Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Welcome to Futuremakers, from the University of Oxford, where our academics debate key issues for the future of society.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Oxford academic debates on future society • brain and mental health: suicide prevention, self-harm, depression, anxiety, maternal mental health, workplace wellbeing, trauma, brain injury rehab • pandemics history, epidemiology, vaccines • climate policy, energy, economics, migration/conflict, litigation • AI ethics, bias, automation, disinformation, governance • quantum computing impactThis podcast brings together University of Oxford academics and invited practitioners to discuss major issues shaping society, using a season-based format that focuses on a single theme at a time. Across the episodes, conversations blend research evidence, historical context, and policy or practical implications, with hosts facilitating accessible debates between specialists from different disciplines.
A substantial strand examines brain and mental health. Discussions cover how mental health risks and outcomes are studied at the population level and in clinical settings, and what can be done to improve prevention and care. Topics include suicide and self-harm prevention, risk assessment in vulnerable groups, and evidence-based approaches such as restricting access to means. The podcast also explores mental health in specific life stages and contexts, including maternal mental health in the postnatal period, anxiety and related difficulties in children and adolescents, and the effects of trauma and violence in crisis settings. Another recurring focus is wellbeing in schools and workplaces, including organisational and environmental factors that influence life satisfaction, and the role leaders and employers can play in supporting resilience and performance. Some episodes include content warnings for suicide, depression, psychosis, PTSD, child abuse, and related themes.
Other seasons broaden the scope to global challenges. One series traces the history of pandemics—from ancient outbreaks through cholera, smallpox, influenza, HIV/AIDS, and Ebola—asking how disease events have shaped societies and what lessons they offer for future threats. Additional episodes tackle climate change through questions of politics, law, economics, energy, migration, conflict, food systems, and the balance between nature-based and technological solutions. Earlier content addresses artificial intelligence and quantum computing, including automation, bias, governance, information integrity, health applications, finance, and geopolitical competition.
