Dr Voros selected for GF2045 Conference

Faculty of Business and Enterprise Senior Lecturer in Strategic Foresight, Dr Joseph Voros, is one of 42 world experts selected to attend the Global Future – 2045 conference in Moscow.

Scheduled for February 2012, the event runs under the auspices of the Eurasian Center for Big History & System Forecasting, Institute of Oriental Studies and the Russian Academy of Sciences and will be held at the Radisson-Slavyanskaya Hotel.

The Congress' goals are to discuss and demonstrate the newest developments in the fields of cognitive sciences, robotics and modelling of living systems. They will also evaluate the potential for transforming planetary civilization in light of the rapid pace of technological development.

Program participants comprise world leading physicists, biologists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, philosophers as well as specialists in the fields of Big History, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, neurosciences and space technology. The three-day event will conclude with an expert roundtable discussion and the finalisation of a resolution to be sent to the UN for evaluation and acknowledgment of the significance of the initiatives undertaken.

Dr Voros has internationally recognised expertise in Futures Studies and Strategic Foresight and has in recent years developed an interest in using the disciplines of "macrohistory" and "Big History" as frameworks for extending foresight theory.. In 2011 this led to his being invited to contribute a chapter to an anthology of Big History, to be published by the University of California Press in 2012.

"I am very excited and honoured to have been invited to attend, as this represents an immense opportunity to develop strong research ties with world leaders in this emerging area," Dr Voros commented.

Big History is the attempt to understand, in a unified, interdisciplinary way, the entire history of the Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity - using the best available empirical evidence and scholarly methods - from (literally) the beginning of the universe to the present day. Last year, as part of the Faculty's Postgraduate Public Lecture Series, Dr Voros gave a well-received talk on this topic, entitled "The Big Picture: From the Big Bang to the BlackBerry, and Beyond". He is also a Founding Member of the International Big History Association.

Dr Voros began his career as a physicist and holds a PhD in theoretical physics. He has been associated with Swinburne University since early 2000, initially as a project consultant in the former Australian Foresight Institute, then as a foresight analyst in the university's own top-level strategic planning unit, and ultimately as an academic in the Strategic Foresight program. He teaches in Swinburne's Master of Strategic Foresight, and also re-designed, convened and taught the Master Business Administration (MBA) unit on Corporate Strategy for several years, bringing a unique "foresight" perspective to it.

The Faculty of Business and Enterprise would like to extend its sincere congratulations to Dr Joseph Voros for the extensive recognition and success that he has achieved.

Learn more about the Global Future – 2045 conference
Learn more about Dr. Joseph Voros
Learn more about studying Strategic Foresight and the Master of Business Administration