Is there a crisis in Trust? And, if so, how do we fix it? These questions animate UNSW’s latest Grand Challenge. We are looking to appoint an Academic Lead to curate the program and animate the UNSW community around questions of trust.
The UNSW Grand Challenges Program is currently seeking a new Lead for the latest Grand Challenge on Trust.
Why ‘Trust’?
Universities, academics, scientists and the professionals educated by them, have long numbered among the most trusted institutions and people in society. In recent years, however, a disdain for evidence, critical thinking and impartiality have contaminated many strains of public discourse and decision-making. Expertise has lost some of its prominence and other institutions like the courts, parliaments, and financial institutions have lost some of the high regard and trust they enjoyed from the public.
Despite many shared problems and locally relevant prescriptions for building and maintaining trust, there has been limited university-wide activity. The new Grand Challenge on Trust will work to build those connections and incubate new initiatives to address the trust crisis.It will explore themes such as trust in institutions; trust in experts and trust in data.
Trust will be the 6th Grand Challenge and will run from January 2020 to December 2021. Previous UNSW Grand Challenges were Climate Change; Refugees & Migrants; Inequality; Living with 21st Century Technology; and, currently, Rapid Urbanisation. The 7th Grand Challenge, to be launched mid-2020, will be “Thriving in the Anthropocene”.
Leading the Grand Challenge on Trust
The Academic Lead will work with the UNSW community to shape and populate the Grand Challenge with activity for the two-year life cycle. The role offers an opportunity for an engaged and collaborative academic to bring together the UNSW community to foster ideas and proposals from across faculties. They will curate a program of activities such as workshops; policy development; and, in collaboration with the Centre for Ideas, high-profile events.
The role is a two-year voluntary position and provides opportunities to enhance academic promotion and a platform to raise academic and public profile.
For more information and to submit an expression of interest, please visit the Grand Challenge on Trust webpage.
Expressions of interest close at 5pm, Monday 2 December.
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