Dr Susan Carland hosts the ninth season of Monash University's podcast, What Happens Next?

Monash University’s multi-award-winning podcast, What Happens Next? , returns for its ninth season, transforming ordinary days into extraordinary opportunities for change.

Hosted by academic and commentator Dr Susan Carland, season nine of What Happens Next? tackles three critical areas that will define our future:

1. The changing nature of reality in the digital age
2. Climate change in the Indo-Pacific region
3. The ongoing struggle to eliminate gender-based violence

Each topic is explored in a two-part episode format, first examining potential dystopian outcomes if we don’t change course, then highlighting positive changes already underway and empowering listeners with actionable steps.

The podcast features an impressive lineup of world-leading experts, including:

• Tech visionaries Professor Geoff Webb, Professor Christopher Lawrence, and Data Futures Institute Director Professor Joanna Batstone
• ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather Director Professor Christian Jakob and Monash Sustainable Development Institute Director Professor Tony Capon
• Gender-based violence experts Professors Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Jane Fisher and Steven Roberts

Notable guests also include Monash alumna and former Victoria Victims of Crime Commissioner Fiona McCormack AM, and award-winning journalist Dr Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, among other changemakers at the forefront of their fields.

Key topics this season include:

• Navigating the evolving digital reality and its impact on democracy
• Reshaping climate narratives to inspire action in the Indo-Pacific region
• Tackling the complex drivers of gender-based violence and working towards its elimination in one generation

What Happens Next? aims to empower listeners with knowledge and inspire action through its unique blend of academic rigour and accessibility. New episodes are released weekly on Fridays, offering a regular dose of insight and inspiration. The trailer for season nine of What Happens Next? is available now in the podcast feed and on YouTube. The full season launches later this month and will be available on all major podcast platforms.

Monash University’s What Happens Next? podcast explores some of the biggest challenges of the day. Host Dr Susan Carland steps through the sliding doors with global experts and thought leaders to find out what could happen if we don’t change, and what the world could look like if we do.

Among other awards, it is a twice-consecutive gold award winner in the international 2022 and 2023 Signal Awards, where it has been recognised alongside other high- profile podcast creators including Apple, HBO, Netflix and media powerhouses such as the New York Times, The Paris Review and Bloomberg.