URL
Youtube:-Slow-ageing:-Expert-perspective
Join University of Sydney experts for fresh insights and evidence unlocking our understanding of healthy brain ageing. How might we all live – and stay – well, for longer, at any stage of life?Ìý
Leading researchers at the Brain and Mind Centre are finding solutions for dementia, the second leading cause of death among all Australians and soon it will be the first, .Ìý
Neuroscientist Eleanor Drummond recently made some exciting headway in identifying proteins that are altered in the brain in the very first stages of Alzheimer’s disease and discovery of a new potential biomarker, and is currently working on translating this into the development of new drugs and biomarkers.
Clinician and researcher Olivier Piguet specialises in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and related younger-onset dementias. His successful intervention methods targeting behaviour and language have shown to improve quality of life and independence in patients and their families, reducing burden of care.ÌýÌý
Gilbert Knaggs is a researcher in sociology, and brings perspective on the ethics of dementia prevention, as well as concepts of ageing well and healthy ageing in society.
This event was held on Wednesday 24 September, presented with , a flagship multidisciplinary initiative at the University of Sydney.Ìý
Eleanor Drummond is a neuroscientist who is passionate about understanding the cause of neurodegenerative disease. Her team uses proteomics, neuropathology and cell models of disease to identify the protein drivers of multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Epilepsy and Down syndrome. Her long-term goal is to determine the disease mechanisms that underlie these diseases and to use this information to identify new drug targets and biomarkers.
She received her PhD from the University of Western Australia and then spent several years as an Assistant Professor of Neurology at New York University in the USA. She returned to Australia in 2018 to become a group leader at the and is currently the Bluesand Principal Research Fellow in Alzheimer's disease research.
Olivier Piguet is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology. He is the director of FRONTIER, the frontotemporal dementia clinical research group. He is the President of the International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias (2025) and Past-President of the Australasian Society for the Ï㽶ֱ²¥ of Brain Impairment (ASSBI) (2023-2025).
Olivier trained in Geneva and Melbourne and completed his PhD at the University of Sydney, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. A registered clinical neuropsychologist, he has over 20 years clinical experience in the field of ageing and neurodegeneration.
is a Sociology PhD candidate at The University of Sydney. Gilbert’s PhD project, titled Ageing Bodies, Rural Spaces, Precarious Times, explores how emerging narratives around ‘ageing well’ and ‘healthy ageing’ are embodied by people living in rural and remote communities across NSW.Ìý
Gilbert’s recent work has centred on the ethics of dementia prevention. His research has been published in The Lancet, The British Medical Journal, The Conversation, and elsewhere.
Ìýis an award-winning journalist, podcaster, and presenter working in Sydney.ÌýShe is a 2024 recipient of Writers Victoria’s Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund and in the midst of researching her second book, which will focus on generational inequality and hope.
Her debut bookÌýÌý(Panterra Press 2023) focuses on the silence and stigma that still surrounds complex mental health conditions in Australia. Elfy started out her career at BuzzFeed News Australia as a science reporter and her journalism has featured in publications such as theÌýGuardian, theÌýSaturday Paper, Junkee and VICE. She also hosted and produced Spotify Exclusive Australian politics podcastÌýLeft Right OutÌýandÌýweekly environmental news podcastÌýThe Green Canary.
Event Location:
Summary: On the ongoing optimisation of everything, everywhere.
Event Start Date: 2025-12-10T18:30:00.000+11:00
Event End Date: 2025-12-10T19:30:00.000+11:00
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Explore the science and stories shaping our food experiences and futures with host Sophie Gee and USYD experts.
Event Start Date: 2025-10-22T18:30:00.000+11:00
Event End Date: 2025-10-23T19:30:00.000+11:00
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: How might we all live – and stay – well, for longer, at any stage of life?
Event Start Date: 2025-09-24T18:30:00.000+10:00
Event End Date: 2025-09-24T19:30:00.000+10:00
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Climate change, gender equality and the rise of AI - join social researcher Rebecca Huntley for a spirited open conversation.
Event Start Date: 2025-07-29
Event End Date: 2025-07-29
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Acclaimed theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack presents a lively talk on the likely ways the universe can die.
Event Start Date: 2025-07-10T18:30:00.000+10:00
Event End Date: 2025-07-10T19:30:00.000+10:00
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Why are nations around the world racing to secure critical minerals? What’s at stake, and what does it mean for you?
Event Start Date: 2025-05-20
Event End Date: 2025-05-20
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: British journalist and editor Alan Rusbridger sits down with Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney.
Event Start Date: 2025-03-26
Event End Date: 2025-03-26
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Unpack language, culture and power with linguist John McWhorter in a conversation with host Nick Enfield.
Event Start Date: 2025-03-12
Event End Date: 2025-03-12
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Hear acclaimed historian and writer Sir Simon Schama in-conversation with Professor Avril Alba.
Event Start Date: 2025-03-05
Event End Date: 2025-03-05
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Defining the elements of a breakthrough, can we engineer the next great discovery in business, science, policy and civic life?
Event Start Date: 2024-11-26
Event End Date: 2024-11-26
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Jo-An Occhipinti, John Buchanan, and Richard Denniss explore mental wealth as a new measure of national wellbeing.
Event Start Date: 2024-10-24
Event End Date: 2024-10-24
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Economist and parliamentarian Andrew Leigh discusses his book, Battlers and Billionaires with entrepreneur Cliff Obrecht.
