20 free talks, 10 local bars, 1 night.
Presented by the University of Sydney and sponsored by the City of Sydney, Raising the Bar 2026 will transform 10 inner-city bars into spaces of learning for one night only on Thursday May 7.
Featuring 20 free talks from University of Sydney researchers and academics, join us as we explore the new ideas and technologies shaping our world.
Laurence Troy and Sophia Maalsen
Mountain Culture Beer Co, 6:30 pm
Why renting forever isn't a personal failure, and what a century of policy choices have to do with it.
Natalie Matosin
Mountain Culture Beer Co, 8 pm
What happens to your brain cells under stress, and what this means for understanding mental illness.
Eleanor Drummond
Crown Hotel, 6:30 pm
Dementia is Australia's leading cause of death. So why are researchers still unable to find a cure?
Luigi Fontana
Crown Hotel, 8 pm
Forget the supplements and cold plunges. What does the science of longevity actually say about food?
Yun-Hee Jeon
Keg & Brew, 6:30 pm
One of the most important questions about aging, asked by someone who has spent a lifetime trying to answer it.
Morgan James
Keg & Brew, 8 pm
Puberty is arriving earlier than ever, and new research suggests it's rewiring the adolescent brain in ways that last.
Kenya Fernandes
Hermann's Bar, 6:30 pm
Fungi power our ecosystems and make our medicines, but they're evolving faster than we can handle.
Haryana Dhillon
Hermann's Bar, 8 pm
Exercise reduces the risk of cancer coming back. Haryana Dhillon has the data, and the results are literally life-changing.
Suneha Seetahul
Bank Hotel, 6:30 pm
A global journey through three very different economies to ask what it actually takes to make work more equal for women.
Michele Barnes
Bank Hotel, 8 pm
When disaster strikes, resilience often comes down to our connections with people and the natural world, rather than emergency plans.
Jasmine Fardouly
The Harold, 6:30 pm
From filters to the teen social media ban: what does the research actually say about body image online?
Michael Ward
The Harold, 8 pm
From rabies to bird flu: where do dangerous diseases come from and how do we stop them?
Jedidiah Evans
Rose of Australia, 6:30 pm
What happens when you bring poetry and philosophy inside a prison? Jedidiah Evans has been finding out for a decade.
Zhanna Sarsenbayeva
Rose of Australia, 8 pm
It’s clear that AI is becoming a bigger part of our working lives, so how can we use it to genuinely help people build healthy habits and stay motivated?
Stephanie Partridge
The Toxteth, 6:30 pm
Algorithms and delivery apps have a huge impact on what young people eat, so can we make them healthier?
Hannah Kunst
The Toxteth, 8 pm
We're working harder and burning out faster. The path to a better workplace wellbeing might be hiding in plain sight.
Christopher Rudge
New Britannia, 6:30 pm
Medical treatments and technologies are evolving rapidly, but is our legal landscape keeping pace?
Emrah Baki Ulas and Vera Xia
New Britannia, 8 pm
When it comes to city spaces at night, many assume more light is better. Nocturnal design is now challenging us to build for the night.
David Reilly
Mountain Goat Beer, 6:30 pm
An honest, hype-free guide to how quantum computers actually work and why they could change almost everything.
Paul McDermott
Mountain Goat Beer, 8 pm
From Vivid Sydney’s Tekno Train to city streets, music shows how shared spaces can become places of connection.
We believe in the power of knowledge to transform lives and shape the world for the better. Raising the Bar fits with our mission to make education accessible to all and foster a culture of lifelong learning.
Vice-Chancellor and President
Listen to all 2024 Raising the Bar talks now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud