The Scholars Podcast - Conversations with Inspiring Leaders

In this episode of The Scholars Podcast: Conversations with Inspiring Leaders, host Justin Kelly interviews Dr Karen McConalogue, Executive Director of the General Sir John Monash Foundation Leadership Academy. With over 20 years of experience as an academic and executive, Karen shares her journey of transitioning from biomedical research to leading an innovative program designed to empower Austra...

This episode features Stephanie Pow, recipient of the NSW Premier’s John Monash Scholarship. The award enabled Stephanie to pursue dual master’s degrees—an MBA from the Wharton School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School—broadening her expertise beyond finance into public policy and mission-driven leadership. From her early days as a top-performing investment banker at UBS to becoming the founde...

When Dr Dilani Kahawala (2008 John Monash Scholar) headed to Harvard University to complete a PhD in theoretical particle physics, her purpose was to unravel the mysteries of the universe. But living in Boston between Harvard and MIT, she found a burgeoning startup scene and soon embraced the emerging tech sector, bringing with her the logic and systems-level thinking she refined over the course o...

Each year, thousands of people in Australia are diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis – an incurable condition of the lung that scientists have struggled to understand. The work of Dr Davis McCarthy (2011 John Monash Scholar), a renowned statistician and genomic scientist, is helping to generate the pathway towards an eventual cure. Collaborating with a global community, Davis’s research searches DNA...

Fresh from her appointment as silk by the NSW Bar, barrister Zelie Heger SC sat down with host Justin Kelly to discuss her relationship with the law and the cases that have shaped her career.   A barrister at Eleven Wentworth, Zelie has acted for environmentalists pursued by Santos following a failed campaign to stop its Barossa gas project and represented a landmark case arguing for the protectio...

The CEO of the General Sir John Monash Foundation, Paul Ramadge, joins host Justin Kelly to explore the stories and aspirations of the 2025 John Monash Scholars.   Named in honour of General Sir John Monash, the prestigious postgraduate scholarships are awarded annually following a highly competitive nationwide selection process.   The 2025 John Monash Scholars were selected from a record number o...

A highly respected and successful senior leader of large and complex institutions in public service, education, and the media, Professor Mark Scott AO recounts invaluable lessons from his dynamic leadership career in this episode of The Scholar’s Podcast.   Interviewed by Grattan Institute CEO Dr Aruna Sathanapally (2006 John Monash Scholar), Mark draws upon his time as Managing Director of the AB...

Recognised for her pioneering 'spray-on skin' technique and support for victims of the Bali bombings, Professor Fiona Wood AO has been at the forefront of international wound care and research for over 30 years. As one of Australia’s most respected surgeons and researchers and Australia of the Year in 2005, she recounts the experiences that have shaped her as a surgeon and leader in a compelling c...

In a timely address, ABC Chair, Kim Williams AM, argues strongly that the role of the media is to preserve and protect democracy. The speech was delivered at the 13th annual John Monash Oration hosted by the General Sir John Monash Foundation and the Commonwealth Bank.     The intimate evening brought together a distinguished assembly of Foundation members, friends, supporters and Scholars to refl...

Scientist and educator Dr Matt Baker (2005 John Monash Scholar) sat down with Justin Kelly to discuss his remarkable career, which has taken him from Uzbekistan to Greece and in and out of the worlds of competitive fencing, media and academia.    Matt, who is a Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales, studies the ba...

Dr Alan Finkel AC wants to be remembered as evidence-based, having integrity, and delivering impact. With a career spanning neuroscience, engineering, entrepreneurship, and policy, Alan has eclectic leadership stories and unique insights into collaboration, resilience, and problem-solving. In the third instalment of the 2024 John Monash Series sponsored by BHP, Alan sits down with May Samali (2014...

Good artwork is not about answering questions but asking them: What is our relationship with nature? With each other? How can we re-imagine our shared history? The quality of contemporary art emerging from Australia is globally influential, calling upon cultural leaders, institutions, and thinkers to champion one another and elevate collective impact. As the first artist to receive the Australian...

