Executive Dean’s Message - January 2026

Dear colleagues,

I hope you all enjoyed a restful and restorative festive season and had wonderful times with your favourite people and places. I thoroughly enjoyed a long break over this period and the opportunity to catch up with family and friends in Melbourne, visit Japan and have some much-needed downtime at home. Thank you to Avril Robertson and Karyn Johnson for stepping into the Acting Executive Dean role during my absence.

As we begin the new academic year, I want to acknowledge that these continue to be challenging times across Australia and globally. Many in our community have been impacted by the consequences of racist violence, geopolitical instability, natural disasters and economic pressures. My thoughts are with impacted staff and students. And my thanks for the care, support and respect you show one another, our students and our partners.

News

Australia Day Honours

It was wonderful to see so many scientists recognized in this year’s Australia Day Honours, including Australian of the Year, Katherine Bennell-Pegg (Space engineer and astronaut and Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency), Anne Kelso AC (previous CEO of the NHMRC), Michelle Simons AC (Quantum Physicist, University of Sydney), Marc Hockings AO (Environmental scientist, UQ SENV) (see below), Mark Cassidy AM (Geotechnical scientist and DVCR, UniMelb), Shaun Collin AM (Ecologist and past Dean of Science, LaTrobe University).

Vale Emma Johnston

I and many colleagues at UQ and beyond were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emma Johnston AO, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, at the age of only 52. Professor Johnston was an accomplished marine ecologist, a respected university leader and a passionate advocate for science. Her many leadership roles included being Dean of the Faculty of Science at UNSW where she demonstrated extraordinary energy, optimism, leadership and friendship to colleagues, including fellow Deans of Science through the Go8 Science Deans group and the Australian Council of Deans of Science. It was a privilege to know Emma and she will be sadly missed.

Enrolments

Early QTAC simulations for the 2026 intake indicate a strong start for UQ overall, with offers trending above the same period last year. The Faculty of Science is seeing an uplift in domestic offers, reflecting continued interest from prospective students in science programs, notably including the Bachelor of Advanced Science, Bachelor of Mathematics and Bachelor of Wildlife Science. Final numbers will depend on acceptances, and will be available once the main offer round is complete.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Marc Hockings (SENV), who has been awarded an AO in this year’s Australia Day Honours for his distinguished service to environmental conservation, to the development of protected area management effectiveness evaluations and to tertiary education.

Congratulations to Jacqui Romero (SMP) who has been named Optica Fellow for 2026, one of the highest honours in the global optics and photonics community. This prestigious recognition celebrates Jacq for her seminal contributions to quantum structured light and her pioneering role in promoting quantum science in the Philippines. Her research has significantly advanced the understanding and application of high-dimensional quantum systems, shaping the future of quantum technologies worldwide.

Congratulations to Grace Li (Senior Manager, International, Faculty of Science) and her team for being nominated by UQ for a Universitas 21 Inclusive Global Engagement Award recognizing their amazing work in international leadership, partnerships, education and engagement.

Congratulations to Christine Beveridge, (AGFS) who has been elected as Member of the Australian Academy of Sciences Council (Biological Sciences) recognising Christine’s pioneering work in plant science and her leadership of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success.

Congratulations to the following staff for their success in the 2025 Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite Grants – Round 2, which supports early‑stage research commercialisation at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to 5.

• Chloe English (SENV) who in partnership with CSIRO and Deakin University has been awarded $496K to advance a new dietary additive that increases resistance of farmed Atlantic salmon to amoebic gill disease.
• Rachel Stephenson (SCMB) is who, in collaboration with CSIRO and Seppic, has been awarded $401K to develop and validate a peptide‑based vaccine to prevent flystrike in sheep.

Congratulations to a number of staff involved in the recently announced new ARC Centres of Excellence:

• ARC Centre of Excellence for Our Future Oceans (UNSW-led with a UQ node). UQ Leads: Helen Bostock and Anthony Richardson (SENV),
• ARC Centre of Excellence for Transforming Human Origins Research (Griffith-led) UQ Leads: Hamish McGowan, Jian‑xin Zhao and Nicole Leonard (SENV / CGMS),
• ARC Centre of Excellence in Mathematics for Quantum Era Security and Trust (USyd-led) (MathQuEST) UQ lead: Ben Burton (SMP),
• ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Performance and Integration (UNSW-led) UQ leads: Jacqui Romero and Tom Stace (SMP), and
• ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Peptide and Protein Engineering (USyd-led) UQ lead: Bostjan Kobe (SCMB).

Congratulations to the Faculty of Science researchers who were among UQ’s recipients in the recent NHMRC Ideas Grants and Postgraduate Scholarships round, contributing to the University’s $29 million total. Science awardees include Luke Guddat, SCMB; Avril Robertson, SCMB; Mark Schembri, SCMB; Daniel Watterson, SCMB; Nick West, SCMB and Chris McMillan, SCMB.

And a note that Clarivate has updated its 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list, which includes revised UQ affiliations for several researchers. This includes the recognition of Richard Fuller (SENV) for his continued inclusion among the world’s most highly cited scientists. Congratulations Rich!

Events

CNRS–UQ Symposium

Thank you to everyone involved in organising the UQ - CNRS 3rd West Pacific Marine Biology Network Symposium, held at St Lucia in November. The event brought together 110 delegates from France, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, the USA, Korea, Papua New Guinea, the UK and Australia, providing an excellent platform for researchers at all career stages to share their work and build new collaborations. Led by Associate Professor Karen Cheney, the symposium showcased cutting‑edge marine science, with a highlight being the Weaving Currents of Knowledge session, which explored respectful partnerships between Indigenous Peoples and marine scientists across the Indo‑Pacific. The event further strengthened UQ’s relationships with CNRS and regional partners.

UQ Orientation Week

UQ Orientation Week runs from Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February, with Science Day taking place on Wednesday 18 February. Thank you to everyone who is contributing to this important program. I would particularly like to acknowledge Aimee Clarke and the Science Student Experience team for their leadership in coordinating the many Science‑related events.

Opportunities

UQ is recruiting three new Associate Dean (Indigenous Engagement) to provide leadership in Indigenous engagement on the Faculty of Science, Faculty of EAIT and Faculty of Business Economics and Law. Please share this opportunity with friends and colleagues who may be prospective applicants.

Expressions of interest for the UQ Leadership Development Program have opened and you can find all the details online. These programs are highly regarded as a valuable professional development opportunity, and applications close on the 17 February. More information will be circulated shortly.

The timeline for the UQ Promotion to Professor program has changed this year with applications now opening on 2 March and closing on 7 June. UQ Academic Promotion Information Session have been scheduled for 10 February (Level E) and 24 of February (Level B, C and D). Faculty of Science Promotion Information Sessions will be held in March with dates TBA. Further information can be found online.

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