TU Dublin Launches New Lecture Series Exploring Ethics, Technology and Culture

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Technological University Dublin is launching a new public lecture series examining how technological change is shaping society, culture, and everyday life. ethics, technology and culture, (etc.)Lecture Series will commence on Thursday, 16 April 2026, with an inaugural lecture by internationally recognised design researcher Dr Rilla Khaled.

The series, convened by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and curated by Professor Taha Yasseri, Workday Chair of Technology and Society at TU Dublin, brings together researchers, industry experts, policymakers, and the public to explore the ethical and cultural questions raised by emerging technologies.

“The pace of technological change means we urgently need spaces where people from different disciplines and from outside academia can come together to reflect on what these developments mean for society,” said Professor Yasseri. “The etc. lecture series is designed to encourage exactly that kind of thoughtful and open conversation.”

The inaugural lecture, titled “Real (talk) > True (talk): Making space for making,” by Dr Rilla Khaled, will explore how creative and design-based research fits within traditional academic systems, and why the processes behind making video games, interactive systems, and digital experiences deserve greater recognition as forms of knowledge. In doing so, the talk connects to the etc. series’ focus on ethics, technology and culture by showing how everyday digital experiences are designed, how they shape society, and why understanding the thinking behind them matters beyond academia or industry alone.

Dr Khaled is an Associate Professor in the Department of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University in Montréal, Canada, and Director of the Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) Research Centre. Her work explores how interactive technologies, including games and speculative digital prototypes, can improve the human condition and encourage critical reflection on technology’s role in society.

In her lecture, she will introduce the Method for Design Materialisation (MDM), a framework that documents how creative projects develop from initial ideas through to finished outcomes. By making the thinking behind design work more visible, the approach challenges traditional definitions of research while highlighting how creative practices contribute to our understanding of technology, culture, and society.

Dr Orla McDonagh, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at TU Dublin, said the initiative reflects the Faculty’s commitment to connecting academic research with wider society.

“Through the lens of ethics, technology and culture, the etc. lecture series invites speakers from different disciplines to explore some of the major questions shaping contemporary life,” she said. “At a time of rapid technological change and global transformation, the arts and humanities play a crucial role in helping society interpret, acknowledge, and handle change.”

The event will take place in the Concert Hall in the East Quad on TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus. It is free and open to everyone, with advance registration required.

Event details

Event: ethics, technology and culture, (etc.) Lecture Series – Inaugural Lecture

Speaker: Dr Rilla Khaled

Title: Real (talk) > True (talk): Making space for making

Date: Thursday, 16 April 2026

Time: 15:00 – 16:30