Executive Dean's Message - September 2020

Dear colleagues,

It was wonderful to welcome our new Vice-Chancellor Debbie Terry back to Gatton campus last week (photos below) and to share the wonderful achievements and opportunities of our staff in teaching and research.

Thanks so much to the many staff and students who made this a great event!

We have some wonderful good news stories again this month.

Congratulations to Jack Wang (SCMB) for winning the Australian Society for Microbiology David White Excellence in Teaching Award.

And to Avril Robertson (SCMB and previously IMB) for her significant contribution to the UQ spinout company Inflazome being acquired by Roche.

Congratulations also the Bhesh Bhandari (SAFS), Phil Hugenholz (SCMB) and Ian Marquette (SMP) for being recognised by The Australian newspaper as one of the top 250 researchers in the country. And also to those working in the one of the large number of fields for which UQ was recognised as the lead institution, including plant pathology, environmental science, organic chemistry, mathematical physics and food science and technology.

Congratulations to our recently-announced Australian Museum Eureka Awards finalists. Four UQ research projects - including three from the Faculty of Science - have been named as finalists. We have our fingers crossed for the Faculty's great projects led by Warwick Bowen (SMP), Carissa Klein (SEES) and Sarah Legge (SEES).

It was also wonderful to see so many graduates of the UQ Bachelor of Science who were recognised in the 2020 UQ Alumni Awards and that Cameron Costello, CEO of QYAC and a good friend of the Faculty of Science, was recognised by a UQ Indigenous Community Impact Award.

Our promotion and confirmation process continues and as always it is wonderful to see the incredible talent across the Faculty.

The less-good side of the last month, and what has been occupying much of many people’s time, is trying to land our budgets for 2021. This has been very challenging indeed and I would like to acknowledge and thank the hundreds of staff who have been involved in this process, including our Faculty Executive Manager Patrick Testa, Associate Deans, Heads of School, School Managers and our wonderful finance staff. The uplift in Semester 2 enrolments this year has certainly helped and we hope this will continue in 2021.

I hope you are able to take the opportunity for some time off during the mid-semester break. And, given that mince pies are already in the supermarket, that you also start planning for the Christmas holidays. Please do take leave after what has been a very challenging year!

Kind regards,

Professor Melissa Brown
Executive Dean