Social Sciences Week 2025 is almost here, with an impressive line-up of events happening across Australia between 8 and 14 September.

The 2025 program features some of Australia’s brightest social scientists and a broad range of topics including outdoor therapy, AI, cryptocrime, disaster recovery, urban swimming and panda diplomacy.

Social Sciences Week Principal Sponsor RMIT University will host a screening of sci-fi epic Interstellar (2014) at Melbourne’s Capitol Theatre on 11 September, combined with a panel discussion exploring the social impacts of quantum technologies.

Chaired by Dr Justine Lacey, head of CSIRO’s Responsible Innovation Future Science Platform, the panel will feature award-winning researcher and activist Professor Wendy Steele (RMIT), theoretical physicist Professor Nicolas Menicucci (RMIT) and bioethicist and scientist Dr Evie Kendal (Swinburne University).

Find more information about the Interstellar: What does Quantum Science mean for society event here.

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Fellow and Professor of Information Sciences at RMIT Professor Lisa Given is proud that RMIT continues to support Social Sciences Week as Principal Sponsor.

“It’s crucial that we continue to advocate for the importance of social sciences, ensuring they receive the attention and funding necessary to drive meaningful progress and innovation,” Professor Given said.

“Social sciences play a critical role in understanding and shaping our world in helping to address complex societal challenges, guide policy development, and foster inclusive communities.

“The 2025 Social Sciences Week program is as rich and diverse as the social sciences themselves, and I’m looking forward to engaging with experts, students, and the broader community”