Editorial board
Max Billington (Editor in Chief)
G’day, I’m Max! I’m a fourth-year Arts student with an interest in all things historical, as well as security politics and the evolution of liberalism. When I’m not trying to finish four essays at once, you can find me playing video games or rereading Lord of the Rings for the tenth time. Occasionally I go outside and follow my chickens around.
What makes you human 2.0?
I combat the evolutionarily undesirable trait of bad eyesight by wearing two pieces of specially designed glass in front of my eyes. This works very well at fending off selection pressure, when I remember to put them on.
Thomas Danese (Financial Advisor)
Hi! I’m Thomas, I’m in my fourth year of biomed and my major is biomedical engineering. I love reading about science, philosophy and history, as well as science fiction, so I’m very excited to be a part of this team. I also enjoy stargazing because it makes me think about how small and fragile we are, and that helps to take my mind off the small stuff.
What makes you human 2.0?
What makes me human is my identity and everything that forms it: language, disability, complex and abstract thoughts, and my love of pasta.
Jacob Ellis (Art Director)
Hi! I’m Jacob, a second year Science student with an interest in the Neuroscience major, and I’ll be fulfilling the role of Art Director for Humans 2.0! As well as the sciences, I’m a big fan of art and writing, and I have a special appreciation for the iconic 60s sci-fi novel, Dune.
What makes you human 2.0?
I believe that the defining feature of humanity is our concept of identity. To be human is to believe we are greater than the sum of our parts. It is our endless search for the meaning hidden within ourselves and our world. And so, to me, being Human 2.0 is about projecting that inherent drive for understanding outwards, to build a brighter future for all.
Mark Gillam (Events Planner)
Hi, I’m Mark Gillam. I am currently completing the second year of my Art degree at the University of Melbourne with a focus on philosophy and ethics. I am an editorial board member for Humans 2.0 and currently hold the Events Planner role for the Journal. I am interested in a wide range of topics, from music and technology, to politics and ethics, this is what sparked my interest in interdisciplinary study and is one of the reasons I am so excited to be a part of the Humans 2.0 project.
What makes you human 2.0?
I believe I could be classified as Human 2.0 as my main mode of transport requires harnessing the force from a series of extremely well timed and contained explosions, and I (for better or worse), choose to sit atop this contraption and consider it normal.
Alexander Joshi (Issue Planner)
I am on a quest to figure out the world and how we have the people in it. This took me to science, which took me to physics and maths, but in an alternative timeline I could stomach chem pracs and ended up in biochemistry. Humans 2.0 is me getting back in touch with my roots. When I'm not studying, I like to play music and write stories.
What makes you human 2.0?
I can access an ocean of human knowledge from anywhere I need to go.
Annabella Lewis (Administrator)
Hello, I’m Annabella! I’m a second-year biomed student with special interests in developmental biology, perinatal, and neonatal medicine. I am passionate about creating an empathetic future through the unification of these scientific disciplines with ethics and the humanities; particularly through medical ethics and the philosophy of science. In my downtime, I love to read, write, bake, sing, and care for my growing family of pot plants!
What makes you human 2.0?
We are all intrinsically connected to our planet – evolutionarily and by our duty to care for it – and I like to embrace this broader sense of what it means to be human by filling my abode with plants and surrounding myself with nature wherever possible!
Tony Zhang (Outreach)
I am a University of Melbourne student currently studying second year Bachelor of Biomedicine. Aspiring to be an anaesthetist in the future, my life goal has always been to become successful in the field of medicine and help people to the best of my ability. Despite always having a vested interest in the sciences, music was also an integral part of my schooling life, achieving great honours in both piano and cello after many years of dedication.
What makes you human 2.0?
Well, since I come from a science background, I guess what makes me human is my heart, but what makes me human 2.0 is debatable.