Glenn Withers is the new president of the Australian Council of Learned Academies. The post is filled from the heads of ACOLA’s constituent academies –Professor Withers is president of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. He is also newly appointed chair of the World Bank affiliated Global Development Learning Network. Professor Withers is a former chief of Universities Australia.
Andrew McLachlan is the new dean of pharmacy at the University of Sydney. Professor McLachlan will join the university from Concord Hospital in February.
UNSW dean of science Emma Johnston has taken up the chair of Science and Technology Australia. She was named president elect last November (/ CMM November 28 2017).
The VC’s staff excellence awards at Edith Cowan University are announced:
Excellence in teaching: Gemma Quayle (exercise and sports science) and Janica Jamieson (nutrition and dietetics)
Early Career research: Melanie Blanchette (freshwater ecology, environmental genomics, mine water)
Engagement in research: Caroline Barrett Pugh (early childhood)
Research supervision: Marcella Polain (arts and humanities), Hadrian Djajadikerta (business and law)
Inspirational Teams: Australian Indigenous Healthinfo Net, Security and Traffic Services
Joan Squelch is the new dean of law at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle.
Tasmania’s STEM researcher of the year is Graham Edgar from the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Innovators of the Year are UTas chemists Alex Bissember and Jason Smith. Motor neurone scientist Catherine Blizzard, from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research is a STEM communicator of the year.
The University of Melbourne has appointed its second Redmond Barry distinguished professor from the Graduate School of Education. Johanna Wyn follows Lyn Yates.
UTS has announced its 2017 learning and teaching award winners:
Individual teaching awards: Blair Neild (life sciences), James Wakefield ( accounting)
Team teaching: Rebecca Keppel (life sciences) and team
Academic support: Mary Coupland and team (Mathematics and Science Study Centre)
Learning.futures: Christina Ho (communications programme), Jemma Price (journalism)
UTS Mode of Learning: Megan Phillips (life sciences)
Social impact learning and teaching: Maxine Evers and team (Brennan Justice and Leadership Programme)
Citations: Catherine Nguyen (law), Dr Charles Cranfield (life sciences) and team, Jorge Reyna ( learning design) and team, Dr Katie Schlenker (management), Dr Philippa Ryan (law), Raechel Wight (learning and teaching) , Vinay Patel (finance).
Psychologist Derek Carson will join Bond University in May as executive dean of society and design. Professor Carson is now dean of media, culture and society at the University of the West of Scotland.
Kirsty Forrest is the incoming dean of medicine at Bond U. Professor Forrest is now deputy head there and a consultant anaesthetist at Gold Coast University Hospital.
Karen Hapgood will step up to be executive dean of the faculty of science, engineering and built environment at Deakin University, starting in July. She is now head of Deakin U’s school of engineering.
Jessica Vanderlelie is appointed PVC student success at La Trobe U. Associate Professor Vanderlelie is presently the Innovative Research Universities innovation fellow.