November 14, 2023

UOW expert commentary

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

The conflict in Gaza

Associate Professor Markus Wagner can provide commentary on the conflict in Gaza. Associate Professor Wagner is an expert in international law and former clerk at the Supreme Court of Israel for then-President Aharon Barak. He is the Director of the Transnational Law and Policy Centre at UOW. His research and teaching are in the areas of international and comparative law. During his former position on the Supreme Court, Professor Wagner has witnessed first-hand the complexities of the situation in the Middle East and dealt with similar questions that the current outbreak of violence raises. 

Russia-Ukraine

Dr Stephen Brown can provide commentary on recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine war. The Russian history expert says Putin has thrown out his own playbook with this conflict. Dr Brown is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.

Cyber-attack on Australia's biggest ports operator

Privacy and cybersecurity expert Honorary Professor Katina Michael can discuss the cyber-attack on Australia’s biggest ports operator, DP World. Honorary Professor Michael is from the School of Business and comments regularly on the social implications of emerging technologies with an emphasis on privacy and national security. She is also a Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University.

Optus outage and rebuilding its reputation

Professor Troy Heffernan can discuss the recent Optus outage and ongoing challenges the telco faces to rebuild its reputation. Professor Heffernan is a marketing expert in the School of Business.

Vaping

Dr Jody Moller and Dr Celine Kelso can talk about vaping companies tripling the amount of nicotine in their products, which is likely to lead to more teenagers becoming addicted to vaping. Dr Moller says while e-cigarette vapour is a potential harm to young non-smokers, it is likely to be a pathway of reduced harm for smokers, particularly those struggling to quit via other methods. Dr Moller and Dr Kelso are both chemical toxicologists in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience.

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.