Michael Lavers has won the University of Canberra poetry prize for the second time (the first was in 2016). Last year Eric Berlin from Syracuse NY won. Mr Lavers teaches writing at Brigham Young University in Utah. Earlier this week Annie Hunter from Castlemain in Victoria won the Australian Catholic University’s 2018 poetry prize.
Terry Hughes (James Cook U) has won the Royal Society of Canada’s Huntsman Medal for marine science. Professor Hughes researchers coral reef biodiversity.
Brendan Burkett from the University of the Sunshine Coast is appointed head coach of the Australian Paralympic Swim Team. Professor Burke is director of high performance sport at USC.
As of February, Cheryl Jones will be deputy executive dean (academic) in the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health. She joins from the University of Melbourne. She was deputy dean of the Sydney Medical School from 2012 to March last year.
ANU economist Geoffrey Brennan has won the 2018 Gutenburg Teaching Award from the Johannes Gutenburg University in Mainz, Germany.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced new council members of government advisory body Cancer Australia. Joanne Aitken, (QUT and Menzies Health Institute, Qld) is the incoming distinguished scientist member.
The International Water Association’s bi-annual award goes to Tony Wong, “for his lifetime research on water sensitive urban design.” Professor Wong, from Monash U is CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities.
Michael Egan will stand down as chancellor of Macquarie University in February. At retirement, he will be the university’s longest-serving chancellor.
UNSW announces David Sanderson will lead the university’s fifth research grand challenge, on rapid urbanisation. Professor Sanderson is a professor of architecture at the university.
UoQ nursing research and teaching academic Anthony Tuckett is appointed to the Queensland government’s panel of nursing and midwifery assessors.
There are three engineering appointments at the University of Adelaide; Michael Goodsite will be new head of the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering. David Lewis is confirmed in the top job at chemical engineering and chemical engineer Shaobin Wang joins from Curtin University.
Digital sociologist Deborah Lupton is moving to UNSW from the University of Canberra, where she is now centenary research professor of communication.
A former dean of arts at Kings College London is taking up the same job at the University of Melbourne. Russell Goulbourne will start in January. His research interests cover 17-18thcenturies French literature.
Nadine Kasparian from UNSW has won a 2018-19 Harkness Fellowship in healthcare policy and practice.
Syed Islam is the new dean of science, engineering and IT at Federation U. Professor Islam moves from Curtin U.