Executive Dean’s Message - June 2025

Dear colleagues,

As we approach the end of the examination period and wrap up Semester 1, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all academic and professional staff involved in educating and assessing our students once again for your dedication and hard work.

Thank you also to everyone who attended the recent Faculty of Science All Staff Forum on Tuesday 20 June. It was wonderful to see so many of you there in person and online, and to enjoy the panel discussion entitled ‘The positive impact of AI’. I hope you found the session both informative and engaging. For those who were unable to attend, the presentation slides and school reports will be made available online soon. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the event, including Karyn Johnson for leading the panel discussion and our panel members: Dom McGrath (ItaLI), Marni Holt (Science), Severine van Bommel (AGFS) and David Ascher (Science and SCMB).

Global events and travel advice

As you may be aware, there is currently significant unrest in the Middle East. Our thoughts are with all students and staff who are directly or indirectly impacted. Please know that your colleagues across the Faculty are thinking of you, and both the University and Faculty remain committed to supporting you during this challenging time. If you are impacted or concerned, I encourage you to speak with your supervisor or reach out to me directly. We are here to support you.

These events are also impacting international travel, with delays and disruptions anticipated. Staff and students who have booked or are planning international travel associated with UQ work or study are encouraged to stay informed and follow the advice of Smartraveller, regardless of your location or destination. Please ensure your travel details are registered with International SOS, and download the International SOS (ISOS) mobile app to receive updates and alerts. Further advice and information for staff and students travelling for UQ work or study is provided below, and the UQ travel website will continue to be updated with the latest advice and links to information.

Congratulations

A huge congratulations to Emeritus Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg AC on being appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours. This prestigious award recognises his eminent service to marine science, particularly his groundbreaking work on the research, conservation, and management of coral reef ecosystems, as well as his contributions to tertiary education and climate science.

Congratulations also to Teresa Ubide Garralda on being awarded the prestigious bi-annual Wager Medal. This honour commemorates Professor Lawrence Rickard Wager, renowned for his groundbreaking discovery of the Skaergaard layered intrusion and his pioneering structural, mineralogical and petrological study of such intrusions. Dr Ubide’s recognition recognises her outstanding contributions to the field and her continued impact on the geoscience community.

And congratulations to our ARC Linkage Grant recipients: Ellie Soumeh (lead CI), Nick Hudson (both AGFS) and colleagues and industry partners on the role on zinc in pig development and health; and Phil Hugenholtz (SCMB) and Brett Ferguson (AGFS) and colleagues and industry partners on the effectiveness of technosoil in supporting sustainable plant growth.

Other good news

UQ has achieved outstanding results in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject, with notable improvements in global and national rankings across a number of disciplines in which the Faculty of Science contributes. These include:

• Agriculture and Forestry: 15 (up 1 place relative to 2024) (and #1 in Australia)
• Environmental Science: 15 (up 3 places relative to 2024) (and #1 in Australia)
• Veterinary Science: 35 (and #3 in Australia)
• Life Science and Medicine: 35 (and #4 in Australia)
• Geology: 40 (up at least 10 places relative to 2024)
• Earth and Marine Science: 44 (up 2 places relative to 2024)
• Chemistry: 46 (and #1 in Australia relative to #3 in 2024)
• Geography: 51-100
• Mathematics: 115
• Physics and Astronomy: 128 (up 22 places relative to 2024)

Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to this fantastic outcome for UQ!

Appointments

Welcome to Lucy Dickson, who has joined the Executive Dean’s Office as Executive Officer. Lucy brings with her 19 years of experience in the higher education sector, including eight years in senior leadership roles within the Science Group at Griffith University. Her extensive background and strategic insight will be an asset to the team.

Welcome to Kari Cluff who has been appointed as Principal Consultant, HR Client Partnering (Science) who will play a key role in managing the academic confirmations and promotion process in Science. Kari has moved from an HR Advisor role in Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences and its predecessor the UQ Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences.

Welcome also to Felicity Kilmister who has been appointed as Manager, HR Professional Services Team, based on the Gatton Campus. Felicity is an experienced HR professional with previous roles in several industry sectors.

Events

Thank you in advance to all staff who will be contributing to the Brisbane Tertiary Studies and Careers Expo (TSXPO) on 19-20 July 2025, at the Brisbane Showgrounds. Now in its 44th year, TSXPO is Australia’s largest and longest-running careers expo, connecting students, graduates, and job seekers with top universities, training institutions and employers.

A sincere thank you to all staff supporting our upcoming UQ Open Days on Sunday 3 August at the St Lucia Campus and Sunday 17 August at the Gatton Campus. These events are a vital opportunity to welcome prospective students and their families to campus, showcase our academic offerings, and highlight the vibrant, supportive community that defines UQ. Your time, energy and enthusiasm make a lasting impression and are deeply appreciated.

Opportunities

I am delighted to share several internal funding schemes that are currently open. Please contact your School Director of Research or Head of School if you are interested in applying.

• Applications are open for the UQ Research Infrastructure Investment Scheme (UQ RIIS), a competitive funding round supporting collaborative infrastructure and equipment funding across UQ. Applications are open until 5pm, Friday 4 July 2025.

• Applications are now open for the 2025 UQ Indigenous Research Engagement & Partnerships Fund (IREP) fund, supporting research partnerships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (Stream 1), and the career development of Indigenous researchers (Steam 2). The Research Office is offering workshops to assist researchers in preparing their application for funding.

• Applications are also open for the 2025 UQ Early Career Researcher Development: Knowledge Exchange & Translation Fund. This scheme supports ECRs in building partnerships with end-users to enhance research impact, collaboration and career development. Workshops and resources are available to support applicants.

• Expressions of interest (EOI) are now open for the UQ-Sanofi Translational Science Hub (TSH) Partnership Scheme, supporting collaborative research in mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. The scheme offers funding across four streams, including seed funding, co-investment for external grants, fellowships/scholarships, and research contracts.

I would also like to remind you that the Faculty currently run two schemes to support women returning to work after parental leave and to enable travel. Further details can be found in the story on the front page of this newsletter. Also, for your information, both schemes are scheduled to be reviewed by our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee this year, so please let me or Avril Robertson (Chair of the Science EDI committee) know if you have any feedback. For example, at the recent Faculty Forum we heard an excellent suggestion to extend the travel enabling for academic women with caring responsibilities to travel enabling scheme from just being for women to being for all academic staff with caring responsibilities. The EDI committee will consider this at a future meeting.

Other activities

The School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability and the School of the Environment are both preparing for their upcoming Academic Board reviews in July and October, respectively. The School of Veterinary Science is currently preparing for its BVetSci(Hons) accreditation review in September. Well done to everyone involved in these very significant programs of work!

And just a reminder that staff and students are required to undertake identified mandatory training modules as required by the University. Please complete the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Core Cultural Learning - Module 3 - History Lives In Us.

Kind regards,
Professor Melissa Brown
Executive Dean – Faculty of Science