Events
Museums and Collections at the University of Melbourne
Featured events
Author Talk Series: Fact and fiction, exploring the history of medicine
To celebrate the 150th year of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, hear from authors of books showcasing everything from First Nations Healing practices, innovators and leaders in medicine and social change to murder mysteries and novels grounded in medical history.
These autobiographies, biographies and flights of fancy will inspire and amaze as fact is sometimes more surprising than fiction!
See below for the program of speakers, for more detail and to book visit: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/4ph2
| Title and Author | Date |
Opening Eyes by Hugh Taylor | Thursday 9 April 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
The Bones by Katrina Watson | Thursday 4 June 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder by Greg de Moore and Ann Westmore | Thursday 25 June 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
First Knowledges Health: Spirit, Country and Culture by Shawana Andrews, Sandra Eades and Fiona Stanley | Thursday 16 July 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
BOOK LAUNCH The Remarkable Grieg Sisters: pioneers in medicine and law by Iola Matthews | Thursday 1 October 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
A Formidable Man: John William Springthorpe by Allan Mawdsley | Thursday 29 October 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
Missing Skulls and a Flying Coffin: a Pink and Wong Myster by Ross Jones | Thursday 26 November 5:30pm - 6:30pm |
Designing culture, designing change: architecture as a catalyst for collective futures
Please join us for the Melbourne School of Design’s opening Dean’s Lecture Series for 2026.
Speaking at the University of Melbourne for the first time, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, architect and co‑founder of Snøhetta, will introduce the evolving history and guiding philosophy of the global architecture and design practice. Founded in Oslo in 1989 and inspired by the UN’s Our Common Future report, Snøhetta is built on the belief that design and architecture can strengthen the relationship between people, nature, and the built environment.
Today, Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary practice spanning architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, art, and product design, with seven studios across Europe, the United States, Asia, and Australia.
In this keynote lecture, Thorsen will explore how architecture and design can act as catalysts for cultural transformation and social sustainability. Through the lens of cultural precincts and performance spaces, he will highlight the creative potential of built environments in shaping inclusive futures. In addition, the talk will introduce the evolving role of public art, inviting the audience to imagine speculative futures. It will also examine the nuanced interplay between landscape and architecture as a foundation for cultural resilience.
Image: Render by MIR / Snøhetta
The Glasshouse Theatre (Queensland Performing Arts Centre), currently under construction, due for completion in 2026.In May 2019, Snøhetta was announced the winner of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) design competition together with local Meanjin (Brisbane) based partner Blight Rayner.