Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), presented the 2016 Research Weather Report on Thursday last week. Titled The ERA of Black Belt Performance, Professor Pretorius thanked Macquarie’s academics, professional staff and higher degree research (HDR) candidates for three years of work that have translated into a rapid acceleration of Macquarie’s research performance and quality.

“No other university in Australia has achieved what we have in the past three years,” said Professor Pretorius. “Our academic black belts, our professional staff and our HDR candidates – they are the ones who made this possible.”

Macquarie’s external research income has improved from $48 million in 2013 to approximately $67 million (unaudited) in 2015. Macquarie’s HDR completions have increased from 297 in 2013 to 594 in 2015. While Macquarie’s weighted publications have remained relatively unchanged at 1849 in 2013, 1833 in 2014 and approximately 1830 (unaudited) in 2015, the quality of this work has greatly improved.

The increase in Macquarie’s research quality was demonstrated through the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2015 evaluation. One hundred per cent of Macquarie’s research at the 2-digit Field of Research Code (FoRC) level was rated ‘at or above world standard’ by ERA 2015. No discipline areas at Macquarie received a rating of ‘well below world standard’ at either the 2-digit FoRC or 4-digit FoRC level.

“Macquarie has already achieved the 2024 targets we set ourselves for ERA in the Strategic Research Framework,” said Professor Pretorius. “It is now time to defend our areas of strength and build capability and quality across the University.”

Professor Pretorius and Professor Peter Nelson, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Performance and Innovation), will be visiting the faculties and MGSM for town hall meetings this week, providing an opportunity for all staff and HDR candidates to ask questions.

If you missed the presentation, or if you would like to view it again, it is available to watch online:

In a rewarding year for MRes that has yielded 146 completions to date, the event saw many of these students coming to celebrate alongside several staff involved in the program, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius and Dean of Higher Degree Research Professor Nick Mansfield.

As well as a much-deserved celebration, the event highlighted the research path ahead, with many MRes students expected to continue their research careers here at Macquarie, and provided a forum for future research discussion among fledgling PhD candidates.

The MRes, which combines coursework with a major research project, is proving (albeit anecdotally) to provide better preparation for PhD studies. Former MRes student and current PhD candidate, Nicole Miles says she would recommend the degree to anyone considering a future in research.

“Not only has the MRes prepared me to start my PhD confidently, it has also equipped me with the knowledge and experience required to work as a research assistant,” says Nicole.

Dean of Higher Degree Research Professor Nick Mansfield is also impressed with how prepared our PhD candidates are when taking the MRes pathway.

“MRes graduates are better prepared for HDR than ever before, more confident and with a stronger research background,” says Nick.

While Macquarie’s MRes program grows stronger, other Australian universities are now looking to follow suit. However with the quality and popularity of Macquarie’s offering growing, other institutions, including some in the Group of Eight, definitely have some catching up to do.