Executive Dean's Message - June 2026

Dear colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who attended the recent Faculty of Science All Staff Forum on Tuesday 23 June. It was wonderful to see such strong engagement, with over 200 staff registered and strong participation from staff who attended in-person and online.

We were also pleased to formally launch the Faculty of Science Strategic Priorities 2026–2029 at this event, followed by an across-campus panel discussion to consider implementation strategies. For those unable to attend, the presentation slides and school reports will be made available shortly. A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to the event, including our panellists: Helen Weir, Avril Robertson, Joseph Grotowski, Sagadevan Mundree and Karyn Johnson.

As semester 1 comes to a close, I would like to sincerely thank all staff for your continued commitment to teaching, learning and student support. The past months have involved a significant effort across preparation, delivery and assessment, culminating in a busy exam period. I am looking forward to signing off on more than 20,000 grades today!

Vale Marloes Dekker and Roger Wepf

Many colleagues in and beyond the Faculty of Science were deeply saddened by the passing of Associate Professor Marloes Nitert Dekker from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, following a very short and unexpected illness. Marloes was a kind and thoughtful colleague with a strong commitment to excellence in both teaching and research. She was highly valued by both students and staff, and will be greatly missed by our community.

I would also like to acknowledge the passing of Professor Roger Wepf, Director of the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. Roger had a distinguished international career in microscopy and, through his leadership, transformed the Centre into a world‑leading facility supporting researchers across the Faculty of Science and UQ more broadly. He will also be sadly missed.

Congratulations

Global Partnerships Funding Scheme

Congratulations to Renjie Zhou (SENV) on securing funding in the 2026 Round One Global Partnerships Funding Scheme. The $15,000 award will support a collaboration with the University of Alberta to establish an early and mid‑career researcher (EMCR) community in energy transition geoscience, strengthening international partnerships and supporting future research collaboration in this critical area.

2026 Research.com “Best Ecology and Evolution Scientists in Australia” rankings

The recent Research.com rankings in Ecology and Evolution show UQ as number 2 in Australia and number 10 internationally with top researchers including Hugh Possingham (SENV) as number 1 in Australia and number 8 internationally, with Ove Hoegh‑Guldberg (SENV), Peter Mumby (SENV), James Watson (SENV) and Catherine Lovelock (SENV) in the national top 22. Notably, Cath is the top-ranking woman in Australia on this list. Congratulations all. Read more on these rankings below.

Veterinary Technician Specialist recognition

Congratulations to Courtney Stewart (SVS) on being awarded the Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Production Animal Medicine credential through the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Clinical Practice. This internationally recognised accreditation follows a rigorous credentialing and examination process and recognises advanced expertise in veterinary clinical practice. Courtney is one of only a small number of professionals globally to hold this qualification and the only non‑North American recipient.

News

New Chancellor

Professor Mary O’Kane AC will commence as the 15th Chancellor of the University of Queensland on 11 July, 2026. It will be wonderful to see Mary presiding over our graduations in her first week at UQ!

New Director of AIBN

Congratulations to Professor Kris Thurecht for being appointed as the new Director of the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN).

Opening of the UQ Biosustainability Hub

It was great to attend the official opening of the UQ Biosustainability Hub on the 17th of June. This $70 million facility will support the development of scalable solutions that transform non-traditional carbon sources into fuels, materials and chemicals, placing UQ at the forefront of the transition to a competitive, low‑carbon bioeconomy.

Launch of the expanded Frazer Institute

I also had the pleasure of celebrating the launch of an expanded UQ Frazer Institute last Friday, now comprising outstanding medical researchers from the UQ Frazer Institute, the UQ Centre for Clinical Research and a selected group from the UQ Centre for Health Services Research. The Frazer Institute is now home to 300 staff, 160 HDR students, 50 research groups and more than $60M in annual research funding and is a powerhouse for research into cancer (including skin cancer), immunology, brain and mental health, ageing and frailty and infection.

UQ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Recognition

UQ has been recognised as a Platinum Tier Employer at the 2026 Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards. This top-tier recognition reflects a sustained commitment across the university to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for staff and students.

UQ has also been awarded its fifth Cygnet Award in the SAGE Athena Swan program, recognising strengthened policy and support frameworks to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct and gender-based violence. This achievement means the University is now eligible to apply for the Athena Swan Silver Award.

Nature Index Performance 2026

UQ continues to perform strongly in the Nature Index, ranked number two in Australia, reflecting the strength and impact of our research outputs across the sciences.

QS Rankings by Subject 2026

UQ continues to perform strongly in the QS Rankings by Subject, with 16 subjects ranked in the global top 50. Of particular relevance to the Faculty of Science:

• Environmental Sciences is ranked =18 globally,
• Agriculture and Forestry 26,
• Veterinary Science 34,
• Chemistry =41, and
• Geology =50.

These outcomes highlight the continued strength and global standing of our core disciplines across environmental, agricultural and physical sciences across UQ. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to this fantastic outcome!

2026 Research.com 2026 discipline rankings

UQ has done extremely well in the Research.com discipline rankings, including:

• Microbiology: #1 in Australia, #31 in the world (top researchers include Mark Schembri (SCMB and IMB) and Alex Kromykh (SCMB))
• Biology and Biochemistry: #1 in Australia, #38 in the world (top researchers include Phil Hugenholtz (SCMB) and Bostjan Kobe (SCMB))
• Animal Science and Veterinary: #4 in Australia, #40 in the world (top researchers include John Gaughan (AGFS), Paul Mills (SVS), Mike McGowan (SVS))
• Chemistry #1 in Australia, #46 in the world (top researchers include Alan Mark (SCMB), Paul Burn (SCMB))
• Ecology and Evolution: #2 in Australia, #10 in the world (see above) (top researchers include Hugh Possingham (SENV), Ove Hoegh‑Guldberg (SENV), Peter Mumby (SENV), James Watson (SENV), and Cath Lovelock (SENV))
• Plant Science and Agronomy: #2 in Australia, #10 in the world (top researchers include Peter Gresshoff (AGFS), Ram Dalal (AGFS) and Christine Beveridge (AGFS))
• Environmental Science: #2 in Australia, #56 in the world (top researchers include Chris Roelfsema (SENV), Daniel Dunn (SENV) and Hamish McGowan (SENV))

Thanks and congratulations to Faculty of Science researchers who have contributed to this!

UQ Experts profile updates

As part of the Drupal 7 migration, academic staff profiles will redirect to UQ Experts. Please ensure your profile is up to date. Staff without a UQ Experts profile will retain their existing page, which will need to be manually maintained by local teams.

Faculty of Science LinkedIn page

It’s fantastic to have a Faculty of Science LinkedIn page! Please follow UQ Science to keep track of all of the amazing happenings across our community!

And finally, as semester concludes, I hope that you are able to take some time to rest and refresh ahead of semester 2.

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