March 14, 2023

UOW expert commentary (14 March)

UOW academics provide expert comment, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing and breaking news stories

Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Dr Paul Mazzola is available for interviews about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and investor concerns about potential contagion to other banks worldwide. Dr Mazzola is a lecturer in banking and finance in the School of Business. He has more than 25 years’ banking and finance experience in the Australian, European and Asian Pacific markets. Dr Mazzola’s latest book Countdown to the Global Financial Crisis: A Story of Power and Greed (Cambridge Scholars, 2022) explores the United States investment banking industry and the institutional drivers behind the 2008 global financial crisis.

Bug inspired robot cameras

Dr Yves Saint James Aquino can provide commentary on researchers who have scanned the brains of flies and dragonflies to see how they process information, as they attempt to build robots with brains that can understand their environments. Dr Saint James Aquino is a philosopher and physician with expertise in ethics of healthcare, including public health ethics, biomedical ethics and ethics of medical research. He is a Research Fellow in the School of Health and Society.

Four-day work week

Associate Professor Alfredo Paloyo can discuss growing calls for Australia to trial a four-day work week, after Labor and Greens backed a suite of policies that would radically adjust work-life balance. Associate Professor Paloyo said previous four-day work week trials have shown many benefits for employees, including greater job satisfaction and improved mental health. He acknowledges a four-day work week wouldn’t suit every industry. Associate Professor Paloyo is an economist in the School of Business.

The 15-minute city

Dr Chris Patterson can talk about the mental health benefits of 15-minute cities, despite conspiracy theorists threatening to drown out the discussion of such positives. In an article Dr Patterson co-authored for The Conversation he says in their drive to grow, cities tend to push people, the environment and their health to the periphery. He writes:

This is why the 15-minute city presents a great opportunity for better mental health. Long commuting times and the stressors of traffic congestion, road conditions and punctuality are linked to declines in subjective measures of mental health and wellbeing for workers. The benefits of reducing these stressors could be immediate.

Dr Patterson is a lecturer within the School of Nursing. He is a registered nurse with specialist qualifications in mental health.

NSW election

Professor Greg Melleuish is an election analyst who can discuss the upcoming NSW state election. He is a lecturer and researcher with expertise in political theory, Australian politics, ancient history and world history. Professor Melleuish is from the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.

Unregulated squid fishing

Professor Quentin Hanich can discuss fears the squid fishing industry is out of control after his research team found global squid fishing increased by 68% between 2017 and 2020. In an article Professor Hanich co-authored for The Conversation he writes:

Our study, carried out with colleagues in Australia, Japan, the United States, Chile and Canada, and published today in Science Advances, reveals that almost all of the increase in squid fishing has occurred in unregulated areas, with 86% of squid fishing now occurring in places with little or no scrutiny of catch sizes.

Professor Hanich leads the Fisheries Governance Research Program at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS) at UOW, where he is a Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Chair.

UOW academics exercise academic freedom by providing expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing social issues and current affairs. This expert commentary reflects the views of those individual academics and does not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the University of Wollongong.