Macquarie is home to exceptional educators who motivate and inspire our students to learn. Staff and students are encouraged to nominate educators for the Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards.

The Awards recognise, reward and celebrate individual teachers, teams of teachers and professional staff who make a difference and contribute to our students’ learning and their success.

All award information, including categories, application forms and FAQs, can be found on the Awards webpage.

Profiles of last year’s winners can be found on our Educators of Impact website.

Important dates

• Student nominations close 25 May
• Peer nominations close 17 June
• All nominations close 15 July (deadline extended from 1 July)

Hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton, the ceremony celebrated the contributions made by individual teachers, teams and professional staff who make a difference to our students’ learning experience and contribute to their ongoing success.

“The Learning and Teaching Awards are an important milestone each year, but this year particularly they provide the opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the remarkable achievements of our learning and teaching staff,” says Professor Dowton. “The number and quality of nominations has again been outstanding. I would like to thank and congratulate all of our highly commended finalists and winners for their commitment to our students’ engagement and success.”

“These Awards are a personal highlight of the academic year for me,” says Professor Dominique Parrish, PVC (Learning and Teaching). “They offer us a unique opportunity to recognise and thank our learning and teaching community, in what has been a challenging year.

“These awards are integral to our staff who are engaged and dedicated to transforming and progressing learning and teaching at Macquarie”

Congratulations to all the winners.

Watch the 2020 Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards virtual ceremony:

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S LEARNING AND TEACHING STUDENT-NOMINATED AWARD

Zara Bending, Faculty of Arts
Dr Jennifer Lai, Macquarie Business School
Nandini Kumar, Macquarie Business School
Associate Professor Kevin Brooks, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences
Associate Professor Naomi Sweller, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S LEARNING AND TEACHING SESSIONAL STAFF AWARD

Leeanne Mendonca DeMello, Macquarie Business School

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S LEARNING AND TEACHING EARLY CAREER AWARD

Dr Rimante Ronto, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR LEARNING INNOVATION (TEAM AWARD)

Dr Morwenna Kirwan and team members: Professor Catherine Dean, Associate Professor Verity Pacey, Dr Kelly Gray and Alexandra Bhatti, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD

Associate Professor Erik Lundmark, Macquarie Business School

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S EDUCATIONAL LEADER AWARD

Trish Behan, Macquarie University English Language Centre

This week, we take a look at the talented staff from Macquarie University International College (MUIC), Macquarie University’s English Language Centre (ELC) and the Library.

The 2020 Learning and Teaching Awards ceremony will be held virtually on Wednesday 2 December. Register now >>

Dr May Kocatepe
Student nominated award

Dr May Kocatepe is a teacher of academic literacies and a moderator of the Focus on Academic Honesty (FOAH) module. She is praised by her students for her useful workshops and positive guidance.

“My role as moderator of FOAH involved providing academic guidance to students who had been found guilty by the University Disciplinary Committee of academic misconduct. The personal and academic needs of these students were different to other student cohorts in MUIC,” she says.

“During zoom meetings, a number of these students appreciated my non-judgemental tone and described me as being “like a mentor and not a teacher”.

“I care about the learning and wellbeing of students and I view students not simply as ‘learners’ but as ‘participants’ in academic communities. I provide opportunities for students to participate in the social practices associated with academic communities and I encourage them to question their own (in)visibility within academic contexts and the implications of this. Such an approach promotes the idea that students are active and valuable participants in academic communities.”

Daniel Lombardo
Student nominated award

Daniel Lombardo is a valued teacher within MUIC’s department of Engineering and Information Technology who creates engaging classes and learning material for his students.

“Computer Science is a particularly difficult topic to create resources for and teach at an introductory level. In my opinion, there is this consistent perspective that computer science is a very difficult and boring field which hinders students’ ability to succeed,” he says.

“One of the great joys of teaching for me is destroying this perspective and building a new one where students realise that they are in control of the computer, they are the boss and they just need to tell it what to do. An approach that I use to foster this transformation of perspective starts with breaking problems into very simple pieces. This challenges the student’s perception as they realise that it is not actually difficult. Finally, I pose simple questions to help them identify how to combine the smaller pieces into the final solution.

“I believe that a strong rapport is critical. To establish a rapport with students I genuinely speak with them about their interests, share my interests and encourage everyone to get involved.”

Dr James Mackenzie
Student nominated award

When teaching Media Studies, Dr James Mackenzie places transformative learning at the centre of his teaching practice. He does this by introducing students to something they already know and allowing them to look at it in a completely different way.

“My lessons usually begin with the student’s own experience. Then once they have shared their ideas about a topic, I introduce the conceptual framework offered by Media Studies, so suddenly a new perspective is given on what they have already discussed,” says James.

“This is transformative for the students because they feel that after their lessons they can look at things that matter to them in a whole new way. This everyday strategy of fostering student engagement through transformation was also systematically included in the three units I designed for MUIC.”

“I will admit that when I first started teaching, I did feel the need to give the impression that I knew it all. But now when I don’t know something, I admit it to the students and we approach it as an opportunity to learn together. This sense that we are peers on a learning journey helps students feel respected and included as part of a mutually beneficial educational environment.” 

Rose Harvey
Early career award

Rose Harvey is an Academic English teacher within Macquarie’s English Language Centre. She develops innovative lessons to improve language skills and prepare students for study at Macquarie, develop an understanding of Australian tertiary environments, facilitate interaction and promote self-confidence.

“My students enter my class shortly after arriving in Australia with a unique set of needs and with linguistic, cultural and educational diversity,” says Rose.

“In order to create a classroom environment in which students feel motivated to learn and safe to experiment, I treat my students as co-creators of knowledge. My approach draws on facets of constructivism, specifically the assumption that learners are not “empty vessels to be filled with knowledge” and in contrast are actively involved in the creation of meaning and the selection and pursuit of learning.

“My work designing and implementing innovative and transformative curricula has led to improvements in the ELC’s Direct Entry programmes, which articulate students into MUIC and Macquarie. The new courses better prepare students for tertiary study through content, activities and experiences which develop relevant skills and knowledge.” 

Trish Behan
Educational leader award

Trish Behan has been an integral member of Macquarie University English Language Centre since 2003. Over her career she has supported students and staff academically and in recent years, she has added a large focus on student mental health and wellbeing to her Senior Teacher role.

