Executive Dean’s Message - September 2025
Dear colleagues,
As we move into the final quarter of the year, there is still much to look forward to: including UQ Teaching and Learning Week (3-7 November), the second half of Semester 2 teaching, the outcomes of several research grant schemes, and of course, graduations and end-of-year celebrations.
We recently celebrated the depth of research excellence and impact across the UQ community during Research and Innovation Week (8–12 September). The R&I Week 2025 website features stories from the week’s events, including the UQ Research and Innovation Awards for Excellence, the UQ Research Culture Awards, and the Three-Minute Thesis competition. I was delighted to attend the UQ Research Excellence Awards and celebrate several of our Faculty of Science researchers recognised for their outstanding contributions – see below.
With decorations, festive treats, and holiday cheer already appearing in stores, many of us are beginning to look forward to a well-earned end-of-year break. We encourage all staff who are able, to take the opportunity to rest and recharge ahead of another exciting year. As a reminder, UQ will close from 5pm Wednesday 24 December 2025 and reopen on Monday 5 January 2026, with staff expected to take leave on 29, 30, and 31 December. Staff who need to work during this period should discuss arrangements and leave exemptions with their supervisor. Friday 2 January 2026 has been gifted as a leave day for eligible staff noting this will be adjusted in WorkDay to reflect this.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Tamara Davis AM (SMP), an astrophysicist known for her work on the fundamental nature of the universe, continues to inspire through her research and public engagement on being awarded the 2025 Moyal Medal for outstanding contributions to mathematic, physics or statistics.
Congratulations to Christine Beveridge (AGFS) who was the winner of an Excellence in Research Award in the 28th annual Women in Technology (WiT) Awards, for her groundbreaking contributions to plant developmental biology, particularly in understanding shoot branching—an essential trait underpinning crop yield, resilience, and productivity across agriculture, forestry, and horticulture.
Congratulations to Coen Hird (SENV) and team who has secured a $1.656m grant in the ARC’s Discovery Indigenous 2026 scheme for the project, Understanding threats to totemic stingless bees. This Indigenous-led project integrates traditional knowledge and scientific methods to assess population trends, climate resilience, and ethical research practices for culturally significant species, aiming to improve pollination management, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity conservation.
Congratulations to Ariel Isaacs (SCMB) on receiving the 2025 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award for his outstanding research on Understanding Henipavirus Entry Mechanisms at the Molecular Level. This prestigious award recognises Dr Isaacs’ significant contributions to advancing our understanding of viral entry processes, with implications for both fundamental science and future therapeutic strategies.
Congratulations to Kelly Johnstone, Mark Kendrick and Michael Furlong (SENV) on receiving the UQ Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Training. This award recognises their outstanding leadership and innovative strategies in managing and supporting 278 HDR students in the SENV. Their work exemplifies our commitment to fostering a thriving research culture and delivering exceptional support to our higher degree research students.
Congratulations also to the winners of a UQ Research Culture Award, which celebrate outstanding staff contributions to enriching our research environment across disciplines and career stages: Annabel Smith and Coen Hird (SENV), Risti Permani, Jaquie Mitchell, Ammar Abdul Aziz and Sangeeta Prakash (AGFS) and Milou Dekkers (QASP, DVCRI) and colleagues.
News
Student Experience Survey 2024 – UQ Highlights
The Student Experience Survey (SES) is a key national measure of student satisfaction across Australian universities, providing insights into teaching quality, learning resources, support services, and overall experience. The 2024 results show areas of strength for UQ, as well as opportunities for improvement. Key outcomes for undergraduate students:
- Teaching Quality and Learning Resources remain strong, with UQ ranked #2 nationally for teaching and #1 in the Go8 for learning resources.
- Overall Educational Experience saw UQ ranked #5 nationally and equal 1st in the Go8, with 78.1% positive ratings.
- Skills Development improved slightly but remains an area for growth, with UQ ranked #20 nationally.
