
Arshia Farshchi Sharif
Civil Engineering (Honours), University of Technology Sydney Arshia Farshchi Sharif is an entrepreneur and Civil Engineering (Honours) student at the University of Arshia Farshchi Sharif is an entrepreneur and Civil Engineering (Honours) student at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He began building businesses in high school, founding and later selling a fashion brand at 17. Alongside his studies, he is building Haven AI, an AI-enabled sleep health venture, has helped expand RentAAA, an asset management software company, into the property sector, and runs a consultancy helping established businesses adapt and grow through technology and AI. Arshia believes AI can dramatically shorten the distance between having an idea and being able to build it, particularly for people who may not yet have the technical skills, resources or team behind them. More broadly, he sees AI as a way to remove barriers and routine work, giving people more time to focus on the work they genuinely care about and are uniquely good at. That perspective is reflected in his work with UTS Startups, where he helps school students build the confidence and practical skills to create, experiment, learn through failure and turn ideas into something real. His ambition is to operate at the intersection of engineering, technology and business, building ventures around emerging technologies
Professor Kylie Readman
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students, University of Technology Sydney Professor Kylie Readman focuses on creating the institutional conditions for building staff and student capacity in learning, teaching, and the student experience, centred around academic engagement, belonging, wellbeing and partnerships. Ensuring student equity is a central theme of her work, including several research projects that investigate the experience of students from a range of diverse backgrounds which are under-represented in higher education. She has had many years’ experiences of leading innovation at the whole-of-institution level, including strategy, resourcing, curriculum integration and product design and campus master planning. Kylie is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a 2020 recipient of an Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia Champion for Change citation.
Yasminka Nemet
Future Skills Lead, Microsoft AU & NZ Yasminka Nemet serves as Future Skills Lead at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, where she leads strategic partnerships between government, industry, and education to ensure equitable access to digital skills. With over 25 years of experience in the K–12 and post-secondary sectors across Australia and the United States, she brings deep expertise in designing scalable, inclusive partnerships and programs that address the evolving workforce demands of the digital economy. Yasminka has played a key role in shaping the Institute of Applied Technology – Digital (a national Centre of Excellence), the NSW & Victorian Digital Skills Compacts, as well as spearheading numerous initiatives that fuse industry and education to prepare the workforce of tomorrow. Experience & perspective on AI In my work, I strive to bring light to the need for cross-sector collaboration to ensure AI creates opportunity for all not just a few. This means thinking through implications for education and employability together, and acting with intention to deliver evidence-based interventions that put human interests first.
Alex Wood
AI Transition Leader, Code Black Consulting Alex is an experienced AI Transition Leader with 20+ years in marketing technology and enterprise systems. He helps executives understand AI change while embedding and training teams on AI systems. Alex holds Strategy and AI Certifications from Ideo, Section4, Google & Meta.
Jane Adams
Executive General Manager, Workforce Readiness, Commonwealth Bank of Australia Jane Adams is Executive General Manager, Workforce Readiness at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, where she leads the bank’s approach to strategic workforce forecasting, workforce design, skilling, employee mobility, early careers and talent acquisition. She is focused on helping one of Australia’s largest employers navigate the transition to an AI-enabled workforce while supporting employees to build future-relevant skills and careers. Jane has more than 25 years of experience leading large-scale transformation across financial services, technology, media and consulting. Prior to her current role, she served as the HR Executive for Technology at Commonwealth Bank partnering the Technology Leadership team to transform the function to build the engineering, data and AI capability for the bank. She holds qualifications in organisational psychology and is passionate about the intersection of technology, work, leadership and human capability. Jane brings a practical workforce and organisational perspective to AI transformation. Rather than viewing AI as primarily a technology challenge, she focuses on what it means for work, skills, leadership and organisational design. Through her work at Commonwealth Bank, she has helped shape approaches to AI adoption, workforce planning, learning, reskilling, talent mobility and the redesign of work as AI capabilities become embedded into everyday operations. Her perspective is that the biggest challenge facing organisations is not access to AI technology, but the ability to adapt work, workforce capabilities and operating models quickly enough to capture its value. She believes that most jobs will evolve before they disappear, that skills are becoming more important than job titles, and that successful organisations will be those that combine AI capability with distinctly human strengths such as judgement, creativity, collaboration, ethics and customer understanding. Jane regularly contributes to discussions on workforce readiness, AI-enabled work design, strategic workforce planning, leadership in an AI era and the future of work, helping leaders prepare their organisations and people for accelerating technological change.
