Executive Dean’s Message - March 2025
Dear colleagues,
The recent cyclone was an extraordinary and unexpected event for our region, and I would like to acknowledge the impact it had on many staff and students, both professionally and personally. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly to prepare for and respond to the ensuing storm, and for the many people attending daily or twice-daily incident management meetings.
News
Last week the 2025-26 Federal Budget was announced. The key areas of focus were helping with the cost-of-living, housing, strengthening Medicare, investing in early-stage education, and building a stronger economy. Budget announcements relevant to universities and potentially the Faculty of Science were limited but included:
- Actioning recommendations from the Australian Universities Accord: Establishing additional University Study Hubs, reducing student debt and reforming the student loan repayment system, investing in a new higher education funding system, providing additional commonwealth-supported places to broaden access to universities.
- Building on the Future Made in Australia program with a focus on clean energy, green metals and low carbon liquid fuels.
- Support for agriculture, fisheries and forestry, including the development of a National Food Security Strategy.
- Support for climate change and environment including new water infrastructure projects and protecting our environment with a focus on conserving 30% of Australia’s landmass and marine areas by 2030.
- Support for Science organizations and infrastructure, including CSIRO and the Square kilometre array.
- Support for First Nations communities.
- A moderate increase in NHMRC funding.
The budget however was silent on international student visa processing and the total level of research funding, which is currently well below the OECD average.
There is currently two government consultations that staff involved in research or research administration might be interested in: the Strategic Examination of Research and Development and the Policy Review of the National Competitive Grants Program. If you have views on these documents, please feel to share with your School Research Director or our Associate Dean (Research), Avril Robertson. You can also submit your views online following the instructions in the consultation documents.
Funding cuts in the United States are impacting research globally, including university research in Australia, with several of our counterparts being asked to justify ongoing funding of existing projects and programs.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Annie Lau (SENV) who was recently featured on ABC discussing the recent cyclone event, showcasing her expertise in coastal geomorphology.
Congratulations to PhD candidate Gillian Rowan (SENV), who has been selected to undertake an internship at the European Space Agency. Gillian will be travelling to Italy to join ESA’s Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN) which is a global leader in pioneering research and innovation in Earth Observation.
And another huge congratulations to our 2024 Faculty of Science staff and student award winners:
- Steven Salisbury (SENV) – Leadership and Mentoring Award (Academic)
- Aimee Clarke (FoS) - Leadership and Mentoring Award (Professional)
- Masaki Yamao (BAgSci) – Future Superstars Award (Undergraduate)
- Madeline Davies (BSc(Hons)) – Future Superstars Award (Honours/PGCW)
- Meikun (Charles) Zhou (SENV) – Future Superstars Award (HDR)
- Swaid Abdullah (SVS) - Rising Star Award (Academic)
- Sabrina Monaghan (SMP) – Rising Star Award (Professional)
- Reef Catchment Science Partnership Team (SENV) – Partnership and Collaboration Award
- Miljan Stupar (SCMB) – PhD Graduate of the Year Award
- Nicholas See (SCMB) – PhD Graduate of the Year Award
- SMP Finance Advisory Team (SMP) – Award for Excellence (Team)
- Alice Twomey (SENV) – Award for Excellence (Individual)
Thanks
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the UQ Pulse survey before the deadline last Friday. I am looking forward to seeing and sharing the outcomes in due course and to celebrating areas of improvement and continuing to respond to areas of concern.
Events
On 17 March I had the opportunity to meet with a small group of students to discuss their experience studying undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the Faculty of Science. Conversation topics included the impact of the cyclone on learning, opportunities for undertaking research or industry placements, the impact and use of AI and strategies for managing competing priorities.
Last Monday, I was in Adelaide to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC). AusSMC plays an important role bridging the gap between expert knowledge and public understanding connects the people behind the news with independent and credible experts from around the country. AusSMC also run Scimex, which is an online news portal aimed primarily at helping journalists cover science.
I am very much looking forward to spending the day at Gatton tomorrow to present our second Promotions Information Seminar, a second ‘Conversations with the Dean’ event this time with Gatton students and catching up with various colleagues.
Opportunities
This Tuesday 1 April (i.e. tomorrow!) UQ’s Queensland Commitment team in partnership with HEDx, Western Sydney University and Online Education Services will be hosting a presentation by Dr Tim Renick titled ‘Student success through proactive data-driven engagement’. Tim is a global leader in student success and retention. Please consider attending and register for the event online.
Other news
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Faculty of Science 2025 Plan on a Page and Operational Plan, which are now finalised following the release of the UQ 2025 Plan on a Page earlier this month.
Registrations are now open for UQ’s annual free influenza vaccination program. Vaccination appointments can be booked online.
Kind regards,
Melissa Brown
Executive Dean – Faculty of Science