The best known physical applications of graded geometry are in supersymmetry and in the BV formalism for quantization of
gauge theories. In this talk, a different set of applications of the graded formalism will be discussed.
First, the construction of (bosonic) Lagrangians for higher spin fields of mixed symmetry will be presented,
with emphasis on higher derivative interaction terms that lead to second order field equations. Graded
geometry leads to a universal expression for such Galileon-like interactions for any type of bipartite
tensor using an appropriate generalisation of the Hodge star operator. Next, it is shown that this framework
can be used to study standard and exotic dualities in a unified way. I will present a universal first-order action for
the dualization of certain mixed-symmetry tensors and comment on the role and status of double and exotic duals
in comparison to standard duality. Finally, I will comment on generalisations of topological theta terms
and their potential physical consequences.