Having worked in Hong Kong during the early years of China’s reform and opening as a government representative in Taipei, Ambassador to China, and Deputy High Commissioner in London, Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC is not short of incredible stories and leadership wisdom. Now the 36th Governor of South Australia, she is joined by 2015 Woodside John Monash Scholar Tom Williams at Flinder...

The typical waitlist for a child to access specialist public health services in rural and remote Australia is roughly four years. There are only two speech pathologists in the whole of Australia who work in Aboriginal medical services. With the NDIS opening the floodgates to more and more families needing allied health support, this unmet demand appears to be growing and is unlikely to diminish so...

How can leadership keep up during a radical era of environmental, technological, and social change? What does revolutionary leadership mean, and why does Australia fall behind it?  In our first of five conversations with eminent Australian leaders, 2013 BHP John Monash Scholar Jillian Kilby speaks to Andrew N. Liveris AO on some of his career's most pivotal challenges and the decisions that helped...

In 1997, a backpacking trip from Bali to Lombok threw Jacqui Baker, then 19, and her friends straight into the heady world of Indonesian politics, setting her on a career-long journey toward understanding more about this incredible archipelago.   Jacqui's countless experiences across the country have been nothing short of extraordinary - from hanging with jihadists to hearing songs of revolution -...

Synthetic biology has changed how we live, from genetically modified food to insulin production and engineered mosquitos. This science shrinks traditional engineering to the nanometre, tailoring life from inside a cell. Can we engineer bacteria to remove waste products from our environment and reverse the effects of climate change? Will the future of meat be from within a lab? Can we create new ki...

What is the School of Cybernetics, and why has it become an engine for innovation? What does history tell us about how robotics will affect society in the future? How can we generate more conversation between policymakers, engineers, and businesses?    Professor Katherine Daniell (2005 John Monash Scholar) joins us to explain how and why she established the Australian National University's School...

Why do men seem to dominate the math lecture hall at a tertiary level? Why are Australian classrooms continuing to lose math students? What is mathematical communication and how might it boost math skills among Australia’s marginalised populations?     Georgina Ryan (2024 Commonwealth Bank John Monash Scholar) joins Justin Kelly to discuss the reasons behind Australia’s dropping math capabilities,...

What is sustainable finance and how is it changing the investment landscape? Who are some of the biggest hidden players of carbon emissions, and why aren’t we talking about them?     Join Dr Arjuna Dibley (2016 Woodside John Monash Scholar) and host Justin Kelly as they explore what it means to put a price on climate change and the creative ways policymakers are shifting incentives.     Arjuna is...

Alex has a Bachelor of Telecommunications Engineering (Honours) from the University of Adelaide, where he studied as a Charles Hawker Memorial Scholar. With his John Monash Scholarship, he completed an MSc in Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing at the University of Oxford, graduating with the Kathryn Gillow Prize for best dissertation. Volunteering in Timor-Leste instilled Alex with a...

Justin Moore earned his B.Med. Sci and Medical degrees at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, supported by a faculty scholarship, achieving top-tier honors in both disciplines. Additionally, he pursued a legal degree with a specific focus on medical law. During his early career, he completed his internship and foundational surgical training at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne while concur...

In its 20th year of selecting scholars, the John Monash Foundation has announced sixteen outstanding Australians who will embark on an exciting journey of education and leadership overseas. These scholars represent a diverse range of fields, from medicine and health to the arts, engineering, business, law, mathematics, science, and Indigenous affairs, with the United Kingdom and the United States...

Jessie Hughes is an internationally-recognised Australian new media artist, technologist and screenwriter, her works having exhibited most notably at Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Cannes and the Tate Modern. Hughes has been named one of Australia’s Future Changers for her commitment to using digital innovation for positive social impact, and was awarded Australia's prestigious 2020 Lee Liberman Jo...

Jim has recently been appointed as CEO at VicReturn, which is Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme. Prior to this Jim held notable leadership positions such as the Chief of Planning and Governance for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, where he worked on industry restrictions and the economic response to COVI...