2017 Academic Staff Award winner Associate Professor Kira Westaway, with the Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Kevin Jameson and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius.

In 2019, Macquarie University will acknowledge the important connection between research and learning and teaching by celebrating the Research Excellence Awards and the Vice Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards under the one banner of the Macquarie University Academic Staff Awards.

“Bringing these two initiatives together is a demonstration of Macquarie’s commitment to a culture of transformative learning in a research-enriched environment,” says Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). “A demonstration of that commitment came in 2017 when two staff members – Associate Professor Kira Westaway and Professor Kerry Sherman – received awards in both the Research and the Learning and Teaching categories.”

And, good news, the Learning and Teaching awards are now easier to apply for and are more inclusive. These positive changes were introduced after an extensive review and consultation initiated by the new Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching, Professor Dominique Parrish.

“The application process is easier and faster, and we’ve expanded the award categories to recognise a wider range of staff, like Sessional Staff or Early Career Staff,” Dominique explains. “We have officially incorporated Student-nominated awards in the Vice-Chancellor’s suite of awards, and have increased the focus on peer and manager nominations.”

Applications for all award categories are open now on the Research impact and Learning and Teaching webpages.

2019 Research Excellence Awards categories

Visit www.mq.edu.au/research-impact/research-awards for more information.

The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership recognises, encourages and rewards researchers on a path to becoming research leaders at Macquarie.

Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities awards recognise excellence in scholarly research, the creation and application of research outcomes, the discovery of new knowledge or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way to generate new concepts, methodologies and understanding.

Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervisor of the Year Award recognises our outstanding Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervisors who enable our HDR candidates to achieve their highest potential.

Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year recognises outstanding performance in research by an early career researcher who is within five years post-completion (formal award) of their PhD or MPhil degree.

Excellence in Higher Degree Research recognises outstanding research undertaken by a current or former HDR candidate.

If you have any questions about the Research Excellence Awards, email dvcr.researchexcellence@mq.edu.au

2019 Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards categories

Visit https://staff.mq.edu.au/teach/grants-awards-and-recognition/awards-in-teaching for more information.

Student Nominated Award encourages students to put forward excellent teachers who made a difference in their learning experience.

Sessional Staff Award recognises sessional/casual staff for their commitment to student learning and effective teaching approaches.

Early Career Award recognises staff with less than five years of teaching experience for their quality teaching.

Teaching Excellence Award recognises staff for their excellence in teaching and support of learning and the impact they have on motivating and inspiring students to learn.

Learning Innovation Award recognises the development and implementation of innovations to improve learning, teaching or assessment to enable, motivate, support and inspire students to learn.

Educational Leader Award recognises educational leadership that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or student experience.

If you have any questions about the Learning and Teaching Awards, email pvclt@mq.edu.au

Celebrating the winners

The Academic staff award ceremony will be held on Monday 18 November 2019. We look forward to celebrating our academics’ achievements with staff, students and our research and teaching partners. So, save the date and stay tuned to This Week for updates closer to the event.