Of the day

 Jo Douglass becomes head of Uni Melbourne’s Department of Medicine.  She is now a professor of medicine at the university and research director at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

 Bethany Keats joins Innovative Research Universities as marketing and media advisor. She is on seconded from James Cook U.

 Grahame McCulloch has come out of retirement to be chief of staff to Tasmania’s Opposition Leader, David O’Byrne. Mr McCulloch retired as general secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union in 2018.

Of the week

Emeritus Professor Lawrie Beilin (UWA) receives the Peter Sleight Excellence Award for Clinical Research from the World Hypertension League. Anthony Rodgers (UNSW) wins the League’s award for population hypertension control.

Dinesh Palipana (Griffith U) is appointed the culturally and linguistically diverse adviser to the Disability Royal Commission.

Glenn Solomon will join the Uni Adelaide next month, becoming first occupant of the Hicks Chair of Quantum Materials. He moves from the Joint Quantum Institute in the US. Professor Hicks researches the interaction of light with semiconducting materials and “device structures.” His new chair is funded by a bequest from Uni A alumnus, Warren Hicks.

Thorsten Trupke (UNSW) wins the William Cherry Award for outstanding contributions to photovoltaic science and technology. The award is from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Alison Watkins becomes chancellor of Uni Tasmania at the end of the month. Ms Watkins is a business leader and present member of the Reserve Bank board. She replaces former state premier, Michael Field.

Uni Wollongong announces two masters of maritime policy students have won scholarships. One is Megan Reinwald, from the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources. The other is Uni Wollongong’s own Andrew Herring, the university’s Associate Director, strategic comms.

Glenn Solomon will join the Uni Adelaide next month, becoming first occupant of the Hicks Chair of Quantum Materials. He moves from the Joint Quantum Institute in the US. Professor Hicks researches the interaction of light with semiconducting materials and “device structures.” His new chair is funded by a bequest from Uni A alumnus, Warren Hicks.