Research News | Updates from the Division of Research

ARC Laureate Fellowships, Recent Grant Success and Ranking Performance
Professor Nicholas Fisk, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Welcome to the September edition of Research News, as we approach the six-month mark of this hugely altered work and Higher Education landscape. Your resilience and adaptability in the face of such change continues to impress me. While navigating the uncertain trajectory of the pandemic, and the impact of changes in government policy and geopolitics across the sector, we can be buoyed by some excellent funding and ranking results.

I would firstly like to congratulate the recipients of the prestigious ARC Australian Laureate Fellowships for 2020 - Scientia Professor Dennis Del Favero, Scientia Professor Martina Stenzel, Scientia Professor Toby Walsh, Professor Alison Bashford, and Scientia Professor Ross Buckley. This is the best ever result for UNSW, securing five of the 15 Fellowships awarded, and the second highest result for any university in the 12 years since the scheme’s inception, and notably the successes were spread over five faculties. They are testimony both to the calibre of UNSW’s researchers and to a university environment supporting research excellence. Other recent outcomes include three MRFF grants worth $10.2M, taking UNSW’s total MRFF funding in 2020 to 19 grants and $93.6M; 10 ARC Future Fellowships with a total value of $9.5M; and an Industrial Transformation Training Centre grant worth $4.9M. I congratulate all the researchers and support staff involved.

In the last month, we saw UNSW climb an extraordinary 20 places to 74^th in Shanghai Ranking's Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU); and a steady 4 place rise in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with UNSW coming in at 67^th. With the three major rankings now released (UNSW ranked 44^th in QS), in October we will refresh UNSW’s Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities (ARTU) for 2020. ARTU orders universities by their aggregate score (=THE+ARWU+QS) and provides a university’s overall position relative to its peers. In 2019, UNSW ranked 55^th in ARTU. I applaud the sterling achievements of the UNSW community in contributing to these results, and in particular the strong international standing of our academics.

As staff and researchers gradually return to campus via the University's phased Safe Return to Campus, it is important that we remain flexible and although we hope not, able to revert back to remote research/teaching/learning – in part or full – should this be required.

Thank you again for your continued hard work, professionalism, and commitment during these challenging times.

My regards,
Nick Fisk

Research Activity During COVID-19

All units within the Division of Research remain operational and available to support researchers despite many staff working remotely.

The key messages remain:
• research may continue where safety considerations allow and Safe Return to Campus protocol followed
• new projects using central infrastructure require Head of School approval
• please exercise caution in managing project resources

Please visit the UNSW Research COVID-19 Information webpage for information on research activities.

UNSW COVID-19 Capability Map

On 1 May 2020, UNSW launched a fully searchable depository for all COVID-19 related projects underway and under development by UNSW researchers, as well as those with relevant expertise in COVID-19 related fields.

To date, there are 266 researcher profiles in the database, with a total of 445 active users and an average of eight unique daily users

Please email covidcapability.RSO@unsw.edu.au for any project updates, enquiries, or if you are considering undertaking research in this area.

2020 Guidelines for Co-Producing Research with People with Disability

The 2020 Guidelines for Co-Producing Research with People with Disability are now available on the UNSW Disability Innovation Institute (DIIU) website.

The Guidelines set out key benefits, principles and strategies that underpin the DIIU and UNSW’s approach to co-producing research with people with disability. The content is drawn from a comprehensive review of the literature, the experiences of leading inclusive researchers at UNSW, and DIIU’s community partner organisations of people with disability.

The 2020 Guidelines are available for download here.

Online HDR Examinations Module Launched

As part of ongoing efforts to improve HDR systems, a digital Examinations module has been launched that enables all thesis submissions and examinations to be managed through a streamlined online process in the Graduate Research Information System (GRIS).

A series of online training sessions, “how-to” videos, and other resources have been made available on the HDR COVID-19 SharePoint Site.

