Join us at our Victorian Chapter's End of Year Salon - The Anthropocene: Critical Issues for 2024 and Beyond.

The relationship between recent human activity and the acceleration of climate change present critical issues for our survival and quality of life. However, with the clever use of scientific and social developments, we are also entering an era ripe with opportunity. 

Our event will include a moderated discussion from a panel of accomplished Fulbright alumni from diverse disciplines with a research focus on the evening's topic, beginning at 6pm sharp. The panel discussion with be preceded by a short cocktail hour and followed by a guided Q&A. 

The Panel

Dr Naomi Soderstrom

Dr. Soderstrom received her Ph.D. in Accounting and Information Systems from Northwestern University and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Dr. Soderstrom was a U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar in Stuttgart Germany in 2003-2004, during which she studied the emerging European Union Emissions Trading System. Her current projects include research on corporate sustainability reporting. She has also provided input to regulators in New Zealand and Australia to inform development of mandatory climate risk reporting standards. This work provides important information on how corporations impact and respond to climate change and other societal challenges to help managers and investors make better decisions as they navigate an increasingly uncertain future. Dr. Soderstrom has published over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented her research at over 60 universities worldwide. 

Yee-Fui Ng

Yee-Fui Ng is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation at Monash University. Her research centres on the intersection between public law and politics, focussing on enhancing executive accountability. Yee-Fui was a 2021-22 Fulbright Scholar and undertook research at New York University on the digital welfare state. Yee-Fui is the author of The Rise of Political Advisors in the Westminster System (Routledge, 2018) and Ministerial Advisers in Australia: The Modern Legal Context (Federation Press, 2016), which was a finalist of the Holt Prize.

Dr Tim Connell

Tim is a synthetic inorganic chemist interested in materials that interact with light in unique ways. His research focuses on applying these materials in photocatalysis, the conversion of visible light into chemical energy. Using the near limitless energy of light to produce solar fuels and other high-value chemicals promises a sustainable alternative to current carbon-intensive methods. Tim completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne, followed by postdoctoral appointments at CSIRO and RMIT University. In 2019 he was awarded a Fulbright Future Scholarship to undertake research at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh USA. While abroad, Tim developed automated experimental techniques to evaluate photocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen generation. Since returning to Australia, he has continued developing his unique approach to photocatalysis. Tim is currently a Senior Lecturer at Deakin University.

Brenda Cherednichenko

Brenda is currently Alfred Deakin Professor Emeritus at Deakin University. She was appointed as Order of Australia (AM) on 13^th June 2022.  From 2011-2019 she was Vice-President and Executive Dean Arts and Education at Deakin University which includes the National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute, School of Communication and Creative Arts, School of Education, and the School of Humanities and Social Science. Brenda was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2008 at the University of Texas in El Paso and the Netter Centre at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Her research was focused on understanding the significant impact both of these Universities are having by partnering with their community in education, high school completion and tertiary education. She is  convinced that the world of the Anthropocene will not be improved unless the issues of extreme inequity in education, health and economic well-being of our least advantaged citizens are addressed.