We invite you to join us for an engaging session with Professor Dirk Hovorka, scheduled for Tuesday 26 August 2025. Prof Hovorka is a leading scholar in Business Information Systems at the University of Sydney. With a rich academic background that spans Information Systems, Telecommunications, and Geology, Professor Hovorka brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to the study of technology and society.
His current research delves into how scientific and societal practices shape possible futures through theory, design, and imagination. Emphasising speculative approaches to knowledge, Professor Hovorka challenges conventional understandings of technology and the biophysical environment, arguing that the future resists empirical prediction and that rapid sociotechnical change renders past knowledge less reliable. This thought-provoking event will explore how speculation and imagination can be powerful tools in navigating and designing for uncertain futures. Ideal for researchers, business leaders, designers, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology, society, and environmental change.
This session is part of CFE’s Futures Unlocked series – an ongoing program designed to equip individuals and organisations with the foresight, strategies, and tools needed to thrive in an increasingly complex and unpredictable world. Running monthly through to 2026, the series offers practical insights to navigate change with confidence.
About Prof Dirk Hovorka
Dirk S. Hovorka is a Professor in the Business Information Systems discipline at the University of Sydney, Australia. He received his PhD in Information Systems from the University of Colorado, and holds an MS in Interdisciplinary Telecommunications and an MS in Geology. His current research explores how scientific and societal practices bring forth possible worlds through theory, design, and imaginaries of futures. His research focuses on speculative approaches to ‘knowing’ regarding technology, society, and biophysical environments in recognition that the future is implacably resistant to empirical knowing, and that unprecedented sociotechnical change renders our knowledge about the past less indicative of future states. His work emphasises speculation and imagination in thinking with futures.
Event details
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- Date: Tuesday, 26 August 2025
- Time: 1:00pm arrival for a 1:15pm start | 2:15pm finish
- Location: QUT Gardens Point Campus | Owen J Wordsworth Room (S Block, Level 12)
- Register
Register
With interest in the event already high, early registration is strongly recommended. Whether you’re a business leader, educator, policymaker, or changemaker, this seminar offers a unique opportunity to expand your future literacy and gain practical tools to lead transformative change in your organisation and community.
Register
Missed a session?
Each Futures Unlocked session will be recorded and uploaded to the CFE YouTube site. Watch past recordings now.
Dr Elissa Farrow | 29 July
In this session, Dr Elissa Farrow explores how participatory foresight can empower change leaders to navigate uncertainty and shape preferred futures. Drawing from her academic research and real-world experience, Dr Farrow introduces practical tools like scenario co-creation, futures wheels, and speculative artefact design to foster inclusive and adaptive transformation. A key highlight of the session is the introduction of the Six Pillars Foresight Framework, developed by Prof Sohail Inayatullah. Dr Farrow walks participants through how to apply this powerful framework to any futures thinking process, helping individuals and organisations map, anticipate, and transform their futures with confidence. Whether you’re a change leader, strategist, or simply curious about the future, this session offers valuable insights and tools to begin your own foresight-inspired journey. Watch now to learn how to shape change through futures thinking.
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PowerPoints and related papers
Dr Farrow’s PowerPoint presentation
Determining the human to AI workforce ratio – Paper by Dr Farrow
Six pillars: futures thinking for transforming – Paper by Prof Sohail Inayatullah
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Dr Joseph Voros | 24 June
Renowned futurist and foresight expert Dr Joseph Voros delivered a one-hour presentation in June. Drawing on decades of experience in strategic foresight, Dr Voros introduced key foundational concepts and explored what it truly means to study the future in a structured, actionable way. In this recording, Dr Voros emphasises that engaging with the future requires cultivating a mindset attuned to change. To support this, he presents a suite of powerful foresight tools and frameworks – including the Future Cone, which distinguishes between different types of futures, the Futures Triangle, and the Three Horizons Framework, which link past, present, and future dynamics. These tools, Dr Voros explains, not only help us anticipate and respond to change but also empower us to shape preferred futures. Through real-world examples, he demonstrates the practical application of foresight while also addressing the challenges organisations face in embedding future-oriented thinking and communicating compelling visions of what lies ahead.
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Dr Voros’ PowerPoint presentation