“To effectively address such issues in our institution, I engaged ELC and MQ PACE students as collaborative partners in developing initiatives unique to the ELC and Macquarie as well as showcasing these initiatives to key stakeholders in the ELC, Macquarie and the sector nationally,” she says.

“In 2018 I created a workshop to de-stigmatize mental health issues with international students and in 2019, I took this one step further, developing a mental health video called You are not Alone. This video is now used in MUIC-ELC orientation and workshops, Macquarie Business School and features in the MQ Wellbeing App.”

“It is great to see that my work in this area has not only impacted the ELC and Macquarie University but has reached the international student industry on a national level. Most importantly, student partners have developed a rich understanding of the ethical and culturally sensitive issues international students face daily in Australia.”

Michael Liu, Inah Matsuoka-Yi, Claudia Zhang , Amy Earnshaw, Tazin Abdullah, Zac Peters and Andrew Jackson
Learning innovation award

This talented team of engagement and advising staff is responsible for designing a series of activities and sessions that prepare students for their commencement at MUIC. This extended orientation is part of MUIC’s ME Week, a three-day event, and a crucial step in the student journey that provides students with advice about the College, their course, do’s and don’ts at university, and information about the support services available to them. Uniquely, ME Week aims to pre-empt issues that students might face socially or academically, with a focus on belonging and awareness of possible culture shock or impostor syndrome.

“We know that pathways students need extra support to achieve their goals, so we established a set of learning initiatives which focused on engaging, empowering, and evolving our students, consistent with the MUIC Teaching & Learning Philosophy,” says Inah.

“We listened to our students. We engaged internal and external stakeholders, including Student Wellbeing, RNA, MUIC/ELC Student Volunteers, MQ Sport, Careers and Employment, Delta Therapy Dogs, AUSISO, NSW Police and Allianz to deliver these workshops in safe, inclusive and innovative learning environments, away from the traditional classroom”

“During COVID-19, ME Week has been delivered online and in a blended mode. We know that ME Week is helping our students unlock their potential and enhancing their learning, by providing access to support services and an innovative learning environment.”

Chloe Long, Carol Floyd, Ilija Vickovich, Susan Fripp and Dr Robyn Westcott
Learning innovation award

This team of teachers and librarians are responsible for creating The Macquarie Law School Legal Referencing Module (LRM). As members of Macquarie’s scholarly community, they are committed to enacting institutional values of honesty, respect, trust and responsibility. They seek to model these values to students by encouraging respectful engagement with the academic conversation.

“Understanding why, when and how to cite using the Australian Guide to Legal Citation style is a fundamental skill that allows law students to express ideas and present cogent arguments supported by appropriate evidence. Becoming proficient in the use of referencing reinforces the bedrock values of academic and professional integrity; however, time constraints make it difficult for referencing to be taught explicitly so we created a resource students could access any time on an as needs basis.  It’s great for teaching staff too because we’ve created a block that sits within all iLearn Law units,” says Susan.

“The LRM innovates student learning by providing timely, self-paced instruction that enables students’ transition to the study of law at university. It develops their understanding of academic integrity and writing, underpins their academic learning while also equipping them with transferrable skills for lifelong learning and professional success.”

“This is particularly significant in the context of legal education, where students are required to demonstrate that they are fit and proper for admission to legal practice,” says Ilija.

Andrew Pentecost
Sessional staff award

Andrew Pentecost has been a respected team member of Macquarie’s English Language Centre for the last five years. He has a natural grasp for languages which has enabled him to develop into a teacher recognised for patience and clarity with international students.

“In my classes of international students I recognise a dynamic and diverse group of individuals with whom I am about to engage for an intensive period of study. I have developed the skill of creating a community of knowledge by learning all that I can about the students and helping them to learn about each other,” he says.

“I use humour and stories and I show my vulnerability so that they are not afraid to show their vulnerability through the learning process. I have found that this means they enjoy studying English despite having come to Macquarie for their major, not for English as such.”

His fellow teachers are quick to sing his praises with one saying “Andrew’s patience, professionalism and good humour in this stressful and challenging environment were truly commendable.”

Dr Pamela Humphreys, Jose Lara Herrera, Rebecca Wilkinson, Rose Harvey, Luke Thompson, Cecily van der Hout, Lesley Speer and Lesley Sender 
Teaching excellence award

Director of MUIC and ELC, Dr Pamela Humphreys, led this talented team to deliver academic language and learning support to Macquarie degree students.

“There has been considerable scrutiny of the post-entry academic language and learning abilities of students with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in recent years. Language entry levels are set to be adequate for commencement but are not necessarily optimum for graduation as these skills are critical to our students’ academic success and future employability,” says Pamela. “It is therefore incumbent on us to make this everybody’s business, distributed according to our role.”

“The ELC is the University’s English language provider. While its core business for over 30 years has been pre-sessional English language courses, it has also delivered academic language and learning support to Macquarie degree students since 2004, offered on demand and at the request of faculty.

“Over this period, targeted, timely and effective interventions have been provided by our experienced team. We have delivered integrated and embedded academic language and learning support to target issues, transform learning resources, and enhance student outcomes. This has been achieved through a mix of archetypal mechanisms such as diagnostic testing, targeted workshops, co-teaching, embedding, drop-in consultations and the co-marking of assignments with discipline academics.

“In addition to supporting students as the primary stakeholder, this work also encourages and enables academic staff development to better address the needs of EAL cohorts.”

“A culture of transformative learning in a research-enriched environment.”

It’s the first strategic priority in Macquarie University’s strategic framework Our University: A Framing of Futures, and this fundamental connection between teaching and research at Macquarie was at the heart of the Academic Staff Awards ceremony, held yesterday Monday 18 November.

Over 300 staff came together to celebrate their colleagues as the University recognised 24 winners that have made exemplary contributions to research and teaching at Macquarie.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Kevin Jameson says is was a great privilege to be part of the ceremony and see so many deserving individuals recognised.

“The Academic Staff Awards offer us a unique opportunity to acknowledge and thank our academic community, across both research and learning and teaching, for their innovation, talent and commitment towards excellence,” he says.

