Research & Innovation in This Issue
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
RESEARCH & INNOVATION Issue 1 Jan/Feb 2009 Nwww.uow.edu.au/research/newsletterEWS IN THIS ISSUE Research Services Office page 1 Research Student Centre page 4 PODS - Research courses for staff page 5 Commercial Research & Innovation page 5 Library News & Publications page 6 New Research Staff page 6 Publications page 8 Faculty News, Awards and Achievements page 9 Scholarships page 12 Conferences and Workshops page 13 Contributions Contributions to Research & Innovation News (Research news, achievements and events) are always welcome. For inclusions in the next issue, please send to [email protected] by March 20th Page 3: Construction of UOW’s SMART Infrastructure Facility (artist’s impression above) is underway 1 RESEARCH SERVICES OFFICE www.uow.edu.au/research/rso ERA @ UOW FunDinG Success A new ERA of research quality Funding Success for UOW Health assessment is upon us and Medical Researchers NHMRC Training Fellowships ERA, Excellence in Research of Australia, is UOW achieved a 60% success rate with 3 successful fellowships a Government initiative that aims to assess awarded. These fellowships are highly competitive with UOW research quality using a combination of metrics applicants competing with researchers from Medical Institutes and expert review. and universities with established Medical Schools. Congratulations to the following successful applicants: ERA data will be collected in a staggered 1. Dr Yasmine Probst from the Faculty of Health and process beginning with the first two discipline Behavioural Science was awarded a Health Professional Fellowship for the project titled ‘Supporting research clusters - Physical, Chemical and Earth underpinning evidence based practice: dietary assessment Sciences (PCE) and Humanities and Creative in clinical trials.’ Funding of $199,500 over four years was awarded. Arts (HCA). ERA activity at UOW is well 2. Ms Yinghua Yu from the Faculty of Health and Behavioural underway with meetings already having been Science was awarded an Australia China Exchange Fellowship held with representatives from the prominent for the project titled ‘Evaluation of functional protein molecules in treating obesity.’ Funding of $334,171 over 4 years was faculties in both PCE and HCA to discuss how awarded. data will be collected within each cluster. ERA 3. Dr Debbie Watson who will be joining the Faculty of Science, was awarded an Australian Research Training Fellowship for will present many data collection challenges, the project titled ‘Targeting the human immune response to but a collective effort from all UOW staff will no bacterial superantigens.’ Funding of $142,500 over four years doubt see us make our submission on time. was awarded. Congratulations also to the following researchers: To be applicable to all fields of research a set • Dr Matthew Williams (SESIAHS), Prof Anatoly Rozenfeld of indicators has been developed by the ARC. and Prof Peter Metcalfe from the Faculty of Engineering, for their project ‘A dosimetric Inter-Comparison of Australian Further information about the indicators and Radiotherapy IMRT Systems (ICARIS).’ Awarded $270,925 in the ERA process at UOW can be obtain from funding over three years by The Cancer Council. https://intranet.uow.edu.au/raid/era/indicators • Dr Kara Perrow from the Faculty of Science whose one year fellowship, ‘In vivo assessment of small molecule uPA-directed The Research Services Office will assume prodrugs for the treatment of malignant disease’ received responsibility for the coordination of the ERA co-funding from Cure Cancer Australia and Cancer Australia ($75,000). initiative at UOW. Faculty Research Chairs will • Prof Mark Walker from the Faculty of Science, in collaboration be your primary contact for ERA enquiries, with Prof Victor Nizet from the University of California San Diego, has received funding from the US Dept of Health and however pending the commencement of an Human Services for the project ‘GAS switch from colonising ERA project manager, further enquiries can bacterium to invasive pathogen.’ also be forwarded to Matt Perry, Research • Prof John Bremner and Dr Michael Kelso from the Faculty of Science have received US National Institute of Health funding, Information System Manager on X 4795 or in collaboration with Prof Kim Lewis from Northeastern [email protected] University, Boston for their project ‘A synergy-based therapy against C.difficle.’ Need assistance with your grant application? They can advise on planning surveys and Statistical Advice available The Statistical Consulting experiments, statistical analysis, presentation of Service (SCS) in the School of Mathematics and results and preparation of grant applications. For more Applied Statistics provides UOW researchers with information, or to arrange a meeting, see www.uow. statistical advice. edu.au/informatics/maths/scs/ or email statcon@ uow.edu.au. 1 SMART Infrastructure • Introduce and disseminate new expertise in electromaterials into the Australian workforce The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard announced (late last year) that the University of Wollongong had won $35M in The Executive Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for commonwealth funding towards its Higher Education Endowment Electromaterials Science is Professor Gordon Wallace who is Fund (HEEF proposal) – a $50M, 10,000m2 facility – the Director of UOW’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute. More: SMART Infrastructure Facility (artist impression above). The www.electromaterials.edu.au SMART Infrastructure Facility will be the first facility of its kind 2008 Research Partnership in the world, bringing together teaching and research across all infrastructure issues from transport and railways, to water, Scheme Outcomes telecommunications and energy. Its hub will be a simulation and The outcome of the second round of the 2008 URC Research analysis facility using mathematical, statistical and IT techniques Partnership Scheme has now been announced. Two Project to simulate the characteristics of national infrastructure grids. The grants were awarded to: Professor Rian Dippenaar (Engineering) grant is the largest single funding ever obtained by the University. and Professor Don Iverson (H&BS) for a total of $32,000. Full More at: http://media.uow.edu.au/releases/UOW053267.html details of applications funded during 2008 are available at: https://intranet.uow.edu.au/raid/rso/urc-outcomes/ CAPSTRANS Grant Success UOW053789.html Under the leadership of Associate Professor Peter Kell, The guidelines for the Research Partnership Scheme for 2009 CAPSTRANS has been awarded a grant jointly with the Universiti have been revised and are now available on the Intranet. Please of Sains Malaysia by the International Association of Universities note that there will be two rounds this year with closing dates on (IAU). CAPSTRANS members who worked on the grant include 25 May and 26 October. Associate Professors Tim Scrase and Lenore Lyons. The grant is under the IAU LEADHER program and will fund reciprocal learning visits to each campus for a team of research leaders in Please Note: The Australian Research Council recently the discipline area of social transformation and higher education announced that it was discontinuing funding opportunities under in the Asia Pacific. The learning visits will be an opportunity for the Linkage International Scheme, i.e. ARC Linkage International both universities to build research alliances to mutual advantage Fellowships and ARC Linkage International - Internationally in 2009 in the research area of social transformation. Coordinated Initiatives (Social Sciences Collaboration ICI) with effect from 2009. ACES FUNDING BOOST In its place, changes have been made to the Funding Rules The University of Wollongong’s ARC Centre of Excellence for for Discovery Projects for funding in 2010 to include new Electromaterials Science will receive a further further $7.7 opportunities for international collaborations. million in funding from July 2010 until December 2013. The funding announcement follows an external Review Panel’s recommendation that funding be extended as the centre had UpcominG Grant Opportunities developed a strong profile in Australia and overseas. Wednesday, 4 March, ARC Discovery Project applications due The Panel said it was also pleased with the centre providing a 2009 to the ARC supportive and stimulating environment for the next generation of Tuesday, 17 March, NHMRC Project Grant applications due researchers. 2009 to the NHMRC The ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science was Thursday, 19 March Leadership for Excellence in Learning established in 2005 to: 2009 and Teaching Program Grants due to • Create new electromaterials that will stimulate advances in the ALTC fields of energy conversion (including artificial photosynthesis, Friday, 20 March ALTC Priority Projects Program internal energy storage and bionic systems) 2009 deadline • Develop the science of electromaterials at the nano and macro Tuesday, 31 March NHMRC Career Development Awards dimensions 2009 applications due to NHMRC • Integrate these novel electromaterials into frontier technologies Wednesday, 15 April International Science Linkages Australia- and devices of major economic value to Australia such as 2009 China Fund due solar cells and supercapacitors, lightweight batteries, artificial Monday, 25 May, Round 1 URC Research Partnership muscles, hydrogen generation for fuel cells and development 2009 Scheme applications due to RSO of bionic implants and 2 Research Ethics Agenda