Simon Gillin
Director, Talent & Workforce Strategy, MinterEllison Simon Gillin is Director, Talent & Workforce Strategy at MinterEllison, with deep experience in Strategic Workforce Planning and designing organisations for the future. He has worked across industries to help leaders understand how technology, including AI, is changing work, the skills organisations need, and how roles and workforce models need to evolve. Simon is particularly interested in moving the AI conversation beyond technology to the practical questions of how work changes, what people will do differently, and how organisations can prepare their workforce for what comes next. I approach AI from a workforce and work design perspective. My background in Strategic Workforce Planning has involved helping organisations look several years ahead and understand how changes in technology affect the work people do and the capabilities and skills they will need. This includes considering the impact of AI on future workforce needs. I see AI as an opportunity to redesign work, not just automate it. That means getting practical about which tasks change, how jobs evolve, where human judgement adds the most value, and how organisations prepare people for new ways of working.
Anna Sever
Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning, Haileybury BAppSc (Deakin), DipEd (RMIT), MEdMgt (Melbourne), MBA (MBS), GAICD As Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning) at Haileybury, Anna leads the School’s approach to teaching, learning and educational improvement. Her work focuses on translating evidence about how students learn into high-quality classroom practice, developing teachers and leaders, and supporting Haileybury’s sustained improvement in academic outcomes. At Haileybury, Anna has led significant initiatives in evidence-based teaching practice, professional learning and digital innovation. She has played a key role in the development of Haileybury Pangea, the School’s online education model, extending access to a Haileybury education beyond the boundaries of a traditional campus setting. A lifelong learner, Anna holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and a Master of Education Management from The University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has also undertaken study at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Dr Ben Ward
Machine Learning Department Supervisor, Rising Sun Pictures Ben leads the Machine Learning Department at Rising Sun Pictures, overseeing the integration of ML & AI technologies into high-end visual effects production. He joined RSP in 2021 and has since driven the development of production-ready machine learning systems that empower artists and studios to realise ambitious creative visions more efficiently. Ben earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Adelaide, specialising in interactive 3D reconstruction. Prior to RSP, he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML), where he built machine learning and computer vision tools for applications ranging from medical diagnostics to agricultural imaging. At RSP, Ben has been instrumental in pioneering machine learning face replacement and performance-aware workflows across major productions, including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Elvis, Deadpool & Wolverine, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mickey 17, continually expanding the studio’s capabilities in automated character manipulation, facial performance transfer and artist-centric ML workflows.
Professor Mark Ogden
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Curtin University Mark Ogden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic at Curtin University. He started in this role in March this year, after five years as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Science and Engineering at Curtin. Mark studied inorganic chemistry at UWA, spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, and then joined Curtin where he has spent the majority of three decades as a teaching & research academic. He taught into the first-year chemistry program for the majority of those years, and is still trying to publish the occasional journal article.
Professor Mollie Dollinger
Director of Assessment 2030, Director of Teaching Innovation & the Scholarship of Learning & Teaching, Curtin University Professor Mollie Dollinger serves concurrent roles at Curtin University as the Director of Assessment 2030 in the Office of the DVCA and the Director of Teaching Innovation and the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Health Sciences. AI notes: Professor Mollie Dollinger leads a whole-of-university response to AI in learning and teaching at Curtin University. She is a original signatory of the Castlereagh Statement, on the advisory committee for TEQSA guidance notes, co-leads a national institutional leadership in AI community of practice, and has published extensively on the topics of AI and assessment.
Hero Macdonald
University Librarian, Deakin University Hero Macdonald is University Librarian at Deakin University, a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL), and Chair of the CAUL Content Procurement Committee. Hero’s career reflects a sustained commitment to advancing information equity. In 2026, Hero received the CAUL Distinguished Service Award for their values-led leadership of CAUL’s major publisher negotiations, which delivered unprecedented levels of open access publishing for the region. They bring deep expertise in leadership, digital innovation and sector governance, having previously also served on the Trove Strategic Advisory Committee and the Australian Library and Information Association Board. Hero is deeply interested in how AI is reshaping the scholarly information ecosystem, and what this means for learning, research and the integrity of the scholarly record for the future.
Toni Jones
Lead, Education Gen AI (GAILE), RMIT University Toni Jones is the Lead, Education Gen AI for the Generative AI Lab for Education (GAILE) at RMIT, where she works to build generative AI capability across the educator community. Her work focuses on translating emerging AI technologies into meaningful teaching practice through strategy, professional learning, and educator-facing frameworks and resources. She developed the Generative AI Skills Continuum, a practical framework to support capability development in teaching and learning. A short overview of your experience and perspective on AI: My perspective on AI is both optimistic and critical, and at times I feel conflicted as I wonder: can we make the right decisions now to ensure it supports the flourishing of all? I’ve seen examples of GenAI in education that excite me and offer a glimpse of what transformative practice can look like. But these cases are exciting not because of the technology, but because of the educator’s creativity, judgement and imagination they bring to it. For me, GenAI presents a possibility rather than a certainty. The future it shapes is not embedded in the technology, but in the decisions, practices and values that guide its use.
