The global population is projected to hit nearly 10 billion by 2050, creating a significant rise in demand for food. Societies urgently need to rethink traditional sources of protein, keeping environmental, ethical and health implications at the forefront of research. In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, host Sreethu Sajeev speaks with Weibiao Zhou, head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the National University of Singapore. This episode is sponsored by the National University of Singapore.

Advances in neuroscience and AI are improving our understanding of how the brain develops, ages and becomes vulnerable to disease. As scalable technologies bring the possibility of population-level brain health monitoring closer to reality, researchers are looking to a future where neuroscience, medicine and AI converge to transform care and prevention. In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks to Helen Zhou, director of the Centre for Translational Magnetic Resonance Research at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. This episode is sponsored by the National University of Singapore.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Nazarbayev University, host Phil Baty speaks with Waqar Ahmad, president of Nazarbayev University. They discuss the universities rapid rise in global university rankings, the landscape of higher education in Kazakhstan, and Ahmad's vision for the future.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with City University of Hong Kong, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Benjamin Horton, dean of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong. They discuss the urgent and grave threat that climate collapse poses to communities and ecosystems. Horton explains the vital role that higher education has to play in producing graduates with a strong understanding of sustainability, who can enact change long after graduation.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Iain Buchan, W.H. Duncan Chair in Public Health Systems and associate pro vice-chancellor for innovation, and Procheta Sen, lecturer in computer science at the University of Liverpool. They discuss the university's the AI for Life research frontier, which places human needs at its core, rather than focusing solely on technology. This approach is deeply interdisciplinary, bringing together expertise from computer science, engineering, health, social sciences and the humanities.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with City University of Hong Kong, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Christine Huang, head of communication and media at City University of Hong Kong. They discuss how rapid advances in healthcare technologies and the constant flow of information shape the public's understanding of and response to health risks. Standing at the intersection of science, policy and public understanding, the conversation explores how communication influences public perception, trust, behaviour and, ultimately, health outcomes.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Huawei, host Alistair Lawrence speaks with Justin Mendes, director of applied and technical English and cross-cultural communications at Shenyang Institute of Technology. They discuss how Shenyang Institute of Technology's partnership with Huawei is setting a new standard in industry-education integration and talent cultivation, aligning curricula with industry needs and empowering students with hands-on access to cutting-edge technologies.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with City University of Hong Kong, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Michael Yang, senior vice-president for innovation and enterprise and director of the Institute of Digital Medicine at City University of Hong Kong. They discuss how digital medicine is revolutionising the way we prevent, diagnose and manage diseases, exploring the tools – like AI, wearable devices, telemedicine and big data analytics – that are making care more personalised, efficient and accessible.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the National University of Singapore, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Bryan Low, associate vice-president for AI, and associate professor of computer science at the university. They discuss the way AI is rapidly reshaping the landscape of higher education and how NUS is shaping its future. 

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with City University of Hong Kong, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Anderson Shum, vice-president of research at the university. They discuss why interdisciplinary science research is important, the practical challenges inherent in interdisciplinary science, and the areas of interdisciplinary science research that CityUHK excels in.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Laura Lundy, professor of children’s rights and co-director of the Centre for Children’s Rights at Queen’s University Belfast, and Deirdre Reidy, assistant principal officer of the Participation, Play and Recreation Unit in the Irish government’s Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. They discuss why it's critical to listen to children's and young people's voices when making decisions that affect them, and how policymakers can better engage with children.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Katie Atkinson, associate pro vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool and director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research. They discuss the centre's ambitious mission to tackle the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, exploring how it will foster collaboration among experts from diverse disciplines.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Sheffield, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Mohamed Pourkashanian, director of the Energy Innovation Centre at the University of Sheffield, Luke Ervine, head of sustainability at Virgin Atlantic, and Steve Gillard, regional sustainability director at Boeing. They discuss the far-reaching benefits of sustainable aviation fuel, the impact of Flight 100 on the field, and the radical collaboration required to make sustainable aviation fuel a global success.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Iain Styles, a professor in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s University Belfast. Iain is also the director of the Centre of Intelligent Sustainable Computing. They discuss the challenges of integrating AI into healthcare settings, ongoing debates about the ethics of AI in healthcare and engagement with local communities.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the National University of Singapore, host Sreethu Sajeev speaks with Koh Lian Pin, associate vice-president and chief sustainability scientist at the National University of Singapore. They discuss how sustainability education can be used to foster innovative solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges – upskilling learners in the process.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Sheffield, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield. They discuss the South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub, exploring the ways the hub uses cutting-edge research to develop digital technologies for disease diagnosis and treatment.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Tara Shears, a professor of physics and frontier lead for particle physics, Monica D’Onofrio, professor of physics and head of research, and Christos Touramanis, a professor of experimental particle physics at the University of Liverpool. They discuss the university's involvement in cutting-edge research and innovation at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Richard English, a professor of politics and director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast. They discuss how universities can contribute to analytical discussions on terrorism, replacing fear-driven narratives with research-backed solutions and perspectives.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Sheffield, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Dan Blackburn, a senior lecturer in neuroscience, Heidi Christensen, professor in computer science, and Caitlin Illingworth, a neuroscience PhD student at the University of Sheffield. They discuss their work on CognoSpeak, an online tool harnessing AI to analyse speech patterns and cognitive cues. CognoSpeak can identify subtle markers of cognitive decline that might be missed during routine evaluations, improving the dementia diagnosis experience for patients from all backgrounds.

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with John Barry, a professor of green political economy and director of the Queen’s Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action. They discuss the ideologies that underpin green politics, the way it challenges capitalist growth models and the importance of radically rethinking widely accepted economic paradigms.