Theme: Autonomous.

Centred on the abstract concept of individual autonomy within society, we're looking at the seemingly antagonistic relationship between individual autonomous thought and the lofty ideals of social cooperation.
We hope to reveal the often powerful reciprocities between these concepts, through our speakers' varied experiences of their lives, work, and the world at large.

Recent developments, both locally and globally, have sparked similar conversations. In Ireland, we've seen a dramatic upheaval of the old social order, with the voices of women and minorities leading the push for social change.
Across Europe, the rise of far-right populism has been met with a desire to preserve freedom, tolerance, and the rights of the individual within the collective and pluralist society.

Worldwide, the continued advance toward autonomous computing through Artificial Intelligence has led to questions about the role of the individual in an increasingly technologically dependent world.
The theme title - 'Together, We Are Autonomous' - gives a sense of our ambition, while remaining abstract enough for audiences to come to their own conclusions.

Trinity College Dublin
College Green
Dublin, Dublin, Dublin 2
Ireland

Julian Friedland

Julian Friedland is Assistant Professor of Ethics in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. He is a Franco-American philosopher with a Ph.D. from the University of Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne. His research and consulting lie in three interlinked areas: social impact strategy, leveraging moral self-awareness as an incentive, and new means by which the reflective mind may be activated through AI design architectures.

Kevin Mitchell

Kevin Mitchell is Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin. His research focuses on understanding the genetic program specifying the wiring of the brain and its relevance to variation in human faculties, risk of psychiatric and neurological disease, and to the basis of perceptual conditions like synaesthesia. A contributor to The Future of the Brain: Essays by the World’s Leading Neuroscientists, Mitchell writes the Wiring the Brain blog (www.wiringthebrain.com) and is on Twitter @WiringtheBrain. He is the author of: “INNATE – How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are” (Princeton University Press, 2018).

Martina Fitzgerald

Martina Fitzgerald is the author of the No.1 bestseller 'Madam Politician: The women at the table of Irish political power', which received critical acclaim following its publication in 2018. A leading political journalist - having reported extensively on all recent general elections and referendums - Martina was RTÉ’s Political Correspondent until December 2018 and was named as one of the most influential Irish reporters on Twitter las year. She is a graduate of UCD - where she was Auditor of the Politics Society - and is currently a member of the Editorial Board of University's alumni magazine, Connections.

Roisín Geraghty

Roisín Geraghty is a film programmer and producer based in the west of Ireland. She has worked with various film organisations in Ireland, the UK and the US, including Edinburgh International Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, GAZE LGBT Film Festival, the Galway Film Fleadh, Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival, the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Tribeca Film Festival.

Sarah Babiker

Sarah is a first-year history and political science student. She was born in Mullingar, and her parents are from Sudan. The question of diversity and unity, identity and empathy have always perplexed her. In her talk, Sarah will bring you on a journey with her, as she attempts to explore the question, are we currently facing a clash of civilisations or a clash of narratives? She will attempt to unravel some understanding out of the paradox we are currently witnessing - a world that is more connected than ever but simultaneously moving further and further apart.

Seònaid Ó Murchadha

Founder of Amputee Disability Federation Ireland, Seònaid has been promoting the abilities of people with disabilities for decades. Since a fire at home where she lost both her legs and right hand, she has been using her unique perception and engaging, quirky sense of humour to get people thinking differently about disability. From working as a presenter on Irish nationwide television and radio to supporting employers to recruit and place graduates with disabilities in mainstream employment, she enjoys challenging attitudes to promote the greater inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. Seònaid is currently working as Training & Business Executive with O’Herlihy Access Consultancy working in partnership with national and international clients to ensure that their built environment, services, human resources and information provision are accessible to all staff and customers regardless of age, size or disability. A lover of languages, she speaks fluent Spanish and studies Russian grammar for fun in between spending time with her beloved family.