“We were inundated with more than 2000 nominations from our Macquarie students for the new Vice-Chancellor’s Student-Nominated Award, and it’s very clear to me that Macquarie teachers make a real difference in the lives of our students and are genuinely committed to empowering them towards success.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius said it was a day for celebration.

“We have so many reasons to celebrate our world-leading researchers and their achievements – including our ongoing success with external research funding and our demonstrated reputation for delivering research with real-world impact,” he said. “Our trajectory continues to move upward and I thank all our researchers and all the hardworking research support staff who make certain our parachutes are safely packed to enable research excellence across our University.”

Double award winner Alexandra Bhatti was joined by her proud family at the ceremony.

Congratulations to all the winners. You can learn more about all of these staff in our recent finalist profiles.

Research Awards

The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

Professor Roger Chung
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

Prosperous Economies
Professor Deborah Schofield
Macquarie Business School

Resilient Societies
Associate Professor Kate Lloyd
Associate Professor Sandie Suchet-Pearson
Bawaka Collective
Faculty of Arts

Innovative Technologies
Professor Karu Esselle
Dr David Bulger
Dr Maria Kovaleva
Faculty of Science and Engineering

Healthy People
Dr Celia Harris
Faculty of Human Sciences

Secure Planet
Professor Phillip Taylor
Faculty of Science and Engineering

Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervisor of the Year Award

Professor Jennie Hudson
Faculty of Human Sciences 

Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year – HASS

Dr Katrina Hutchison
Faculty of Arts

Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year – STEMM

Dr Bingyang Shi
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Excellence in Higher Degree Research – HASS

Nicholas Everett
Faculty of Human Sciences

Excellence in Higher Degree Research – STEMM

Stephanie Rayner
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Learning and Teaching Awards

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Kevin Jameson (far left) and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) Associate Professor Dominique Parrish (far right) with Learning and Teaching Award winners.

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award 

Associate Professor Tiffany Mary Jones
Faculty of Human Sciences
Ms Alexandra Bhatti
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Dr Bruno Alves Buzatto
Faculty of Science and Engineering

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Sessional Staff Award

Miss Lauren Florentia Ehrenfeld
Faculty of Human Sciences

Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

Ms Alexandra Bhatti
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

Associate Professor Matt Bower
Faculty of Human Sciences

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation (Team Award)

Associate Professor Kira Westaway
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Mr Michael Rampe
Faculty of Arts
Mr Matthew Cabanag 

Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Professor Catherine Dean
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Distinguished Professors

Six new Distinguished Professors were also announced at the Awards.

They are the Professors at the very top of their game – regarded as among the very best in their field, with a stellar record of academic achievement, an international reputation for exceptional research, outstanding learning and teaching achievements and outstanding contributions to Macquarie University and the broader community.

The title of Distinguished Professor – the highest academic honour the University can bestow on a member of the academic community – was awarded to six outstanding Macquarie Professors at the Academic Staff Awards ceremony on Monday 18 November.

OUR NEWEST DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORS

• Catriona Mackenzie
  Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts
• Deborah Schofield
  Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine, Macquarie Business School
• Ian Wright
  Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Ingrid Piller
  Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Human Sciences
• Phillip Taylor
  Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Stephen Foley
  Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Learn more about our new Distinguished Professors on the Distinguished Professors webpage >>

Five existing Distinguished Professors were also renominated for a new term:

• Anne Castles
  Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Human Sciences
• David Christian
  Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Arts
• Ian Paulsen
  Department of Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Katherine Demuth
  Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Human Sciences
• Lesley Hughes
  Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Integrity and Development)

This brings the total number of Distinguished Professors at Macquarie to 23, reflecting the growing reputation of Macquarie as a university generating world-leading research with world-changing impact.

The title of Distinguished Professor is awarded for six years, and may be awarded for consecutive periods. Appointments are made following a rigorous selection process, with applications assessed by the Distinguished Professor Committee, convened by the Vice-Chancellor.

The next round of nominations for Distinguished Professor will be announced in 2021. Information on nomination criteria and process can be found on the Distinguished Professors webpage.

This week, we take a look at the staff from MUIC and the Library.

Don’t forget to register for the Awards Ceremony as places are filling up fast.

Learning and Teaching

Mr Daniel Lombardo
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Mr Lombardo explains the biggest challenges he has faced in his career stem from the range of language capabilities of the students, and in making the course content exciting by relating it to everyday life.

“I have overcome these challenges by developing teaching material with several levels of embedded language support, implementing innovative assessment strategies and taking a flipped classroom approach,” he says.

Daniel initiates discussions throughout the classroom regarding the everyday applications of particular concepts taught in class and notes that these discussions are typically initiated at the start of a new topic to excite and engage the students, enhancing their learning of the corresponding content.

“The discussions are also useful as they encourage engagement between international and domestic students, forging friendships and creating an overall comfortable learning environment.”

Daniel also takes a flipped classroom approach. “There are many different techniques I use to engage students and enhance their learning. In general, these techniques are focused around encouraging students to analyse different interpretations of problems, identify the differences between them and understand which interpretation is correct.”

Mr Aleksandar Stefanovic
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Mr Stefanovic explains international students face a number of challenges with regards to acculturation such as culture shock and difficulties with language. Alek has employed numerous strategies to guide students through this difficult initial period.

“An important element is to understand the motivators each student has,” he says. “Motivation is commonly regarded as one of the key factors in successful second language acquisition and it can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. The teacher, and the effectiveness of their communicative style, can be an important aspect in motivating students. Through clear communication, I attempt to ascertain the important intrinsic and extrinsic motivators each individual student has and motivate them accordingly.”

Dr Robyn Westcott
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation

In 2016, Dr Westcott led a project team in the Learning Skills Unit (LSU) that secured an internal Innovation and Scholarship Program Grant to design and pilot a student-led writing support program: WriteWISE.

“The WriteWISE program was conceived in response to two key concerns,” Robyn explains. “The first was research into the first-year experience, which showed a sizable minority of all students – 38 per cent – find academic standards at university much higher than expected.

“The second was an unmet demand for formative writing feedback amongst Macquarie’s undergraduate students.”

WriteWISE innovates the North American ‘Writing Centre’ tradition – in which academically successful students are recruited and trained to provide writing instruction to their peers – to the Macquarie context by linking personalised writing support to the completion of assignments in nominated 100-level partner units. The program also assists upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students via a ‘drop-in’ service at the Library Info Desk.

