Of the day
The NSW Smart Sensing Network announces new board appointments, Jill Freyne (CSIRO), Ian Oppermann (NSW Chief Data Scientist) and Sally-Ann Williams (“deep-tech incubator” Cicada Innovations).
Anna Phillips is incoming Chief People Officer at Australian Catholic U. She moves from Austin Health in Melbourne and before that was Director, Capability at Uni Melbourne
Of the week
Duncan Lewis joins ANU’s National Security College. Major General Lewis was DG of ASIO, 2014-19. Heather Smith also joins the NSC. Dr Smith was secretary of what was the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
The Australian Research Council announced the 17 2021 Laureate Fellows, including Sundhya Pahuja (Uni Melbourne) receiving the Kathleen Fitzpatrick fellowship and Yun Liu (ANU) the Georgina Sweet.
At Uni Wollongong, Marijka Batterham becomes head of the National Institute for Applied Statistics Research Australia
Historian André Brett (Uni Wollongong) wins the Australian Academy of Humanities’ Max Crawford Medal for outstanding achievement by an early career scholar.
CAUDIT (as in the Council of Australasian university directors of IT) announces the short-lists for its (generally teams) awards. Nominees in the emerging leader category are, Mark Brodsky and Louren David (both Australian Catholic U), Fadi Alja’fari (Deakin U) and Irene Pridham, (Western Sydney U)
Brendan Crabb (Director of the Burnet Institute) will chair the Australian Global Health Alliance (“Australia’s pre-eminent peak body for global health organisations”).
Barbie Panther (Deakin U) and Rowena Harper (Edith Cowan U) join the committee of the Council of Australasian university leaders in learning and teaching.
David Doepel (Murdoch U’s, Africa Research Group) is the new chair of the WA Government’s Peel Development Commission.
At Flinders U, Luke Havelberg becomes CIO, he has acted in the post since November ’20. Mark Schultz will become Director, People and Culture, moving from a similar role at the SA Department of Education.
Boris Gurevich (Curtin U) wins the Reginald Fessenden Award, (exploration geophysics) from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Ian Harper (Uni Melbourne) is reappointed a part-time member of the Reserve Bank board.
The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australia announces 2020 awards, including
Heroes of HE: Jane Coffey (Curtin U), Sarah Hattam (Uni SA), Michael Mehmet (Uni Wollongong) Olivia Rajit (UTS), Cate Thomas (Charles Sturt U)
Reviewers of the year: Nicole Crawford (Curtin U), Guy Curtis (UWA), Emily Danvers ( Uni Sussex)
Best article: Kerry Renwick, Mark Selkrig, Catherine Manathunga & Ron ‘Kim’ Keamy for “Community engagement is … : revisiting Boyer’s model of scholarship”, which appeared in Higher Education Research & Development, 39:6, 1232-1246.
Hazel Bateman (UNSW) is the inaugural chair of the International Pension Research Association. John Piggott (also UNSW) is a member of its executive committee.
At Murdoch U Romy Lawson will move from provost to interim VC at the end of the month. She will replace Eeva Leinonen who is leaving to become president of National Uni of Ireland Maynooth.
Riitta Partanen is confirmed as head of Uni Queensland’s Rural Clinical School. She has been interim head since April 2020.
David Sadler, UWA DVC E joins the board of UK higher education charity Advance HE.
Mark Taylor is leaving Macquarie U to become Victoria’s Chief Environmental Scientist at end July.
Uni Wollongong announces David Currow will become inaugural DVC Health and Sustainable Futures, starting November. He joins from UTS. Eileen McLaughlin moves from Western Sydney U to become ED, Science, Medicine and Health, starting September.
Ross Young becomes DVC Research and Innovation at Uni Sunshine Coast. He moves from health executive dean at QUT.