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On Thursday 8 February, the Honourable James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, made a historic address to the ANU community. 

In his address, the Prime Minister reflected on the Australia-PNG relationship and PNG’s history over the last 49 years.

This event was proudly hosted by ANU and the High Commission of Papa New Guinea. 

Lunar New Year in 2024 kicked off on Saturday 10 February, marks the start of the Year of the Dragon.

What is the significance of this annual festival that is celebrated in many different cultures across the world, particularly throughout Asia, and what sets the dragon apart from the other animals of the Chinese zodiac?

Ashleigh Streeter-Jones. Image: ANU

Speaking at the ANU 2024 Commencement Address, youth and gender equality advocate Ashleigh Streeter-Jones described how packing up her life to start over in a new city was a crossroads moment.

It wasn’t always easy, but Streeter-Jones told students that putting her stuff in the back of her car and coming to Canberra to study was worth it.

Wednesday 20 March, 5-7.30pm 

Join us to celebrate Teaching Excellence at ANU and recognise the outstanding achievement of our university’s most inspiring educators for 2023. 

The Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Education are an opportunity to recognise and pay respect to the effort, innovation and care our teaching community provides to our students through the University’s high-quality subjects and programs. 

 

Wednesday 6 March, 6-7pm 

Andrew Leigh will be in conversation with Vice-Chancellor and President Genevieve Bell on his new book The Shortest History of Economics, a small book that tells a big story.

Register now 

Wednesday 21 February, 8-10pm

Grab your ‘Scooby Snacks’ and come along and watch Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ at Manning Clark Hall, Cultural Centre. This infectious blend of cinematic hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll, blues-jazz, latin-soul is famed for sampling Tarantino movies such as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, their debut single ‘Scooby Snacks’ spent 17 weeks on the Billboard chart, quickly achieving gold status in the US.

We have a few staffing announcements to share with you this week. 

DVC(RI) 

After a competitive recruitment process, Professor Lachlan Blackhall has been appointed the new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation). He will start the two-year appointment on Monday 26 February.   

Professor Blackhall is currently Entrepreneurial Fellow and Head of the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program (BSGIP) at ANU and his research and development activities are focussed on supporting and accelerating the global energy transition to address the existential challenges of climate change.  

He has shown excellence and leadership in research for over 15 years and has considerable expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship having founded or co-founded several successful startups.  As a student at ANU he co-founded an entrepreneurship education program that has engaged thousands of university staff and students and catalysed the formation of numerous high-tech startups.  

We want to thank Professor Ann Evans for stepping into the role as Interim DVC (R&I).  

When she returns to her substantive role Ann will assume the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate Research) which will encompass her former role of Dean, Higher Degree Research.  

As part of the same process, Professor Ute Roessner will become Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Initiatives and Infrastructure).   â€¯ 

These changes will also come into effect from Monday 26 February. 

New Chair - Academic Board 

On Friday 9 February, Council appointed Professor Tony Connolly, Dean of the ANU College of Law as the new Academic Board Chair.  Professor Connolly will commence his two-year term effective from 15 February 2024.  

Tony has been a member of Academic Board since 2020, the past two as Deputy Chair, and is not only a highly regarded legal scholar but brings with him a wealth of experience in senior management roles at ANU and a deep understanding of the role of the Academic Board. 

We thank Professor Joan Leach who has been Chair of Academic Board since 2020 and has made a significant contribution to the Board and the University during this time. 

Interim Chief Financial Officer  

Vibo Chandrasekera has been appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer and will commence the role from 15 March. 

Vibo joined ANU as Deputy CFO in July 2021 having worked at the University of Sydney for three years as an Associate Director of Finance. Since joining ANU, Vibo has been leading the Financial Planning and Analysis and Finance Systems team. Vibo also led the Finance Shared Services team before it moved to the Division of Shared Services. 

Vibo’s experience, prior to the Higher Education sector includes 17 years in various roles across Audit, Consulting, Banking and Corporate services sectors. 

Vibo will be continuing the great work Anna Tsikouris began in this role as the search for the substantive CFO continues. That recruitment process is progressing well and is in the final stages this month with an expected appointment decision in March.  

To stay connected to our community and leadership team, keep reading On Campusevery Tuesday for updates on key new appointments and movements.

The University's prohibits the use of all smoking products (tobacco product, herbal product, personal vaporiser or personal vaporiser product) on all ANU campuses, including residences, buildings, properties, grounds and study and work spaces.  

There is a available to assist in reducing or quitting smoking. You can also access counselling services through ANU, visit the ANU Medical Centre or talk to your own health care practitioner for support.  

 

Taking action on climate change looks different to everyone. What does climate action look like for you? 

As an ANU staff member, you now have free access to an amazing new sustainability app that supports you in reducing your carbon footprint, both on and off campus. Whether you’re already taking steps to reduce your impact or are unsure where to start, this app has something for everyone. Get support to tackle waste, save energy, embrace green transport, switch to climate-friendly products and more. 

Complete challenges, earn eco points and see your impact alongside a community of people invested in a more sustainable future. Delivered by in partnership with the award-winning app One Small Step. 

Together we can decarbonise our campus and community.  

 

For candidates starting their research degree from January 1 2024, the Thesis Proposal Review (TPR) at ANU for PhD and MPhil candidates will be replaced by Confirmation of Candidature.  

The TPR is a research training milestone that usually occurs around the end of the first year of a PhD or MPhil. It’s a process where candidates pursuing a higher degree are required to demonstrate their readiness and suitability to proceed with their research. 

This shift to Confirmation of Candidature will provide a more comprehensive evaluation, ensuring that candidates have the skills, resources, appropriate supervision and a well-defined plan to successfully complete their research within the time constraints of their degree. 

The strategic move to a Confirmation of Candidature process at ANU is intended to provide candidates with effective support systems, clarity about their projects and a strong understanding of their place within the ANU research environment. This heightened support is designed to instil confidence in candidates as they progress in their research.  

The first Confirmations of Candidature are scheduled for Q3 2024.  

CartoGIS Training sessions announced 

Are you an ANU researcher using maps in your projects? Are you interested in learning about how maps and GIS can help support and visualise your research?  

Check out the upcoming training sessions that are free for ANU staff members and researchers. 

Registration deadline for the first training session is Friday 1 March. 

 

Applications open for the Â鶹´«Ã½AV Museum Eureka Prizes

reward excellence in the fields of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.

and nominate someone you feel is deserving of this extraordinary recognition.

There are 18 prizes across 4 categories. 

Entries open Monday 12 February

Entries close Friday 12 April

Finalists announced Wednesday 31 July

Winners announced at Award Ceremony Wednesday 4 September