“WriteWISE provides a constructive, community-focused environment in which peer-directed conversations that build students’ confidence as academic writers can flourish. The program’s ongoing success affirms our belief that peer-led learning initiatives empower students and peer leaders alike.”

The Foundation and Diploma Direct Entry Program Team lead by Ms Alejandra Vazquez
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation

In 2017, the English Language Centre (ELC) decided to re-develop its 10-week Foundation Direct Entry (FDE) and Diploma Direct Entry (DDE) curricula.

“As students studying these programs are diverse in their academic and socio-emotional needs and behaviours, the ELC took an innovative approach that enabled the creation of curricula that were outcome-specific as well as aimed at increasing overall student learning, engagement and experience,” says team leader Alejandra. “Emphasis was heavily placed on technology-enhanced environments, task-based learning (TBL) activities or projects, and combined class activities and excursions.”

Alejandra explains the FDE and DDE courses were developed collaboratively by a team comprising senior teachers, management and selected teachers.

“The design was underpinned by the ELC’s established pedagogical framework, adhering to well-researched pedagogical principles of learning as an active process, with the classroom as a community where students learn by collaborating and sharing, and engage in communication that is meaningful and relevant to their lives. The design also embraced principled eclecticism, where tasks drive learning and determine assessment, yet where focus is placed on both meaning and form, and on both implicit and explicit learning.”

Dr Pamela Humphreys
Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Macquarie University International College (MUIC) Foundation and Diploma students require intentional linguistic and/or academic support via transition pedagogies in order to succeed.

Dr Humphreys explains that in the intensive model delivery (IMD) used at MUIC with six, seven-week terms per year, a different approach to curriculum/assessment design and delivery is required.

“This context posed two challenges from a learning and teaching perspective,” she says. “The need for high quality, scaffolded, standardised curricula, designed at the program level to meet the needs of pathway students; and the upskilling of teaching staff to deliver it.

“I therefore made the business and pedagogical case to engage an Academic Language and Learning (ALL) team and Learning Designers for a curriculum overhaul. I gained approval from the DVCA and Associate Deans Teaching and Learning and Quality and Standards to adapt units for our context, and agreed to share any resulting resources with faculty.

“Teaching staff have received indirect professional development (PD) in curriculum and assessment design during this project, plus direct PD from visiting speakers and a festival of learning and teaching.”

Pamela notes that this work has been underpinned by a learning and teaching philosophy and led to a Teaching Excellence Framework.

Celebrate with your colleagues

Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

This week, we take a look at the staff from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Research

Professor Roger Chung
The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

Professor Chung explains that his proudest career research achievement has been his relocation to Macquarie University as part of the establishment of the Macquarie University Centre for MND Research in 2013. Roger had previously led a 10-year research program at UTAS that had reached its natural endpoint, with his discovery of a potential nerve-regeneration molecule that was patented and licensed to a biotech company for commercial development (for nerve regeneration and Alzheimer’s disease).

“In considering a new research direction to embark upon, I was attracted towards research into Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and the exciting opportunity presented by the growing health and medicine enterprise at Macquarie University,” he says.

Roger’s current research program takes a multidisciplinary approach to unravelling the molecular origins of MND and uses this knowledge towards the pre-clinical development of new therapeutic strategies. He is currently the Professor of Neurobiology and Neurochemistry, leads a research group of 19 members, and since 2014 has held the position of Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty.

 Dr Bingyang Shi
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (STEMM)

Dr Shi is an NHMRC-ARC Dementia research development fellow. He is leading a Brain Drug Delivery research group (one Macquarie Research Fellow, two junior postdocs and three PhD students) as principal supervisor to develop advanced brain drug delivery systems to promote more effective brain disease therapy with reduced side-effects by overcoming biological barriers that limit the delivery of drug agents and therapeutic gene products into the brain.

“Drug therapies remain a key solution for fighting human disease,” Bingyang explains. “The complexity of targeted drug delivery, which entails traversing a number of biological challenges – such as keeping drugs stable in blood, preferentially targeting sick cells and crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier – requires both scientific and technical issues to be resolved before the full potential of effective therapy is realised. Therefore, smart/functional drug carriers are highly desired to help drugs cross tough biological barriers.”

During Bingyang’s research career, he has established a new toolbox of advanced brain delivery systems for targeted drug and gene delivery for various brain diseases including brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and Motor Neurone Disease, and assessed their pre-clinical therapeutic potential.

“These results have led to 52 peer-reviewed journal articles in top tier journals – including Nature Nanotech and Adv. Materials – as well as two book chapters,” he says.

“My recognised standing in the field is demonstrated by the substantial growth in publications, citations and conference invitations over the last five years, with over 1400 citations with an h-index of 18, and more than 20 invited conference talks.”

Ms Stephanie Rayner
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (STEMM)

In 2015, Ms Rayner was involved in the first study that linked mutations in the gene CCNF with Motor Neuron Disease. The gene, CCNF, encodes for a protein known as cyclin F which plays an important role in healthy cell function as it helps to send old proteins for degradation. These proteins are known as ‘substrates’ of cyclin F.

“At the time, only a handful of cyclin F substrates were known,” Stephanie explains. “Many of these had roles in cell division or has been involved in cancer. This makes cyclin F a key regulator of the cell cycle. Thus, a major component of my research has been to understand the role cyclin F plays in neurons, and how a single gene mutation may lead to a devastating neurodegenerative disease.”

Stephanie explains that her research has involved multi-disciplinary collaboration between clinicians, geneticists, cell biologists and proteomics experts like herself.

“Within this team, I have been involved in understanding the link between cyclin F mutations and neurodegeneration, primarily using a series of biochemical assays as well as proteomic workflows.”

Learning and Teaching

Dr Joel Fuller
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Dr Fuller believes that optimal learning occurs when students feel inspired to learn, but also safe, supported and respected throughout the process.

“This philosophy underpins my teaching,” he says. “Future health professionals must understand and apply complex concepts, and these concepts can intimidate students if they are not presented in a clear and calm manner that scaffolds student learning, whilst allowing them to feel comfortable exploring the inherent challenges involved in grasping these concepts.”

An example of this occurs when teaching PHTY802 as students are presented with material on complex pain neurophysiology.

