ANU School of Cybernetics

ANU School of Cybernetics We are drawing on the history of cybernetics and reimagining it for our 21st century challenges.

ANU School of Cybernetics seeks to establish cybernetics as an important tool for navigating major societal transformations, through capability building, policy development and safe, sustainable and responsible approaches to new systems. As people invent, commercialise and operationalise new technologies, we need new skills to manage them. Cybernetics offers a way of transcending boundaries, of th

inking in systems and ensuring that humans, technology and the physical environment are in the frame. It is a way to imagine humans steering technical systems safely through the world. At ANU School of Cybernetics we are building capability around this. Our programs blend education, research and engagement to support students, collaborators and publics to tackle the challenges posed by technology at scale.

“Meditation on Country works with the creation story of the universe." Professor Angie Abdilla's work celebrates "the ve...
02/06/2026

“Meditation on Country works with the creation story of the universe."

Professor Angie Abdilla's work celebrates "the veracity of Indigenous knowledges" and was recently featured in Data Dreams: Art and AI exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA).

In April, members of the ANU School of Cybernetics and our colleagues from across the College of Systems and Society, travelled to Sydney for a very special tour around the Data Dreams exhibition. Join us on our news page as we talk through the insights Angie shared with us about the process of creating Meditation on Country, and to see more of the stunning visuals from the artwork.

Read more here: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/news/2026/04/24/data-dreams-mca/

Applications for our ANU Master of Applied Cybernetics are open! Our 3 common FAQs we get about our program are:💼 What j...
01/06/2026

Applications for our ANU Master of Applied Cybernetics are open! Our 3 common FAQs we get about our program are:

💼 What job prospects and career opportunities do graduates have?
🤖 The course sounds very techy, how true is this?
🧑‍💻 Do I need skills in coding to be able to do the course?

Read through the tiles to find out the answers.
Download our application pack to get more of your questions answered: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/education/masters/

The May edition of the Australian National University's School of Cybernetics newsletter is here!It's been a great month...
29/05/2026

The May edition of the Australian National University's School of Cybernetics newsletter is here!

It's been a great month particularly for our PhD cohort, who we celebrate in this newsletter through their work including spotlight on Danny Bettay's research Borrowed Light, a presentation from Kathy Reid MBA at the State Library Victoria, and announcement from our recent graduate Dr. Lorenn Ruster as an ABC Top 5 Humanities Resident.

In this newsletter you will also see:
- our Master of Applied Cybernetics program opens for applications soon
- LLMs Unplugged is back due to popular demand with even more sessions available
- recent presentations to the ATO and Australian Army
& more!

Subscribe to read all this and more: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/ -to-our-mailing-list-1

We look forward to sharing more cybernetics stories with you soon.

May newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/lists.anu.edu.au/cybernetics-2026-may-newsletter

We are fortunate to have on our walls the wonderful 'Pondi' (2022), a magnificent weaving artwork of a Murray cod made f...
28/05/2026

We are fortunate to have on our walls the wonderful 'Pondi' (2022), a magnificent weaving artwork of a Murray cod made from rushes grown and woven on Ngarrindjeri Country. Pondi was created by Ellen Trevorrow, Jelina Haines, Bruce Trevorrow, Ngarrindjeri family who collected the rushes.

“Nga:tji is our totem, a very important part of our life. It’s identifying the group you’re with. Mine is Pondi, the Murray Cod. I’m from where the Murray River and Lake Alexandrina meet. You look at the River; Pondi don’t swim straight, do they? They come down like the River. I believe the Ngarrindjeri creation story about Ngurunderi. He chased Pondi down the River. Pondi’s crashing widened it all and came right through. Most importantly with our Nga:tji, you’ve got to look after them, and that’s caring for our ruwi, our country, for everything. If we don’t look after our waterways, what’s going to happen? Think of what’s happened to our Pondi,” - Ngarrindjeri Elder and Cultural Weaver Aunty Ellen Trevorrow

This reconciliation week we invite you to come see 'Pondi' on Level 3 of the Birch Building at ANU, learn about how it was made, and start a yarn about reconciliation with your friends.

It’s time to turn the tide on harmful algal blooms.When a harmful algal bloom began on South Australia’s coasts in March...
25/05/2026

It’s time to turn the tide on harmful algal blooms.
When a harmful algal bloom began on South Australia’s coasts in March 2025, there was no playbook for responding to an ecological event of this type or scale.
What started as an algae problem quickly became a shared challenge, one that cut across ecosystems, health, livelihoods and communities.

That’s what brought together the group of researchers and professionals behind The Algal Bloom Shed – a collaborative hub set up to harness collective intelligence, improve our understanding of the bloom and its ripple effects, and prepare smarter responses to whatever rolls in next.

Led in part by Associate Professor Amy McLennan, who is joined in this project by our Director Professor Katherine Daniell, the team is already making waves of change, starting with:
• A disaster impact assessment
• A community health incident reporting portal
• Educational resources
• A website explaining the project + how to get involved
Dive in here: https://www.algalbloomshed.com.au/

22/05/2026

What does food wastage and cybernetics have in common?
‘Feeding the Future’ is a Master of Cybernetics group project that aims to address where a third of Australia’s food waste happens: our own households!
Keep watching to see how our 2024 Master cohort tackled this idea using cybernetic thinking: where technology is always considered in supportive relationship to humans and the environment.

Join Associate Professor Matt Holt and dive into the work of German cybernetician Max Bense (1920-1990).This research es...
21/05/2026

Join Associate Professor Matt Holt and dive into the work of German cybernetician Max Bense (1920-1990).

This research essay looks at Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a generative and aesthetic project, revealing more contextual layers to the history of AI.

You can find this work in the 2025 Australian Literary Studies special issue on AI and the Future of Literary Studies: https://www.australianliterarystudies.com.au/articles/repairing-rationality-max-bense-and-the-automation-of-literature-in-post-war-germany

Congratulations to Dr Lorenn Ruster who has just been announced as one of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) ...
19/05/2026

Congratulations to Dr Lorenn Ruster who has just been announced as one of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 's Top 5 Humanities Residents for 2026!

In July Lorenn will spend two weeks honing her communication skills, learning from media professionals and alongside other top researchers.

This comes at a perfect time for Lorenn who focuses on human dignity in her research and development of responsible AI practices in & with organisations.

The Top 5 ABC Media Residency Program aims to support early-career researchers to better communicate their work to audiences across Australia - read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/top5/top-5-abc-media-residency-program/106325542

Yesterday was the International Day of Telecommunications, celebrated on May 17, which is the anniversary of when the fi...
18/05/2026

Yesterday was the International Day of Telecommunications, celebrated on May 17, which is the anniversary of when the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in 1985 (as well as the founding of the International Telecommunication Union).

Telecommunications largely refers to long-distance information transmission using electricity or electronics. It includes technological systems such as telegraphy, television, telephone, radio, and the internet. Technologies like these all build on each other, from their infrastructure to their strengths and their weaknesses. Researching the history of telecommunications allows us to better steer our current communications systems in a safe, sustainable, and responsible way.

Our first digital system in Australia was the 'electric chain' of telegraphy - and my how far we have come from it!

To read more about our research on telecommunications, visit our project page on Nineteenth-century telegraphy as a Cybernetic System: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/projects/Start-Up-Nation/

18/05/2026

What does food wastage and cybernetics have in common?

‘Feeding the Future’ is a Master of Cybernetics group project that aims to address where a third of Australia’s food waste happens: our own households!

Keep watching to see how our 2024 Master cohort tackled this idea using cybernetic thinking: where technology is always considered in supportive relationship to humans and the environment.

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