Executive Dean’s Message - October 2024
Dear colleagues,
Now that the teaching semester has come to an end, it has been wonderful to participate in UQ’s Teaching and Learning week and an opportunity to celebrate the successes of our amazing teachers. Two highlights for me this week have been the 2024 Teaching Excellence Awards on Monday evening when I had the opportunity to congratulate Gurion Ang (SENV) for winning an Award for Teaching Excellence and Ulrike Kappler (SCMB) for winning a Commendation for Teaching Excellence. Well done to Gurion and Ulrike for this significant achievement!
News
The second highlight is in the future, but I know it’s going to be fabulous as we celebrate our UQ awardees, new HEA Fellows, Dean’s commendation recipients and Faculty of Science Teaching Award winners at the Faculty of Science Teaching and Learning Forum at 9am in 50-S201. Hope to see you there and to catch up over morning tea!
Of course, whilst teaching delivery has finished, we still have a lot of work to do between now and the end of the year, as we engage in assessment and marking, preparations for summer semester and semester 1, and more. Thank you to everyone who has and will continue to contribute to this important part of our university’s mission.
It was also wonderful to celebrate our research superstars during Research Week earlier this month. Huge congratulations to UQ Foundation Research Excellence award winners Aude Bernard (SENV) for her project on forecasting climate-induced migration in Australia and Leslie Roberson (SENV) for her project working with skilled fishers to identify feasible conservation targets for threatened species.
Congratulations
In other great news, congratulations to the host of SMP researchers who have been successful in securing almost half of the $53M funding in the Queensland State Government’s Quantum and Advanced Technologies Grants program. A big shout-out to SMP researchers Warwick Bowen, Tyler Neely, Jacinda Ginges, Peter Jacobson, Arkady Federoc, Andrew White, Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Ben Carey, Fernando Gottardo, Igor Marinkovic, Pavlina Naydenova, Nathaniel Bawden, Carla Verdi, Ben Powell, Ebinazar Namdas, Julian Andrew Steele, Yi-Hsun Chen and colleagues (noting some announcements remain under-embargo) for this fabulous achievement!
Congratulations also to UQ Alumni Glenn Denning, for being awarded as UQ’s Alumnus of the Year, recognising his exceptional contributions to international food security, and Gregory Rebetzke, Chief Research Geneticist at CSIRO, who was awarded the Gatton Gold Medal. It was great to celebrate this at UQ’s Courting the Greats event yesterday.
Other news
A big welcome to our new Indigenous Engagement Manager, Shaelene Lake, who commenced in mid-October. Shae is a proud Wakka Wakka and Quandamooka woman, who has nearly thirty years of experience in various leadership roles across Tertiary Education and State and Territory Government sectors. Shae holds a Business Degree, a Graduate Certificate in Leadership, and a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact. Shae is passionate about enhancing the belonging of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by providing a culturally safe and enabling higher education environment.
I’d like to acknowledge that it has been a very challenging two weeks, as school and faculty try to balance our 2025 budgets in the face of uncertain revenue and increasing costs predicted for next year, whilst continuing to achieve excellence in teaching and research. Thank you so much to everyone involved in this very challenging process and all the work that has gone into preparing documentation ahead of budget meetings.
Just a reminder that the Faculty of Science Awards are now open – please encourage staff to submit nominees!
Finally, I am looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming All Staff Forum at 1pm on Wednesday 6 November. The agenda will include a brief update from me followed by a panel discussion on Equity Diversity and Inclusion, led by Avril Roberston (ADR and SCMB) and Sagadevan Mundree (Head of School, AGFS). I hope you will join us in person or online, followed by afternoon tea at each of our campuses and sites!
Kind regards,
Professor Melissa Brown
Executive Dean - Faculty of Science