Digital Futures Research Hub Established

HASSE is pleased to have officially established its interdisciplinary Digital Futures Research Hub (The Hub). The inaugural Steering Group meeting was held on 22 February 2024, with 20 members from across the faculty. The Steering Group is organised around four Priority Networks (Digital Humanities Network; Digital Arts Network; Digital Societies Network; and Digital Education Network), with representation from each on an Advisory Group. Steering Group members are: Dr Jane Ahlstrand, Dr Jo Bird, Assoc/Prof Jo Coghlan, Assoc/Prof Anna Du Plessis, Assoc/Prof Jill Fielding, Prof Martin Gibbs, Dr Lisa Hackett, Assoc/Prof Donna Hewitt, Assoc/Prof Brendan Jacobs, Dr Cat Volpe Johnston, Dr Richard Jordan, Dr Alina Kozlovski, Dr Josh Matthews, Prof Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, Dr Wyatt Moss-Wellington, Dr Stoo Sepp, Dr Paul Smith, Assoc/Prof Jason Stoessel, Dr Ariella Van Luyn, and Prof Sue Saltmarsh.

What’s The Hub about? Digital technologies have become central drivers of communication, productivity, innovation and enterprise across a vast range of organisations and industry sectors. However, as digital technologies and their uses continue to evolve, they also change the nature and practices of everyday life – of social relations and cultural norms; of human creativity and knowledge production, and its curation, dissemination and preservation; and of the individual and collective futures we imagine, create and navigate. Just as these technological advances create opportunities for addressing complex problems, they also create risks that pose new and accelerating challenges, such as risks to personal and community safety and wellbeing, social cohesion and national security. Such concerns sit at the heart of research in humanities, arts, social sciences and education. Digital Futures Research across the disciplines represented in HASSE sits at the intersection of these opportunities and challenges, both by utilising digital technologies to generate, archive and disseminate data, findings and tools for enhanced learning, creativity and understanding, and by situating digital technologies and their uses, misuses and potentialities as objects of inquiry.

What does The Hub aim to do? HASSE aims to leverage the range of skills and expertise available across the faculty to ensure the future growth of Digital Futures Research at UNE. This research will in turn inform development of new postgraduate research courses, HDR research opportunities, courses, units and majors expected to ensure the growth and development of digital studies at UNE. In addition, it will utilise advanced disciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise to cultivate research partnerships, community engagement and external funding bids.

Save the date! – HASSE Research Futures Symposium 2024

This year’s dates for the HASSE Research Futures Symposium are Mon-Tues 14-15 October. Professor Deborah Youdell (Dean, School of Education, Macquarie University) will join us as keynote speaker. This year, Research Groups and Networks across the faculty have been asked to host a round-table, and are encouraged include an external scholar as discussant. The symposium will be held in hybrid mode to facilitate external engagement and participation.

Collaborative Research Fellowships Program

The last newsletter announced establishment of the Collaborative Research Fellowships Program, which will support successful applicants to contribute to three HASSE led initiatives – the Digital Futures Research Hub, the Future Histories project, and the Teach for the Country project. Applications have now closed and are under panel review – we anticipate announcing the successful applications by the end of April.