Higher education policy veteran Robert O’Connor is the incoming ED of the Council of Australian University Librarians.  He starts in February.

 Lorraine Mazerolle from the University of Queensland is honoured by the American Society of Criminology for achievements in criminology, policing, drug law enforcement, regulatory crime control, and crime prevention.

 Research Australia’s health and medical research awards are announced, including: Peter Wills Medal: Nicholas Talley, UniNewcastle. GSK award for excellence: Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, Melanoma Institute. Griffith U discovery award: Sarah Best, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Data innovation: Craig Dalton, Uni Newcastle. Health services research award: Sue Kildea, UniQueensland. Research champion award: Matthew Grounds, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

The University of Wollongong’s Jindaola programme has won the first Australasian Academic Development Good Practice Award, from the Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching. Jindaola, “weaves indigenous knowledges and perspectives through UoW’s teaching practice.” The Jindaola team is Julie Avena, Paul Chandler, Bonnie Dean, Janine Delahunty, Jade Kennedy, Maarten de Laat, Alisa Percy, Kathryn Harden-Thew, Lisa Thomas.

Deakin VC Jane den Hollander has won the Business Higher Education Round Table’s peak award for individual leadership in university-business collaboration. “Professor den Hollander’s leadership has enabled Geelong to both respond to the challenges and embrace the opportunities associated with a new wave of innovation, advanced manufacturing and the digital economy,” BHERT states.

Sebastion Marx from the University of Queensland is the incoming chair of the Queensland chapter of the National Association of Prospective Student Advisers.

Amanda Barnard is appointed interim head of the new Charles Sturt U-Western Sydney U joint programme in medicine. She joins from ANU and a GP practice in regional NSW.

The panel to review the Australian Qualifications Framework is now complete, with Marie Persson, (NSW Skills Board), Allan Blagaich WA DET and Leslie Loble, NSW Department of Education appointed. They join previously announced chair, Peter Noonan (Victoria U), Megan Lilly (AI Group), Sally Kift (JCU adjunct professor) and Elizabeth More (Australian Institute of Management).

Flinders U chemistry PhD student Samantha Pandelus has won the American Chemical Society’s Coryell Award for original research by an undergraduate nuclear and related chemistry. Ms Pandelus is honoured for quantifying radionuclides, used in nuclear medicine procedures, in South Australia’s wastewater system.

Cyber security researcher Debi Ashenden will join Deakin U in the new year. Professor Ashenden will continue to hold a position at the University of Portsmouth.

The Australian Research Council has announced (very quietly) the 2019 College of Experts.

The medical research funding Viertel Foundation has announced $3.75m in mid-career fellowships, for Kim Jacobson, Monash U Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Laura Mackay, University of Melbourne’s  Doherty Institute and  James Ward from the  South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and Flinders University. There are also five one year clinical investigation scholarships ($85 000 each) which go to, Claudia de Bella (UniMelbourne), Gareth Gregory (Monash U), Piero Perucca (Monash U), Charlotte Slade (Melbourne Health) and Craig Wallington-Beddoe (Flinders University).