“This can overwhelm students,” Joel explains. “So, I facilitate a warm, comfortable environment where we explore content as a group, allow time for content to be absorbed and facilitate deeper learning through enquiry and questioning.”

Ms Alexandra Bhatti
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

Ms Bhatti says teaching her students is incredibly rewarding and she is passionate about building those connections. As an early-career teaching fellow in the Macquarie Master of Public Health (MPH), Alexandra has the privilege of working with one of the most diverse student cohorts in our university.

“Designing and delivering learning experiences that caters to significant student diversity in literacy, education, culture and work backgrounds is a challenge I enthusiastically embrace,” she says. “Cementing student engagement early in our program is imperative for motivating and setting up students for continued engagement. As such, I focus on ensuring that students’ early experiences with the course are appealing, captivating and inspiring.”

Over the past three and a half years as the unit convenor of two core units within the MPH, Alexandra has developed and prepared entirely new curricula that provides engaging, inspiring and transformative learning experiences for all of her students. These experiences foster student development and build employability skills from early in the program, with tasks that are work-integrated and authentic.

Professor Catherine Dean
Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Educational leadership has been a central focus for Professor Dean since commencing with the University as a key appointment in the expansion of health and medicine. Catherine adopts a ‘servant leadership’ philosophy, embodying her personal commitment to lifelong learning and reflective practice as well as her ambition to develop and empower others to ensure optimisation of transformative educational opportunities.

“My work is underpinned by strength-based actions that align with the values of the University and MQ Health,” she explains. “My scholarly interest in health professional education is underpinned by my belief that one of the most effective ways to transform healthcare is through the education of future health professionals – more than the latest evidence-based knowledge and stellar technical skill – but education which is lifelong and puts people and care at the centre.”

Catherine’s leadership in curriculum design, development, implementation and enhancement is exemplified by the establishment of the first Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) course in NSW, along with the accompanying establishment of the Department of Health Professions, and an outstanding team of academic and professional staff.

“The DPT embodies the University’s vision for a ‘Connected Learning Community’.  I secured over $1.3 million from Health Workforce Australia to develop an innovative sustainable clinical component which included design of the Health and Wellbeing Collaboration – enabling early experiences with volunteers.”

Celebrate with your colleagues

Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

This week, we take a look at the wonderful staff from the Macquarie Business School.

Research

Professor Deborah Schofield
Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

In 2017, Professor Schofield led the establishment of the Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine. The Centre aims to provide internationally leading research on the potential of genomics and similarly ground-breaking innovations to improve human health and, as a result, have had significant impact on the economy and Australian community.

“The new research program and Centre were established because there is currently little research on the significant potential for genomics to not only transform medicine and the health system, but also to improve the social and economic prospects of families, and thereby deliver on some of the most compelling and complex policy objectives – including fiscal sustainability – of government,” Deborah says.

The study provides whole genome sequencing for diagnosis of patients and to assess currently unknown health and social costs of familial intellectual disability.

“A diagnosis facilitates targeted treatment and avoidance of ineffective treatment – some of which may have serious adverse consequences – and accurate advice for recurrence risk, which can result in families no longer having the condition in future generations,” she says.

Professor Chris Patel
Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervisor of the Year Award

Professor Patel is an internationally recognised academic in the field of International Accounting and provides research leadership at Macquarie.

Over the past 11 years, Chris has successfully supervised 13 PhD students to completion and these students have gone on to have their own distinguished careers, both in the academic world and in making valuable contributions to society.

“My supervision has contributed to developing quality research at Macquarie University, resulting in publications and awards, as well as the engagement of students and graduates in the research community,” he says.

“Together with the staff who completed their PhD under my supervision, we are recognised as pioneers and leaders in International Accounting research. My profile has attracted quality students to my research program and contributed to Macquarie’s global reputation.

“My objective is to collaborate with my colleagues to build a dedicated team to accelerate world-leading research performance, and to provide internationally aligned degrees with global relevance.”

Learning and Teaching

Dr Paul Crosby
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

As the unit convenor of ECON381 – Department of Economics PACE and Capstone unit – Dr Crosby designed and implemented a series of lectures and assessment tasks that equip students with an array of tools for their future careers. These tools demonstrate the versatility of economics, allowing students to apply their knowledge of the discipline to an array of contemporary issues.

“My goal is to ensure students complete their Macquarie economics journey with an experience that both empowers and inspires,” he says.

Dr LayPeng Tan
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Dr Tan believes building relationships with students is about meeting them where they are, attempting to understand them, and developing connections with them.

“‘Teach from the heart, for the heart summarises what teaching is for me,” she says.

“My role as a lecturer is beyond imparting knowledge; I am an enabler of student success. I help students to develop their full potential and capabilities so they can achieve their goals within, and beyond, the classroom.”

LayPeng also advocates for safe-to-fail learning environments and believes they are particularly important to international students and those at risk.

Dr Frances Chang
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Sessional Staff Award

Dr Chang’s teaching philosophy focuses on experiential approaches to create positive learning environments.

“Our students come from diverse cultural backgrounds and they learn in different ways,” Frances says.

“I am always observing the different ways students learn and I ask myself ‘can I explain this better?’ ‘Is there a better analogy to highlight my explanation?’ and ‘Are there students requiring one-on-one attention?’”

Frances works hard to engage her students in learning and never takes them for granted.

“I include competitive strands in my teaching, for example hosting in-class games such as venture funds pitch presentations. I have found that students love this, and they work very hard to be the winning team!”

Dr Chong It Tan
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

Driven by the Learning for the Future framework that envisions the creation of a connected learning community, Dr Tan’s teaching promotes student engagement through various activities in the classroom.

“In my opinion, creating engaging learning environments requires passionate enthusiasm and being approachable,” Chong It says.

“Excellent student learning outcomes start with planning and development. My teaching approach is deeply influenced by the motto ‘I want to teach a unit that I would want to take myself’.

“Ever since I embarked on my teaching journey five years ago, the most common feedback I receive are words like passionate, enthusiastic, approachable, engaging, interactive and even humorous. Above all, I think the word ‘care’ best epitomises my attitude towards striving to provide the best possible learning experience for students.”

