Over five days in June, more than 50 outstanding thinkers will lead the University of Melbourne's Festival of Ideas, Climate Change, Cultural Change.

Festival-goers in a program of evening keynote lectures followed the next day by challenging panel discussions, debates, forums, and seminars across the University campus.

Festival Director Professor Patrick McCaughey was asked to gather a selection of the University's expertise for the Festival and the program and speakers bear his personal stamp.

Joining some household names such as Peter Doherty, Ross Garnaut, David Karoly, Rob Moodie, Kate Grenville, and Roger Short are a new generation of thinkers, including Waleed Aly, Sana Nakata, Lisa Gorton, Sophie Cunningham, Randa Abdel- Fattah and Linh Do, Victorian VCE Young Achiever of the Year.