La Trobe U has appointed a new head of LT U Asia. Euan Graham joins from the Lowy Institute. He replaces Nick Bisley, who moved up to run the university’s HASS school.

UNSW announces Dimity Kingsford Smith is the inaugural MinterEllison chair in risk and regulation.

Ian Musgrave (pharmacology at the University of Adelaide medical school) wins the Australian Skeptics 2018 Thornett Award for, “the promotion of reason.”  Last year Dr Musgrave was named un-sung science communicator at the SA Science Awards.

 Three Australian based researchers make a North American selection of top women in fire science, published in research journal Fire. Lynda Prior is a fire ecologist at the University of Tasmania. Tina Bell is also a fire ecologist, at the University of Sydney.  Fay Johnston works on environmental factors of poor health, including epidemiology of smoke pollution at the University of Tasmania.