Dr Prashan Shayanka Mendis Karunaratne
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence
Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Dr Karunaratne has taught at Macquarie for over 16 years in Foundation, Diploma, Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Massive Open Online Course units across various fields including Economics, Econometrics, Quantitative Methods, Business Forecasting and Microsoft Excel.

“Students learn best when they are inspired to learn ­– the ‘why’; and when they are equipped to learn ­– the ‘how’,” he says.

Prashan has facilitated seven workshops for Macquarie academics, including the inaugural Macquarie University International College (MUIC) Learning and Teaching Festival in 2019 where he was the plenary speaker on ‘Engage, Equip, Empower – the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ of Learning and Teaching’.

“I am also heavily involved in the University’s Widening Participation program LEAP (Learning, Education, Aspiration, Participation),” he says. “I believe in empowering students from disadvantaged backgrounds such as refugees and asylum-seekers, Indigenous Australians, as well as students in regional and remote Australia and I have participated in biannual LEAP campus events since 2015.”

Additionally, Prashan has successfully secured a 2019 Widening Participation grant for $15,000 where he will assist in creating a program to reach equity schools, cultivating aspirations for university and fostering a connected learning community.

Dr Mauricio Marrone
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation

Dr Marrone believes business students are increasingly presented with business scenarios, such as case studies, in an attempt to offer authentic learning opportunities while developing graduate skills. He explains that while case studies can stimulate class discussion as part of a learning activity or assessment, students mostly discuss pre-defined organisations that they can hardly relate to.

“Students have no vested interest in how their decisions and theoretical understanding impacts companies as they do not control how they operate,” he says.

To combat this, Mauricio has created a session-long experiential activity where students create their own case study. “I want my students to deeply engage with business issues, practice decision-making, and understand the immediate impact of their decisions, as well as develop skills transferable to any business context like critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.”

Celebrate with your colleagues

Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

This week, we take a look at the staff from the Faculty of Arts.

Research

Associate Professor Malcolm Choat
The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

Over three successive ARC Discovery Projects since 2012, Associate Professor Choat has led teams composed of Early Career Researchers, Higher Degree Researchers (PhD and Master of Research), and undergraduate interns on projects centred on various aspects of authenticity and forgery, from the way ancient scribes copied documents to the sociology of modern forgery and the chemical composition of ink.

“These three ARC-funded projects are part of a wider research arc on the authenticity and ethics of history which I have been pursuing since the start of the decade,” Malcolm says. “My research has pivoted from a focus on the history of Christianity in Egypt and papyrology to a research program which also includes the study of forged manuscripts and testing of their ink, and work on the authenticity and ethics of our relationship with the past.”

In recognition of his status in the discipline and international profile in the fields of papyrology, Coptic studies, and early Christianity and monasticism in Egypt, Malcolm was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2018.

“This status within the field has been reflected not only in publications and funding, but in over ten invitations to present at international and Australian venues since 2012, as well as three visiting fellowships in the same period, and an invitation to present the plenary paper on ‘Coptic Documentary Papyri 2012–2016’ at the Twelfth International Congress of Coptic Studies at Claremont Graduate University, California in 2016.

“As well as publications and funding, my new research direction on authenticity, forgery, and ethics has seen a visiting fellowship at the Humanities Research Centre, ANU and four invited papers, including funded invitations to conferences at Kristiansand, Norway in 2016 and 2020.” 

Associate Professor Kate Lloyd and Associate Professor Sandie Suchet-Pearson
Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

The Bawaka Collective is a 12-year Indigenous/non-Indigenous research collaboration led by Bawaka Country and five Yolŋu knowledge holders from North East Arnhem Land together with three Human Geographers including Macquarie’s Associate Professor Kate Lloyd and Associate Professor Sandie Suchet-Pearson. The long-term collaboration nourishes and, where appropriate, shares Yolŋu knowledge to support Indigenous and non-Indigenous intergenerational and intercultural learnings.

This is done in two ways: through the intercultural sharing of Yolŋu mathematics – a complex matrix of patterns, relationships, shapes and rhythms of time and space that underpin the ways that Yolŋu people relate to their environments – and the intergenerational sharing of songspirals that are sung by Aboriginal people to awaken Country, to make and remake the life-giving connections between people and place.

“Our long-term close research collaboration nourishes and, where appropriate, shares Indigenous and Country-led understandings of Yolŋu knowledge to support Indigenous and non-Indigenous intergenerational and intercultural applied learnings,” Kate says. “Supported by two ARC Discovery grants, an ARC Future Fellowship, a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connections grant, and a SSHRC Partnership grant, we work on a range of interconnected projects.”

Sandie explains that the Collective makes significant contributions to intercultural sharing and understanding, academic community collaboration and human geography. “This is achieved through the development of outputs sharing Yolŋu knowledge with a range of academic and popular audiences,” she says.

Dr Katrina Hutchison
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (HASS)

Since conferral of her PhD, Dr Hutchison has produced a body of research that draws on feminist philosophy to investigate ethical issues in surgery. She focuses on matters of safety and equity affecting surgeons and patients, including gender biases. The quality and significance of the research is reflected by peer reviewed publications in leading outlets, invitations to speak in local and international forums, success in securing competitive overseas funding, productive relationships with leading international researchers and external stakeholders, uptake into policy and practice, and mainstream media coverage of findings.

“The safety and effectiveness of surgery for patients depends partly on the culture of surgery,” Katrina explains. “Surgery has well-documented cultural problems, including the underrepresentation of women, who comprise only 12 per cent of surgeons in active practice in Australia.

“One strand of my research investigates gender biases affecting women surgeons. Here, my original contribution has been to draw on work in feminist philosophy to illuminate the difficult issue of subtle biases. In order to identify the nature of these biases affecting women surgeons, I have conducted two empirical studies on women’s surgical careers, with my earlier published theoretical research on epistemic injustice and gender bias in women’s careers informing the study design.”

Learning and Teaching

Dr Sonya Willis
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

The more simply you can explain something, the better students will understand it, says Dr Willis. Having spent many years as a practicing lawyer, Sonya understands the importance of good communication skills, particularly for lawyers.

“Law is a helping profession and good interpersonal skills are essential when advising clients,” she says. “I aim to teach effective communication and interpersonal skills through my own interactions with students as well as by direct teaching. I train them to correspond like lawyers both explicitly and by example; demonstrating the value of politeness, careful wording and thoughtful correspondence. I also care deeply about my students’ wellbeing.”