Level 2 Laser Safety | Online Course

The Radiation Safety Committee is happy to announce the online Level 2 Laser Safety for Operator course is now available for staff and students to complete. Whilst this is a fee-for-service training course, this year’s subscription has been generously funded by the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre (MWAC). This training level is required for laser operators who have access to laser laboratories, controlled lasers and can provide direct supervision to laser trainees.

Information on our laser training framework and how to register for these online courses are available on our website.

UNSW’s Final Grand Challenge | Thriving in the Anthropocene

Image by UNSW alumni June Lee.

UNSW’s last Grand Challenge, Thriving in the Anthropocene, led by Professors Anthony Burke and Ben Newell, will focus on how humans can thrive in our contemporary, globalised world.

The Grand Challenge on Thriving in the Anthropocene will initiate a public discussion on the challenges and opportunities that living in the Anthropocene epoch creates.

The wide range of topics include global public health, the fate of the Earth's biodiversity, sustainable consumption and energy systems, climate change and the potential for smart new green economies.

You can hear from Professor Burke at his talk in the UNSOMNIA 2020 series where 9 researchers present their take on what we can learn from this life-changing year that will help ‘humanity thrive, not merely survive’.

Researcher Hub

The Researcher Hub, a centralised directory of all UNSW services for researchers (staff and students) is now live and accessible via zID login.

The Hub aims to improve discovery and streamline navigation of the many organisational/unit webpages at UNSW. Currently a minimum viable product, we will strive to make continued improvements as informed by your usage and feedback.

You can access the Researcher Hub here.

BORIS | Refreshed with 2019 Journal Metrics

This year’s edition of the CiteScore, SNIP, SJR and JIF journal metrics are now available in BORIS under the “Journal Metrics” tab.

This feature was released in 2019 based on feedback from the UNSW research community and is the only place available that allows academics to view all four of these metrics against journals and filter them by Scopus, Web of Science, and Field of Research (2008) subject categories.

If you’re looking to identify the best journal for your research, then we recommend using the information on BORIS in conjunction with UNSW Library’s Publishing Strategy Guide.

For assistance with BORIS, please get in touch via BORIS.RADAR@unsw.edu.au.

UNSW Grand Challenges | Trust Exercise Podcast

Now more than ever, we are being asked to trust institutions, companies, technology, and experts — and to part with more of our personal information.

As part of UNSW’s Grand Challenge on Trust, Dr Katharine Kemp hosts the podcast “Trust Exercise”, bringing together thought leaders across disciplines to discuss trust deficits, abuses of trust, what it takes to be trusted, and what this means for our lives.

Clinical Trials Research Governance

Research Ethics and Compliance Support (RECS) has been delegated oversight over investigator-initiated clinical trials sponsored by UNSW. This includes assurance that trials are covered by our insurance, have the required contracts and agreements as well as monitoring in place, and have ethics approval.

For detailed information please visit the UNSW Clinical Trials Research Governance webpage or contact humanethics@unsw.edu.au.

2020 Virtual UNSW 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition | 15 September 2020

This year, the 2020 UNSW 3MT Competition will take place online. The winners will be announced at a virtual 3MT Showcase on 15 September and will include the People’s Choice Award as voted by the UNSW community. To register for this event, please visit this page.

As always, the UNSW winner will represent UNSW at the Universitas 21 and Asia Pacific Finals in October 2020.

Research Data Management | RDM@UNSW

RDM@UNSW provides information on UNSW supported data platforms, data policies and requirements to help you store and manage your research data appropriately.

You will also find the RDM online Training (RDMoT) a quick and easy way to navigate UNSW RDM policies and guidelines. The RDM team are constantly adding new info to RDM website, such as the recent evaluation of Online Interview tools and the “Lunch and Learn” info session on audio transcription.

Over the next 12 months, a series of communications will be rolled out to help you understand and navigate issues around handling sensitive data, data ownership, IP/Copyright, and much more.

In the meantime, contact the RDM team at rdm@unsw.edu.au for any questions.