Knowledge Beyond Boundaries

This year’s conference draws on the 2025 Festival theme of visions for the future: how will AI, new technologies and innovation shape our societies? How will we confront the global challenges of climate change and inequality?

We welcome student research from across the social sciences which explores the threats and opportunities of the near and distant future, and interrogates what a better world could look like.

The conference is a unique and friendly opportunity for students to showcase their research and share insights into how social sciences research can transcend the boundaries of traditional disciplines.

This conference is the ideal forum for you to interrogate how we approach research questions, create and disseminate knowledge, and break down barriers between disciplines. The conference aims to provide a friendly, inclusive space for sharing student research from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, with an emphasis on projects that cross disciplinary boundaries, challenge existing paradigms, and apply new approaches and methods to re-envision what social science research looks like. 

Presenters will share a paper, poster, creative show and tell, or performance, either as an individual or part of a collaboration:

• Paper: a 10-minute presentation of original research 

• Poster: a 3-5 minute ‘lightning talk’ presentation accompanied by a poster 

• Creative show and tell: a 10-minute presentation sharing an artefact or item with research significance (e.g., archival material, photograph, object) 

• Performance: an original artistic expression of up to 10 minutes which relates to academic research or study of the social sciences (e.g., drama, spoken word, dance, poetry, music) 

All presentations will be organised into themed panels with a range of perspectives, approaches, and ideas represented. These panels will also include time for a Q&A between the speakers and audience members.