Futures Unlocked | CFE Event Series

Unlock Your Futures Literacy Skills Prepare to rethink what’s possible and reimagine tomorrow with Futures Unlocked. This event series is designed to empower individuals and organisations with the knowledge, strategies and tools necessary to not just survive, but thrive in an increasingly unpredictable and complex world. When: The last Tuesday of each month Where: QUT Gardens Point Campus Cost: There is no cost for this event series. Transforming insights into action Futures Unlocked bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and practical application. At its core, this series translates empirically grounded future insights into actionable frameworks, offering unparalleled value to researchers, strategists and leaders engaging with abductive methodologies. Participants will gain exposure to prospective theorising, speculative rigor and scientifically driven approaches to conceptualising desirable futures. Whether you are seeking to construct theoretical paradigms around possible futures or explore methodologies that combine creativity with analytical precision, this series will illuminate pathways for rigorous, impactful foresight work. _____ . Multidisciplinary perspectives from visionary leaders Our program features an exceptional lineup of globally recognised speakers and thought leaders, bringing diverse disciplines together to explore the future through both theoretical and practical lenses. From foundational theories in future studies to innovative, data-driven methodologies, this series provides a rich spectrum of insights that resonate across fields and industries. Expect to deepen your understanding of critical topics such as: • Future-focused abductive reasoning and theory building. • Data-informed speculative modeling. • Systematic approaches to mapping trends, forecasting scenarios and mitigating risks. The dialogue doesn’t stop at theories. Our speakers emphasise actionable foresight, showing you how to harness emerging opportunities in dynamic and complex systems. _____ . Who will benefit from Futures Unlocked? If your work, passion or influence involves shaping what lies ahead, this series is designed for you. Whether you are: • An entrepreneur or business leader navigating market complexities, • A policymaker or decision-maker influencing societal outcomes, • An educator or scholar preparing the next generation, or • An individual committed to understanding global shifts and their local implications, Futures Unlocked provides the critical tools and network to prepare for what’s next. _____ . Keynote speakers and thought leaders Our speaker lineup includes some of the most prominent voices in futures thinking, foresight strategy and advanced decision-making. With deep expertise across academia, industry and policymaking, these thought leaders bring a wealth of experience to help participants tackle the challenges of uncertainty and innovation. _____ Prof Katja Thoring | Tues 22 September 4pm-5pm (online only) Professor Katja Thoring holds the Chair of Integrated Product Design at the TUM School of Engineering and Design in Germany. Her research sits at the intersection of design, architecture and engineering, with a particular interest in how physical environments shape creativity, productivity and wellbeing. She investigates “creative space” not only as a setting for current practice but as a foundation for imagining and prototyping futures that matter - futures where work, learning and innovation are supported by thoughtfully designed environments. Her work draws on design science, user‑centred methods and emerging technologies, exploring themes such as design innovation, creative processes and speculative design for future scenarios. Through this lens, she examines how spaces and systems can be re‑designed to support new ways of thinking, collaborating and creating. Futures Unlocked - Past speakers Dayle Stanley | Tues 25 August Dayle Stanley is the Chief Futures Officer, leading the National Security College (NSC) Futures Hub. She joined the NSC on secondment from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Trade & International Division in March 2021. She is a 2024 Fulbright Scholar - awarded the Australian-United States Alliance Studies scholarship (sponsored by DFAT) where she will explore the long-term trends shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC. Dayle has 20 years of experience in government including law enforcement and defence strategic intelligence and in environment and energy international policy, including representing Australia in a range of multilateral fora. Dr. Matt Finch | Tues 28 July Dr. Matt Finch is a practitioner and researcher in the fields of foresight, strategy, and negotiation. He is an adviser to the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for Future Generations, in which capacity he contributed to the Ukraine 2040 scenarios developed with the Ukrainian Parliament. Additionally, he holds roles as a member of the Futures Council at Australia's National Security College, an Associate Fellow of Oxford University's Saïd Business School, and a Research Associate of Oxford's Emerging Threats Group. During the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, Matt was Programme Director for Oxford's work with the World Health Organization-affiliated Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. Matt's foresight practice centres on supporting the development of plausible, challenging, and relevant scenarios to help users expand their sense of what is going on around them and what might transpire, informing wise judgment and effective strategy. Recent projects include scenarios for the future of Internet governance with Australia's domain name body auDA, and an extended term as an adviser to the European cybersecurity agency ENISA. A qualified civil and commercial mediator who consults across a wide range of sectors and domains, at Oxford Matt currently leads the research project "Death, dying, and afterlife in the age of AI". _ Dr. Mahdi Abolghasemi | Tues 23 June Dr. Mahdi Abolghasemi is a Senior Lecturer in Statistical Data Science, specialising in time series forecasting, decision optimisation and machine learning for applications in retail and energy. Before joining the Queensland University of Technology, he held academic positions at Monash University and The University of Queensland. He serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Forecasting and reviews for several international journals, including Scientific Reports, International Journal of Production Research, Applied Energy, and Computers & Industrial Engineering. His research integrates advanced statistical methods with machine learning to address complex forecasting and optimisation challenges. He develops novel algorithms capable of handling hierarchical structures, systematic events and volatility in time series data. His primary research areas include demand forecasting in supply chains, renewable energy forecasting and decision‑focused predictive analytics. Prof Jennifer Whyte | Tues 19 May Professor Jennifer Whyte is a leading expert in project leadership at the University of Sydney’s School of Project Management. Her work examines how major projects are organised and how digitalisation and offsite construction can transform the sector. A core focus of her research is “making futures that matter” - understanding how organisations imagine and build desirable futures through their project practices. Her work spans field studies on innovation in Sydney’s infrastructure megaprojects, conceptual research on future‑making, and lab‑based development of tools to support systems integration and change management. Professor Whyte is a Fellow and Policy Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has held senior academic roles in Australia, the UK and the US, including at Imperial College London and Stanford University.