CONTENTS 2 VISION VALIDATED 39 TECHNOLOGY & AGRICULTURE 4 A NEW ERA FOR DISCOVERY 40 SWEET RESULTS 42 DOW ALLIANCE 7 ARTS INNOVATION 43 BOVINE VACCINE 8 CREATIVE PROCESSES 44 ENGINEERING A QUANTUM 10 AGE-OLD PASSIONS FUTURE 11 NEW DIGS 46 SOLDERING ON 12 MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE 47 RESEARCH TRAINING 13 HEALTHY PEOPLE 48 NEW DIRECTION FOR RESEARCH 14 DESIGNER BONES DEGREES 16 RAINFOREST REMEDIES 50 RESEARCH WITH STING 17 GROWING OLD HEALTHFULLY 51 EQUALITY IN MONGOLIA 18 SUNSHINE HORMONE 52 NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE 19 GENE-MAPPING ADVANCES 20 CELLS THAT BIND 53 FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS 54 FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS & 21 SOCIAL IMPACT MEMBERSHIPS 22 PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST 56 2011 UQ FOUNDATION RESEARCH 24 A BLANK CANVAS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 25 MOUNTAINEER ANCESTORS 58 2011 UQ AWARDS FOR 26 CULTURAL CACHE EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH 28 BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE HIGHER DEGREE SUPERVISION 29 ABUSE LEGACY, LOW IQ 30 SCHOOL’S IN 60 UQ SUPPORTERS 62 CONTRIBUTORS 31 SUSTAINABLE AUSTRALIA 32 PLACE IN THE SUN Tear-out section 34 RAPT ABOUT WRAPS UQ RESEARCH FACTS 35 WHY CONSERVATION AND MATHS? 36 GREEN THUMBS-UP 37 ORE-INSPIRING 38 MAPPING MORETON BAY from the Vice-Chancellor & VISION Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) VALIDATED The verdict on Australian The results of Excellence in Research to measure, but valid proxies include for Australia (ERA), the first nationwide engagement with industry, by which we university research is in, and – assessment of research quality, augment mean private, public, community and not- however you interpret the data the strong body of evidence that UQ is for-profit organisations. At the very least, – UQ is one of the nation’s best. not only high on the pinnacle of Australian the level of engagement hints at the trust universities, but also outstrips world that a university has earned from private benchmarks. Among other things, ERA and public institutions. As well, effective placed UQ well above or above world engagement helps ensure that research standard in more broad fields of discovery is relevant to those who want and need than any other institution. As well, we its potential outcomes. In other words, have more researchers performing in fields engagement helps ensure that precious rated above world standard than any research dollars are well spent and yield other university. The outcomes evince the high-impact returns to society. quality of UQ staff and research students. So being the top university for combined Importantly, they also validate the vision industry and government funding in of philanthropists, governments, industry, the latest round of Australian Research and all other allies in investing in Council Linkage Projects grants (for UQ discovery. example) equates with much more than ERA offers valuable lessons and has bragging rights. It says something very presented UQ with a new challenge and positive about the trust that partners place a great opportunity. The challenge is to in UQ. It gratifies and encourages staff and lift our performance and be well above or students, and strengthens their resolve above world standard in every field; the to conduct excellent research. Excellent opportunity is to use the lessons from research links to high impact, and so there ERA to enhance our delivery of excellent is a virtuous cycle. discovery that carries social, health, These are some of the reasons why economic, and environmental benefits. UQ gives increasing priority to mutually The next test will be the 2012 ERA rewarding relationships. evaluation, and to hone our preparedness, Defying belt-tightening and natural the University has implemented a regime disasters, many significant partners have that includes tools such as Q-Index forged research initiatives with UQ during (which empowers every researcher to the past 12 months. A snapshot of evaluate his or her research performance these includes: against groups of anonymous peers), and a detailed analysis of data from • The Baosteel-Australia Joint Research ERA’s first round. and Development Centre, to be headquartered at UQ in concert ERA has not attempted to assess with Baosteel (one of the world’s research impact – that is, how research biggest steel producers) and three assists broader society. Impact is tricky interstate universities 2 DISCOVERY AT UQ 2011 PHOTO: DAVID SPROULE Professor Max Lu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Professor Paul Greenfield AO, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Queensland • Agreement by The Dow Chemical Given their bedevilling fiscal and Company to sponsor research at UQ’s political settings, it was particularly Australian Institute for Bioengineering refreshing to see both the Australian