Of the day
Heather Cavanagh (recently departed DVC Research and Engagement at Charles Sturt U) is the new chair of the NSW Mid North Coast (where CSU has a campus) Local Health District Board. She replaces Warren Grimshaw. Yes, that Warren Grimshaw, the former head of NSW TAFE.
Ecological Society of Australia names its 2021 Gold Medalists; Kristine French (Uni Wollongong) and Richard Kingsford (UNSW).
Mahul Shah is retained by Victoria’s trade agency to consult on education and training partnerships in Kenya.
ANU VC Brian Schmidt, joins the board of Research Australia. (It’s a peak body for medical research, not absolutely everything.)
Tanya Rhodes Taylor (Vice Principal, External Relations) will leave Uni Sydney in February. She will return to the UK.
At Uni Melbourne, new Redmond Barry Distinguished Professors include, Aleks Owczarek and Kari Vilonen (both Maths and Stats)
Of the week
Rosalind Archer is in-coming head of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith U. She moves from Uni Auckland and will start in December.
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 (CMM Wednesday).
The Australian Academy of the Humanities announces travelling fellowships for humanities scholars to undertake research overseas (CMM, Tuesday).
Peter Bellwood (emeritus professor, ANU) receives the 40 million Yen (A$485 000) 2021 International Cosmos Prize, from Japan’s Expo90 Foundation. The award is for research that contributes to understanding harmonious relationships between nature and humanity.
Jenny Beresford (numerous roles including at Swinburne U) is the new CEO of the Council of Australasian University Directors of IT.
Megan Davis (UNSW) becomes chair of the UN Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous people.
Lisa Farrar is confirmed as Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute.
Natasha Harvey becomes director of the Centre for Cancer Biology at Uni SA. She steps up from a lab head role.
Rob Hyndman (Monash U) receives the Statistical Society of Australia’s highest honour, the Pitman Medal. Professor Hyndman became a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in May (CMM May 26).
Graeme Maguire becomes associate dean of Curtin U’s medical school. He joins from Western Health in Melbourne.
Consultants Nous report two appointments. Barbara Messerle (ex Uni Sydney provost and Macquarie U science dean) joins as a senior adviser. International ed expert at ANU and in the federal department, Anne Baly becomes a principal.
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.
At Charles Darwin U, Ian Wronski becomes the inaugural DVC for Northern Australia Medical and Health Development. He moves from James Cook U.