- Sense of Belonging and Student Support and Services continue to lag behind national averages, with UQ ranked #14 and #29 respectively.
- Peer Engagement improved in rating but dropped in rank due to sector-wide gains.
Nationally, undergraduate ratings remain below pre-pandemic levels in several areas, while postgraduate coursework students show stronger recovery, particularly in skills development and peer engagement.
Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024 – UQ Performance Highlights
The Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) is a national measure of how university graduates are progressing in employment and further study, offering valuable insights into career pathways, salary trends, and institutional performance. Together with the Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L), these reports help benchmark UQ’s outcomes against national and Go8 peers. Key findings:
- UQ ranked #1 in the Go8 for both overall employment and full-time employment among domestic undergraduate graduates.
- Despite a national decline in graduate employment, UQ’s full-time employment rate remained strong at 79.1%, and well above the national average of 74.6%.
- Median graduate salary at UQ rose to $75,000, placing UQ 3rd in the Go8 and 6th nationally.
- The proportion of graduates in further full-time study continues to decline, reaching a six-year low of 18.3% at UQ.
- In the GOS-L, UQ retained the top statistical rank nationally for full-time employment three years post-graduation, with a result of 92.1%, comparable to national and Queensland benchmarks.
These results reflect UQ’s continued strength in graduate employability and long-term career outcomes, even amid shifting labour market conditions.
UQ and the NTU rankings
The University of Queensland has climbed to 37th globally in the 2025 NTU Performance Rankings of Scientific Papers, reinforcing its reputation as a world-class research institution. UQ continues to lead nationally in the subject area Agricultural Sciences (1st), and the field of Life Sciences (2nd) - positions held since 2019 - and globally boasts multiple highly ranked fields and subjects, including the field of Agriculture (#6), and subject areas of Environment / Ecology (7th), Microbiology (29th) and Molecular Biology & Genetics (49th). These rankings reflect the strength, impact, and excellence of UQ’s research output, with the Faculty of Science contributing across all of the above disciplines.
Australian Academy of Science National Symposium 2025
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Australian Academy of Science’s National Symposium 2025 entitled Australian Science Australia’s Future. The focus of the symposium was on the future opportunities for Science in Australia and the workforce needed to realize this, with a focus on future projections in key disciplines and strategies to address the gaps between this and our needs over the next 10 years. The symposium can be watched by following the link above. The associated documents are here (full) and here (abridged). This was followed by a series of expert panels focused on solutions to issues of participation in secondary school and university science and mathematics education and opportunities to enhance the long-term impact of our research. Happy to share my notes if you are interested!
Other Events
I was honoured this month to present the 2025 Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research, sponsored by UQ’s Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, at the Australian Museum’s Eureka Prizes ceremony. This prestigious event celebrates excellence in Australian science, and it was a privilege to represent UQ in recognising groundbreaking contributions to infectious disease research. The Eureka prize winners can be found here, including the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases group from the University of Adelaide and beyond. See here for a video.
The Faculty of Science acknowledged RUOK Day on the 11 September with colleagues in our Professional Services Team. Thank you to our Faculty Executive Manager, Helen Weir, and the HR team for your inspiring words on the importance of connecting with and supporting others through challenging times.
Upcoming opportunities
Faculty of Science Awards – Nominations Open Now!
Nominations for the Faculty of Science Awards are now open. These awards celebrate the outstanding contributions and achievements of our staff and students across a range of categories. Faculty staff are encouraged to nominate individuals or teams (for select awards) who exemplify excellence and impact. Nominations are open until Friday 17 October, so please think about who you would like to recognise!
UQ Teaching and Learning Week
UQ Teaching and Learning (T&L) Week will run from the 3-7 November this year and is an opportunity for the UQ community to learn from one another and celebrate creative and innovative teaching and learning practices designed to enhance student learning. More details can be found here.
Other news
October is the National Safe Work Month and our HSW team will be hosting a range of events to support our collective commitment to improving health and safety for everyone.
Kind regards,
Professor Melissa Brown
Executive Dean – Faculty of Science