Sonya is also an editor of the Legal Education Review, which keeps her updated on the latest research into student learning and wellbeing.

Mr Roderick Smith
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Mr Smith explains that his aim is to bring the world into the classroom and for the students, at the completion of their education, to enter that world with vigour, enthusiasm and confidence.

“I draw on my many years in the legal profession to bring to life the theory the students are learning from the texts and lectures,” Roderick says. “Giving learning a practical context, I believe, makes the experience relevant, interesting and real. I am always looking for ways to make a difficult subject easier to understand.”

Roderick says he sees his students as peers from whom he can learn, as much as they can learn from him. “Every day is a new experience for me, and I am immensely pleased when the students question and challenge the ideas that I, or their peers, have presented. I see this as a sign that they are building their knowledge, skills and confidence in a safe learning environment.”

Dr Saartje Tack
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Sessional Staff Award

Dr Tack believes that learning can only happen in a safe environment. By encouraging students to engage with each other in the spirit of generosity, we allow room for making mistakes.

“Mistakes are not interpreted as wrong, or as attacks on identities but, instead, open up a space for asking questions and communal learning,” Saartje says.

“I do the majority of my teaching in the Gender Studies program, in both on-campus and online modes, and am passionate about transferring my own enthusiasm for content and for learning and teaching to students in tutorials.

“By deploying a student-as-partner approach, I foster an environment of communal learning in which everyone is always both learner and teacher. I emphasise that I, as their teacher, am equally excited to learn from students.”

Dr Yves-Heng Lim (with team members: Fred Smith and Dr Adam Lockyer)
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

In 2018, the Department of Security Studies and Criminology launched five new postgraduate programs: Master of Security and Strategic Studies; Master of Intelligence; Master of Cyber Security; Master of Counter Terrorism; and Master of Criminology. Dr Lim, Mr Smith and Dr Lockyer developed simulation units that students in each of these programs must complete during their final semester.

The simulation units are co-taught. Students are grouped into interdisciplinary teams where they ‘play the role’ of their specific program of study, such as ‘the criminologist’ or ‘the intelligence officer’. At different stages during the simulation students are either required to work collectively to solve difficult real-world problems or to personally ‘step up’ and apply the unique skills and knowledge they have acquired during the course of their studies. So, for example, the team might be presented with a piece of intelligence which only the intelligence officer (Master of Intelligence student) has been taught how to analyse but deciding what to do with this newly acquired information might require the entire team.

“Our simulation unit is designed as the informal capstone of a connected curriculum and allows students to develop transferable skills while confronting big, real-world challenges,” says Adam.

Yves-Heng adds that, “The simulations challenge students to take responsibility for their individual and collective team decisions. This leads them to take full ownership of their learning in an environment where they are supported by, but also accountable to, their peers.”

“Our scenarios are inspired by real-world events,” Fred says. “This has sparked a very high level of engagement among students who post on average more than ten contributions per week during the simulations.”

Celebrate with your colleagues

Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

This week, we take a look at the staff from the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Research

Associate Professor Paul Beggs
Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

Associate Professor Beggs explains that climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. His project explores impacts of climate change on human health in Australia and internationally, with a focus on the impacts on airborne allergens and the phenomenon known as thunderstorm asthma. In collaboration with an inter-disciplinary research team of experts from universities and government, Paul has taken a leading role in research at the frontier of this dynamic field.

Additionally, Paul Co-Chairs the MJA-Lancet Countdown in partnership with The Medical Journal of Australia and the Lancet Countdown, uniquely tracking progress on health and climate change at a national level across more than 40 indicators of impacts, exposures, and vulnerability; adaptation and resilience; mitigation and health co-benefits; and public and political engagement. He also co-led the investigations into the environmental factors responsible for, and the emergency response to, the deadly epidemic thunderstorm asthma event in Melbourne, November 2016.

“The understanding gained through this research has been translated into effective and innovative management strategies, improving the health and preventing the death of people living with allergic respiratory diseases both now and into the future,” he says.

Professor Karu Esselle
Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

Professor Karu Esselle had been trying for a few years to solve a challenging optimisation problem in electromagnetic engineering with his PhD students using the most advanced optimisation methods in the field, but with limited success. Thus, he and his then new PhD candidate Maria Kovaleva searched the globe for an appropriate mathematician for collaboration and found one next door, at the then Department of Statistics, in Dr David Bulger. Since then, the collaboration between this trio has been producing outstanding results and attracting international commendation.

“Our short-term objective was to find an elegant solution to the troublesome antenna optimisation problem at hand, but in the long term we wanted to develop a versatile method that could solve any electronic engineering optimisation problem with both mixed variables (continuous and discrete) and constraints,” he explains.

“This multi-disciplinary team of researchers has now met the challenge, and the results of our collaboration have been outstanding. We have developed an innovative optimisation method and applied it to solve several design problems, clearly demonstrating its superiority over the optimisation methods previously used in electronic engineering.”

Professor Phillip Taylor
Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

For decades, cheap and effective insecticides have been available to protect crops from fruit fly infestation but, with increasing concerns about the impacts on environmental and consumer health, regulatory restrictions now constrain the use of insecticides to the point where they have quite limited efficacy.

Professor Taylor explains that Australia’s ability to produce fruit fly free crops and to access markets is imperilled. “Fruit flies present a substantial economic threat, with outbreaks increasingly common in historically fruit fly free regions of SA and TAS, and very large populations established in the major southern growing regions of NSW and VIC over the past decade,” he says.

“The overarching aim of my research is to provide Australia’s horticulture industries new tools for environmentally and medically benign control of fruit fly pests. Particular effort has been invested in developing the ‘sterile insect technique’ (SIT) in which millions of sterile flies are produced in a factory and released in the field to disrupt reproduction of pest populations. SIT can be safely used both in production regions and in towns, enabling the suppression of insect pests over large regions.

“To support these efforts, I have secured significant financial support from industry, including current grants from Hort Innovation Ltd ($20.5m, $7.6m, and $4.7m) and ARC Linkage ITTC ($3.8m) all led by myself. Research training is a central theme in all of these projects, which support a very large community of HDRs and ECRs across three MQ departments.”