Event Start Date: 2024-10-23
Event End Date: 2024-10-23
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Fake research papers are on the rise. Explore what's fuelling this, why it's concerning, and how we can address this issue.
Event Start Date: 2024-10-22
Event End Date: 2024-10-22
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Can liberalism be the basis of a meaningful and fun way of life? Philosopher Alexandre Lefebvre explores this with Mark Scott.
Event Start Date: 2024-09-19
Event End Date: 2024-09-19
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Can we fast-track cures for diseases? Researchers Michael Bowen, Victoria Cogger, and Chenyu Tim Wang discuss.
Event Start Date: 2024-08-22
Event End Date: 2024-08-22
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Lee-Fay Low, Neal Peres Da Costa, and Helen Mitchell explore whether music participation can prevent dementia.
Event Start Date: 2024-06-20
Event End Date: 2024-06-20
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Explore the natural world, deep sea, and life through time with Dr. James Bradley, Professor Maria Byrne, and Tishiko King.
Event Start Date: 2024-04-08
Event End Date: 2024-04-08
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Explore how the arts are transforming health and education to improve care and wellbeing.
Event Start Date: 2024-03-21
Event End Date: 2024-03-21
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Alastair Campbell and leading experts discuss what we can do to move the needle on mental health outcomes.
Event Start Date: 2024-03-04
Event End Date: 2024-03-04
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Hear from Sydney alumni Zara Seidler and Phoebe Saintilan, two media pioneers reshaping news and storytelling.
Event Start Date: 2023-09-21
Event End Date: 2023-09-21
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Epidemiologist Melody Ding explores loneliness—its trends, causes, and why it’s a major public health issue.
Event Start Date: 2023-07-27
Event End Date: 2023-07-27
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Experts weigh in on AI’s rapid rise and the risks of a superintelligent future—could it lead to an existential threat? 13/07/2023
Event Start Date: 2023-07-13
Event End Date: 2023-07-13
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Could a cap on excessive wealth and asset ownership hold the key to addressing the housing crisis in Australia?
Event Start Date: 2023-04-08T23:00:00.000+10:00
Event End Date: 2023-04-08T23:00:00.000+10:00
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: How can we meaningfully engage with Pacific peoples and regional issues? A conversation hosted by Professor Jioji Ravulo.
Event Start Date: 2023-03-15
Event End Date: 2023-03-15
Event Link.jpg)
Event Location:
Summary: Hear from Professor Marcia Langton on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament at the Voices on the Voice event.
Event Start Date: 2023-03-08
Event End Date: 2023-03-08
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Experts explore how extreme heat impacts our health and share the latest research on staying cool in a world that's heating up.
Event Start Date: 2022-12-13
Event End Date: 2022-12-13
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Female staff, students and alumna discuss leadership in male-dominated fields at a gender equity roundtable.
Event Start Date: 2022-11-23
Event End Date: 2022-11-23
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert explores state hostage-taking and how Australia can better respond to this complex global issue.
Event Start Date: 2022-09-29
Event End Date: 2022-09-29
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: A team of experts share cutting-edge research and explore practical ways to reach peak mind and brain health.
Event Start Date: 2022-09-27
Event End Date: 2022-09-27
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Join Dr Karl and Prof Peter Tuthill for a guided tour of stunning new images from NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope.
Event Start Date: 2022-09-20
Event End Date: 2022-09-20
Event Link.jpg)
Event Location:
Summary: Professor Frank Pasquale joins local experts to explore how AI is reshaping medicine—and the legal and ethical issues it raises.
Event Start Date: 2022-07-25
Event End Date: 2022-07-25
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Professor Emma Johnston AO and co-authors discuss key findings from the 2021 report and what’s ahead for our environment.
Event Start Date: 2022-07-21
Event End Date: 2022-07-21
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Teela Reid, Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman and Sydney Uni’s First Nations Practitioner-in-Residence, on democracy’s big questions.
Event Start Date: 2022-07-20
Event End Date: 2022-07-20
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Nick Bryant hosts a panel on the new government’s promises with MPs, legal experts, and political theorist Tim Soutphommasane.
Event Start Date: 2022-07-20
Event End Date: 2022-07-20
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Hear from global leader Dr Kakenya Ntaiya, activist and founder of a nonprofit empowering girls and ending harmful traditions.
Event Start Date: 2022-05-19
Event End Date: 2022-05-19
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Fran Kelly leads a panel with ABC’s Antony Green and political experts on key policy issues shaping the upcoming election.
Event Start Date: 2022-04-28
Event End Date: 2022-04-28
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: After climate disasters like the east-coast floods, how do communities support each other through emotional climate distress?
Event Start Date: 2022-04-21
Event End Date: 2022-04-21
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Explore how AI can enhance human intuition with Professor Geordie Williamson and MC Adam Spencer.
Event Start Date: 2022-03-18
Event End Date: 2022-03-18
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: How can we foster the conditions for creativity to thrive? Hear from Michael Rodrigues, Jess Scully, Sara Saleh and more.
Event Start Date: 2022-03-02
Event End Date: 2022-03-02
Event Link
Event Location:
Summary: Sydney Ideas kicks off 2022 with bold ideas on what’s ahead, what’s trending, and how we should set the agenda.
Event Start Date: 2022-02-17
Event End Date: 2022-02-17
Event Link
Header image: Getty Images via Unsplash. Pictured: A flying clock rises from an outstretched hand, symbolising striving for more time.
For media enquiries about Sydney Ideas guests, please contact the University's Media team.