Live Fearless

“Don't be afraid to take intellectual risk. Ask hard questions and challenge yourself. That applies to your research, your educational decisions or even your networking. Take the opportunity to cross a crowded room or conference floor and introduce yourself to a senior member of the community. Ask informed questions. Don't be afraid of looking silly because your ideas are different or seem far-fetched to others.”

FEARLESS

Flinders University was founded in an era of profound social, political and technological change, when longstanding conventions were being challenged by a new generation of ambitious young thinkers.

A product of these times, we have always been ready to step away from the security of the familiar and forge new ways forward. From the ambition of our namesake, to the charge of our founding Vice Chancellor, this appetite for exploration is ingrained in our DNA.

It has shaped our world-class curriculum, and the physical and online environments we live, learn and work in. Vibrant spaces enable new connections between academics, students and industry, giving rise to innovative, agile hubs that can quickly adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

Brave research is the beating heart of our university, the purest expression of our desire to discover, our ability to solve, and our commitment to driving the new knowledge economy.

Shaped by the social, economic and scientific challenges of today, our research connects with business, government and the community to deliver real-world outcomes that will be felt at home and across the globe for generations.

Reaching beyond the limits of buildings, borders and backgrounds, ours is an inclusive culture that believes absolutely in equality and opportunity for all. We don’t just accommodate differences; we embrace and celebrate them.

History of Fearless

We are Flinders.
We are Fearless.

We support and empower our people, giving rise to healthier societies and empathic leaders who look towards an unpredictable future with confidence and optimism.

Our students have a voice, their opinions are respected, and their success is paramount. When you belong to this kind of community, the future looks brighter. Uncertainty becomes opportunity. You can be bolder, reach further and dare more.

Who we are and what we believe has never mattered more than it does right now. Our legacy, our values, our vision for tomorrow speak precisely to the challenges of today. We don’t simply survive in testing times, we thrive in them. We don’t resist change or fear disruption, we embrace it. Work with it. We adapt and evolve. We discover, we create, we share.

We are Flinders.
We are Fearless.

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Fearless
Conversations

13-week panel series of thought leaders that challenge the current rhetoric and create a fearless future.

Listen to each episode

View the full series

Find your Fearless.

“What you think is stopping you, probably isn't. In being fearless, what I think holds us back the most is ourselves, and we shouldn't let that happen. I know it's easier said than done, but the benefit of being fearless is that you can accomplish so much more when you don't hold yourself back.”

Chloe's story

“I do not want anything to hold me back. I've let things in the past as a young kid, you know, being self-conscious and stuff. I've let that hold me back from things. But I refuse to do that anymore.”

Lucia's story

“If I was fearless, I’d put even more of myself on the line in order to make what I want to make. I’d be more vulnerable to filmmaking, I'd be more vulnerable to all the stories I create, in order to actually make something worthwhile telling.”

Daniel's story

“I decided that music wasn't the pathway for me. I didn't really like the idea of not knowing where my pay checks are going to come in, and that sort of unstable life. Medicine interested me and when I found out about postgraduate pathways, I thought it was possible to get in and it was a way I could make a difference and help other people.”

Ethan's story

Brave Bungaree

While Captain Flinders has been widely celebrated for his achievements, less is known about his companion, Aboriginal man Bungaree who was instrumental to Flinders' success.

Bungaree, a Kuringgai man, from what is now the Broken Bay Area of New South Wales, was a noted community leader who sailed with Flinders from 1798 to 1803 in the role of interpreter, guide and navigator.

In his diaries, Matthew Flinders credited Bungaree as a ‘worthy and brave fellow’ who saved the expedition multiple times.

Augustus Earle (Britain/Australia, 1793-1838), Bungaree A Native Chief in N.S. Wales, c.1830-38, printed by C. Hullmandel (London), lithograph, hand-coloured with watercolour on paper, 17.4 x 21.8 cm (sheet), Gift of Christopher Hunt 2004, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 20045G15

Fearless research

Fearlessly researching our (anti) social networks

Flinders University Professor Emma Thomas is determined to better understand what drives our online interactions, and how the technologies behind our social networks seemingly magnify our psychological responses to the events and stories we see, hear or read about online.

From extremist groups targeting anyone who disagrees with them, to the massive outpourings of support for those affected by tragedies, social media hosts an amazing mix of philosophies and opinions.

It takes a fearless mind to dive deep into the confusion in order to understand the very human motivations behind our social interactions.

Find out what drives Professor Thomas, and how her research could help guide us through the online maze in her Brave Minds article – THE (ANTI) SOCIAL NETWORK

The (anti)social network

Inspiring a fearless future

We're in the middle of what's called the fourth industrial revolution… a time when advanced technologies are transforming the way we work and live. For Professor John Spoehr, Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute and Pro-Vice Chancellor Research Impact at Flinders, this is not a revolution to be feared – it’s a revolution to be embraced.

Professor Spoehr and his research team are working to transform manufacturing, and ensure that the rush of technological changes we’re seeing are productive and beneficial for both business and workers.

Explore Professor Spoehr’s research and the bold advances occuring at Line Zero: Factory of the Future, in his Brave Minds article - LINE ZERO

Line Zero

How innovative thinking faced the pandemic head-on

Led by curiosity. Driven by research.

Professor Karen Reynolds, Director of the Medical Device Research Institute at Flinders University, has always been a problem-solver. A thinker.

With the support of the South Australian Government, and in collaboration with colleagues from UniSA, Professor Reynolds and her research team helped to solve a major problem during the first wave of Covid-19, how to ensure the the testing and design of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), particularly protective masks, was beyond world-class.

Find out how fearless, out-of-the-box thinking helped protect our front line health workers during the make-or-break early days of the pandemic. Read Professor Reynolds’ inspiring story in her Brave Minds article - STRATEGIC RESEARCH IN MOTION.

Strategic research in motion

Live Fearless

FEARLESS

We are Flinders.
We are Fearless.

We are Flinders.
We are Fearless.

Fearless
Conversations