For Friday

 John Mattick joins UNSW’s School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences next month. A former ED of the Garvan Institute, he was most recently chief executive of Genomics England.

The history short-list for the Prime Minister’s literary prizes is: Clare Wright (La Trobe U) for You Daughters of Freedom: The Australians who Won the Vote and Inspired the world. Anna Haebich, Dancing in Shadows: Histories of Nyungar Performance. Billy Griffiths (Deakin U), Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia. Meredith Lake, (Uni Sydney), The Bible in Australia: a cultural history. David Kemp (ANZ School of Government) The Land of Dreams: How Australians Won Their Freedom, 1788-1860.

University campus security teams winning awards at the Safe Zone conference include; University of Queensland, University of Wollongong and CQU.

Of the week

 Antje Blumenthal (Uni Queensland is the Life Sciences Research Leader in the 2019 Women in Technology, Queensland awards.

Uni Queensland’s Jo Bowles (biomedical science) and Kate Schroder (molecular bioscience) are joint winners of the emerging leader award from the ANZ Society for Cell and Developmental Biology.

Bronwyn Evans is the new CEO of Engineers Australia.  She is a recent head of the federal government’s medtech and pharma industry growth centre MTP connect.

Canberra poet John Foulcher wins the $10 000 Australian Catholic University poetry prize.

Monash U announces Guy Geltner will join next year as professor of medieval and renaissance history. He moves from the University of Amsterdam.

Parisa Glass from the George Institute for Global Health is appointed guest of the chair at the MedTech and Pharma Growth Centre. She will attend board meetings and “interact” with directors and senior managers.

Sarah Joseph reports she will move to Griffith U’s law school in February. She is now director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash U.

Elisa Martinez-Marroquin is appointed academic board chair at the University of Canberra for three years, commencing January 1.

Jacques Miller (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) shares the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award with Max Cooper (Emory U). Their work is said “to have launched the course of modern immunology.”

Michal Sprlak (School of Engineering, Uni Newcastle) wins the quadrennial Guy Bomford prize from the International Association of Geodesy.

The University of Sydney announces the third group of Payne-Scott professors, nominated by colleagues for academic achievement and contribution to the university community. This year’s awards go to; Louise Baur (child health), Phyllis Butow (psychology), Stefan Williams (engineering) and Hala Zreiqat (engineering). The programme is named for UniSydney graduate, physicist and radio astronomer , Ruby Payne-Scott.

Michael Wesley joins the University of Melbourne as DVC International. He moves from dean of College of Asia and the Pacific at ANU.

 Myles Young is health fund Bupa’s emerging health researcher for 2019. Dr Young works on weight loss programmes for men, at the University of Newcastle