and and Nanotechnology into sustainable Queensland governments hand down chemicals, electronics and energy 2011–12 budgets that upheld earlier storage commitments to university research. The • The Fangyuan Fellowship, through Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, followed which a Chinese metals innovator funds through during the Bio International research into next-gen copper smelting Convention at Washington DC in June, technologies, and with a series of pledges supportive of UQ research, including the Centre • Professorial chairs sponsored by the for Advanced Imaging’s biomedical Australian Food and Grocery Council, research endeavours. More recently, the Social Research Centre and Thiess. she announced UQ would host the new Future generations will appreciate the full Queensland Centre for Social Science impact of a gamut of new and continuing Innovation, a grouping of the government joint ventures, which target sustainability in and five universities. global sectors such as energy, resources At the national level, UQ is now awaiting and manufacturing. A conspicuous decisions from the government’s review example is our lead research partner role of universities’ “base” funding, and has in Solar Dawn, one of the world’s largest an ear to discussions about the possible solar thermal gas hybrid power plants to introduction of national impact metrics. be built near Chinchilla with the support of the Australian Government’s Solar Both exercises have implications for Flagships program and the Queensland Australian research capabilities, but one Government. thing is certain: there will not be an eternal spring of government funding. Our researchers also have opportunities to advance global problem-solving via five This reality compels UQ not to be a new Australian Research Council Centres mendicant, but to perform to the utmost of Excellence. UQ will lead two of them for every research dollar. The situation also (centres in Environmental Decisions and means that the private sector, grassroots Engineered Quantum Systems) and is organisations and philanthropists – as a collaborator in three others (centres opposed to governments – can be the key in Plant Cell Wall Biology, History of shareholders in epochal research. Emotions and Quantum Computation and By taking a proportionally stronger role Communications Technology). in resourcing research, these partners We salute our partners who see beyond may make decisive contributions to the next shareholders’ meeting or election addressing some of the world’s most and recognise the imperative for high- challenging problems. quality discovery and development. DISCOVERY AT UQ 2011 3 PHOTO: COURTESY WWW.CORALCOE.ORG.AU PHOTO: STEWART GOULD PHOTO: STEWART www.research.uq.edu.au A NEW ERA FOR UQ DISCOVERY In a spectacular result, UQ has been assessed above world standard in more broad fields of research than any other Australian university. The inaugural Excellence in Research biomedical and clinical health sciences, for Australia (ERA) assessment rated 21 biotechnology, engineering, biological broad fields of UQ discovery at well above sciences, environmental sciences, and above world standard (the highest chemical sciences, and physical sciences two ratings). was rated well above world standard (rating 5). Run by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the ERA is the first comprehensive UQ broad fields of research rated above and rigorous assessment of research in world standard (4) were: economics; Australian universities using a combination education; law and legal studies; history of indicators and expert review. and archaeology; technology (engineering and environment); mathematical sciences; ERA evaluates research in eight philosophy and religious studies; discipline clusters, identifying areas language, communication and culture; that are internationally competitive, and studies in creative arts and writing; built those where there are opportunities for environment and design; psychology development and further investment. and cognitive sciences; studies in human The 2010 ERA evaluated research society; medical and health sciences undertaken between 2003 and 2008, with (public and allied health); and commerce, the ARC publishing the much-awaited management, tourism and services. results in February 2011. None of UQ’s broad research areas were In ERA’s broad fields, UQ’s research in rated below world standard. 4 DISCOVERY AT UQ 2011 PHOTO: JEREMY PATTEN PHOTO: COURTESY MAREN DAMMANN GOULD PHOTO: STEWART Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield physical sciences (four categories), said credit for UQ’s impressive results education (four categories), language UQ’s highest-ranked went to researchers and support staff, communication and culture (four who had demonstrated they could match categories), and technology (three specialised fields of research the excellence of the world’s best. categories). These UQ research