Physicist, Commando, Explosives Engineer, Comedian, Astronaut Candidate, Exploration Cave Diver - one thing Josh Richards can never be accused of is being boring.
After a decade of picking up booby traps with the Australian Army, slogging through mud with British Commandos, being science adviser to the richest artist in the world, and performing comedy wearing a giant koala suit to confused audiences around the world, Josh decided to take on the final frontier by applying for a one-way mission to Mars. Selected from over 200,000 initial applicants to the Mars One project in 2012, Josh was shortlisted as one of 100 astronaut candidates launching to the red planet one-way in 2031. For the next decade, Josh travelled the world - training, preparing, speaking, and writing books with the single goal of helping our species evolve in order to establish a permanent Human presence on Mars.
When the Mars One mission was eventually shelved in 2020, Josh faced a clear choice: lament the loss of his Martian dream, or venture deeper into the planet he was already on. He chose the latter - turning his exploratory zeal to the depths of Earth's underwater cave systems. As the founder of the "Soggy Wombats" cave exploration team, Josh's dedication to applied science and passion for exploration has led to three of the most significant cave discoveries in South Australia's Limestone Coast region from the last 20 years - extending Engelbrecht's East by more than 400 meters in 2022, doubling the length of Iddlebiddy Cave in 2023, and most recently receiving national television coverage for uncovering the "Crazy Wombat Tunnel" in Pines Cave with its potential connection to nearby Stinging Nettle Cave.
Josh's multidisciplinary background and engaging storytelling make him a sought-after keynote speaker. He offers insights on leadership, team dynamics, and the future of work, drawing parallels between his diverse experiences—from breeding butterflies for Damien Hirst, to jumping out of planes, to wriggling through limestone fissures underwater. Whether it's the psychological impact of long-duration space travel, the importance of diversity in high-performing teams, or the intricacies of navigating uncharted underground passages, Josh Richards captivates audiences with his unique perspectives and infectious enthusiasm, and proves that anything is possible with enough courage, curiosity, and laughter.
For those eager to delve deeper into his adventures, Josh has authored several books including Becoming Martian, a humorous exploration of how colonizing Mars might transform humanity, and Cosmic Nomad, a candid account of his life pursuing interplanetary dreams with Mars One.
Talking Points
Objective-based Leadership/Followership and Teambuilding
Drawing from expeditionary leadership training provided to astronauts as well as the experience of selecting astronauts for a non-conventional mission (eg. permanent settlement over exploration), this session looks at how the common perception of an astronaut's right stuff is precisely the wrong approach to take for both long-duration space exploration and sustainable high performance teams on Earth.Objective-based Leadership/Followership and Teambuilding
Key takeaways include maintaining a fluid organisational command structure, forming flexible yet resilient teams, objective-based decision-making in high-risk environments, project management from first-principles, and risk mitigation.
The Future of Work
This session delves into the rapid changes already occurring in the modern workplace, how those changes are only the very beginning, and how we as a species need to re-examine the role that employment plays in defining our growing global culture.The Future of Work
Key takeaways include the exponential growth of automation, the future of money and data as the new global currency, the role of Universal Basic Income, why we have every reason to be optimistic about the future if we embrace change, and how we define ourselves as a species in a post-work future.
Sustainable Innovation Through Diversity and Gender-Equality
This session focuses on creating highly effective teams with the greatest diversity possible to tackle old problems in innovative ways, and aims to demonstrate that workplace diversity isn't just a nice to have - it's a necessity for all industries that wish to succeed.Sustainable Innovation Through Diversity and Gender-Equality
Key takeaways include how nationalism sparked humanity's first forays into space but today it's preventing us going further than Low-Earth orbit; how the most effective & sustainable teams are also the most diverse in terms of culture, age, gender, and sexuality; balancing communication between diverse groups; innovation through multiple perspectives; and how having a woman be the first to step on Mars will benefit humanity exponentially more than having a man be first.
Video
Josh Richards - Halogen
Physicist, Explosives Engineer, Soldier, Stand-Up Comedian and Astronaut Candidate - one thing Josh Richards can never be accused of is being boring. In the last decade he's picked up booby traps for the Australian Army, slogged through mud with the British Commandos, used napalm in a music video for U2, been a science advisor to the richest contemporary artist in the world, and performed with some of the world's top comedians while wearing a giant koala suit to confused audiences from Los Angeles to Edinburgh. Josh found his true calling in late 2012 when he discovered the Mars One project. Selected from over 200,000 initial applicants, Josh is now one of 705 worldwide astronaut candidates short-listed to leave Earth forever and become the first to colonise Mars in 2025.I had the pleasure to work with Josh when planning the ACS WA Gala Dinner in Perth, WA; where Josh was our Keynote Speaker and highlight of the night. Josh was not only delightful to deal fr ... keep reading Australian Computer Society
