The Astronomical Society of Australia announces its awards, Geraint Lewis (Uni Sydney) wins the David Allen Prize for his search for meaning in our cold, dark universe. Madeleine McKenzie (ex UWA now ANU) has the Bok Prize for studying ancient stars as fossils. Keith Bannister (CSIRO) is the Anne Green Prize winner for developing a way to trace the origin of fast radio bursts. Colm Talbot (formerly Monash U now Caltech) receives the Charlene Heisler Prize for models of how binary black holes form. Joseph Callingham (Leiden U) takes the Louise Webster Prize for discovering the most distant stellar object. Tamara Davis (Uni Queensland) will be the society’s 2022 lecturer.  Matthew Bailes (Swinburne U) delivers the 2019 lecture at next week’s annual meeting. (No lecture last year, due to COVID 19).

The Australasian University Safety Association announces its new executive committee and branch leaders. Committee: Scott Burnell president (Griffith University). Theresa Walsh (Uni Melbourne). Xin Li (ANU and CSIRO). Colin Chua (Uni Sydney). Paul Kozina (Swinburne Uni). Mikhail Farid (UNSW) and Glenn Blackley (UTS). New Branch Leadership Team: NSW/ACT: Emilio Saliba (UNSW). VIC/TAS:  David Hurst (Monash). SA/NT: Charles Nelson (UniSA). Queensland: Felicity Couperthwaite (QUT).

Megan Davis (UNSW) becomes chair of the UN Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous people.

Graeme Maguire becomes associate dean of Curtin U’s medical school. He joins from Western Health in Melbourne.

Sharon Pickering is confirmed as DVC E, at Monash U. She has been acting in the position for a month, when Susan Elliott moved to provost.  VC Margaret Gardner says Professor Pickering’s is appointed, “following interviews conducted by a University Council-approved selection committee.” Professor Pickering’s previous substantive position was dean of arts.

Short lists for Research Australia’s Health and Medical Research Awards are here.