Bert Verhoeven
Senior Lecturer & Founding Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, The University of Newcastle Bert Verhoeven is an internationally recognised academic, entrepreneur and thought leader in AI-integrated education. As Senior Lecturer and founding Director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Academy at Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle — Australia’s first University wide academy of its kind — Bert drives cross-disciplinary innovation through Design Science Research, I&E competency education and Generative AI proficiency. Since January 2023, he has led one of the earliest and most comprehensive implementations of mandatory GenAI use in Australian business education, and has pioneered the Human-Centric AI-First (HCAIF/3P) pedagogical framework, empowering individuals and teams to harness GenAI to tackle complex challenges, accelerate expertise and deliver sustainable, real-world impact, reshaping how higher education verifies learning in the age of AI. His work spans curriculum and business-model innovation, cross-sector ecosystem building, and global keynote speaking/publications — including at Oxford University, AWS, the Academy of Management, UNESCO, APQN Hong Kong, AACSB and the London School of Economics Impact Blog.
Sharon Andrews
Program Manager, Master of Public Policy, RMIT University Sharon Andrews is a Program Manager for the Master of Public Policy. She has been redesigning the program and exploring the significance and risks of AI in public policy and for policy practitioners. Her perspective is that AI has the potential to contribute positively to policy and public administration, but there is a politics around when technology is deployed, how, on what basis, with what consequences and for whom.
Professor Simon Buckingham Shum
Learning Informatics, Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney Simon Buckingham Shum is Professor of Learning Informatics at the Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney. Prior to this he directed the UTS Connected Intelligence Centre (2014-26), a transdisciplinary innovation centre inventing, piloting, evaluating and scaling personalised feedback to students using analytics and AI. He moved to UTS after nearly 19 years at The Open University’s Knowledge Media Institute. Simon helped establish the field of Learning Analytics, played a central role in the UTS teaching and learning response to GenAI, and is an active contributor the national and international debate around AI in higher education.
Professor Margaret Bearman
Research Professor (CRADLE), Deakin University Margaret Bearman is a Research Professor within the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE), Deakin University, with qualifications in both computer science and education. Margaret has researched higher and health professional education for over two decades. She has had a longstanding interesting in the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for universities, particularly with respect to the social nature of technology use and assessment. In 2023, she co-led the construction of national principles guiding Australian university assessment reform for a time of artificial intelligence. Margaret’s current research includes assessment and feedback practices in a time of AI.
Professor Karen Whelan
Associate Dean, Education & Students, Faculty of Engineering & IT, University of Technology Sydney Karen Whelan is Professor and Associate Dean (Education & Students) in the Faculty of Engineering and IT at UTS. Her research explores the relationship between knowledge, professional practice and gender in engineering education with particular interests in inclusion and curriculum. Karen’s work focuses on curriculum transformation, assessment design, graduate capability development and academic governance in higher education. She has led sector and institutional initiatives spanning engineering accreditation, assessment reform and digital learning, and is currently exploring how universities can better conceptualise, develop and assess inclusive collaborative capability and gender capability as foundations for professional engineering practice. Karen is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and Chair of the Engineers Australia National Committee for Women in Engineering.
Professor Karen Blackmore
Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education Innovation, The University of Newcastle Professor Karen Blackmore is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education Innovation) at the University of Newcastle, where she leads institution-wide education transformation, including strategic reform in teaching quality, assessment, student experience, and AI adoption. A former Dean of Computer and Information Sciences, Karen has held senior leadership roles spanning education, research, industry engagement, and university governance. She is Director of the Centre for Applied and Responsible AI, with an internationally recognised research profile in human-centred AI, immersive technologies, and simulation-based learning, spanning applications in education, health, defence, and industry. As a member of the Australian Computer Society’s Professional Ethics Committee and Standards Australia, she shapes national guidance on the use of emerging technologies.
Professor Colin Picker
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Business & Law, and Vice-President, RMIT University Professor Colin Picker is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Business and Law) and Vice-President at RMIT and has previously held senior positions at University of Wollongong and UNSW Law. Professor Picker entered academia in 2000, after practicing in the Washington, D.C. law firm Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. Professor Picker’s practice included transnational & trade litigation, international transactions and international congressional policy work. He has founded multiple law and economic foundations, including the China International Business and Economic Law (CIBEL) Initiative and the Society of International Economic Law (the SIEL), and has facilitated and led the creation of numerous regional networks across Asia, Latin America and Africa. Professor Picker has also published widely in the areas of IEL, International Law, China and IEL, and Comparative Law. His numerous publications have appeared in leading publishers and journals around the world.
Professor Danny Liu
Educational Technologies, University of Sydney Danny is a molecular biologist by training, programmer by night, researcher and faculty developer by day, and educator at heart. A multiple international and national teaching award winner, he is Professor of Educational Technologies at the University of Sydney where he co-chairs the University’s AI in Education working group and leads the Cogniti.ai initiative that puts educators in the driver’s seat of AI. Most recently he has been coordinating the development of the Castlereagh Statement (castlereagh.ai), a world leading, trans-sector approach to reframing education in the age of AI.
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