Professor Kirstie Fryirs
Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervisor of the Year Award

Professor Fryirs is an environmental scientist with a specialisation in fluvial geomorphology, which involves the study of rivers and streams. Her supervision approach creates a supportive and productive research environment, allowing students to achieve their highest potential.

“As an applied scientist I have a passion to ensure my research is world-changing and has real-world application and impact, particularly in river conservation and rehabilitation practice,” Kirstie says. “In a century where water availability will be a significant societal and environment challenge, my overarching research philosophy is framed around the need to understand the physical structure, function and condition of river systems so that they can be better managed into the future.”

This philosophy also drives Kirstie’s HDR supervision, to train and enhance the careers of the next generation of environmental managers and scientists. Kirstie’s HDR students are also inspired by, and feed off, her passion for rivers, and their conservations and management.

Dr Mohsen Asadnia
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (STEMM)

Dr Asadnia is a senior lecturer and ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) fellow working in the field of mechatronics, biomechanics and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and sensory systems in the School of Engineering.

The past 10 years of Mohsen’s research career have been spent building a strong, coherent and independent research program based on multidisciplinary and innovative research in the areas of nanotechnology, biomedical sensors and electronic devices.

“My research is focused on the development of bio-inspired sensory systems using MEMS techniques, which is now more broadly applied to the development of micro and nano-scale technologies with potential impact in the real-world, particularly in solving challenges in hearing aid devices,” he explains. “Since May 2016, I have held a ‘balanced’ lectureship in the School of Engineering with teaching, research and administrative responsibilities within the School pf Engineering.

“My primary research interest at this time lies in the exploitation of new physics that utilises novel micro and nano-engineered systems for applications in cancer management, biosensors, and medical diagnostics. My research team aims to develop novel wearable chemical/physical sensors and instruments with artificial intelligence, and internet of things platforms to offer unique benefits such as precision and patient-specific information for diagnosis and treatments.”

Dr Devika Kamath
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (STEMM)

Dr Kamath’s core research addresses a critical long-standing question in astrophysics: ‘How are elements in the Universe synthesised?’.

In this context, low-and intermediate-mass (LIM) stars – those with masses of 0.8 to 8 times that of our Sun – are key contributors to the chemical enrichment of their host galaxies. They are known to be the major producers of elements such as carbon – the essence of life – and about half of all elements heavier than iron. However, understanding the process that governs element production remains an unsolved problem in astrophysics for over a century. Devika’s research marries state-of-the-art observations of dying stars with sophisticated theoretical stellar models, to reveal the origin of the elements in the Universe.

“My childhood interest in exploring the Universe and understanding what stars are made of led me to pursue a PhD in the field of stellar astrophysics,” she says. “Driven by my curiosity to understand the origin of elements in the Universe, I chose to work on the dying stages of Sun-like stars with Professor Peter Wood, a theoretical stellar model expert (ANU, Canberra).” This marked the beginning of her career as an astrophysicist. She is currently an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow and Lecturer in Astronomy and Astrophysics here at Macquarie.

Dr Affan Aziz Baba
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (STEMM)

Since the beginning of 1980s, the increasing popularity of commercial wireless communication has led to a huge increase in the volume of transmitted data. World-leading research institutes and wireless service providers have stepped in to deal with the requirements of future wireless communication technologies. However, performance metrics of the systems required for the future wireless technologies are dramatically different as compared to the current generation, which brings about new challenges for the radio frequency (RF) engineers.

Dr Baba explains that in Australia, Macquarie University has led the movement to address the stringent challenges associated with the RF front-end modules required in the future wireless networks.

“The key objectives of my research work conducted here are to design and develop wideband RF front-ends for software-define-radio, address the high cost and low-efficiency issues of on-chip antennas, design dual-band antenna systems for the world’s first entirely Ka-band CubeSat Satellite, and develop mm-wave beamforming antenna systems for next generation wideband wireless communication technologies and Electronics Warfare (EW) systems.

“Our compact and low-cost RF systems are not only important for 5G mobile networks, but they also have great potential in the defence sector to improve Australia’s national security.”

Mr Ali Lalbakhsh
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (STEMM)

Electromagnetic (EM) metasurfaces are engineered structures to manipulate the EM fields of a typical radiating source for a variety of applications, such as satellite communications, communications on-the-move, space exploration and removal of EM interference. However, Mr Lalbakhsh explains that the applications of existing metasurfaces have been severely limited due to costly prototyping and limited operational frequency band.

“In the existing technology, expensive microwave substrates are an integral part of the EM metasurfaces, contributing to the very high fabrication cost and undesirable loss in high-power applications, posing a serious impediment to the industrial applications of them,” Ali says.

“My PhD has been designed to have a real impact as it aims to transform a lavish high-end Electromagnetic (EM) device, only used in very specialised applications, to a low-end module that anyone – regardless of their socio-economic background – can benefit from.

“There is a crucial need for inexpensive and efficient passive metasurfaces that can provide unique Electromagnetic (EM) properties in conjunction with planar high-gain antennas. A full accommodation of this necessity will be a breakthrough in the field, as it will make the bulky dish antennas redundant and satellite communication far more accessible.”

Learning and Teaching

Dr Bruno Alves Buzatto
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Dr Buzatto explains he uses his own enthusiasm to inspire his students to learn, but also concedes that empathising with the student experience can be challenging.

“I had difficulty remembering what it was like to not know the content,” he says. “The problem appeared in students’ feedback, stating that despite the lectures being interesting and stimulating, the amount of content caused them to feel nervous about the exam.

“I explored the students’ perspective by watching my recorded lectures as if I had no previous knowledge on the topic. I realised I was using excessive examples and case studies, and therefore changed my approach by limiting the number I would allow myself to use during lectures.”

Bruno says self-assessment is important in teaching and is a part of his constructionist philosophy.

Dr Gaurav Gupta
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Dr Gupta has been at Macquarie for 14 years and says he has learnt as much from his students as they have learnt from him.

Gaurav uses technology to his advantage, with a YouTube channel that has over 50 educational videos.

“As educators, we must identify effective ways of engaging our students,” Gaurav says. “One of them is delivering micro-lectures (defined as videos under 10 minutes), uploaded to YouTube, that are short enough to watch in small pockets of time (for example, on public transport), simultaneously helping students achieve their learning outcomes.

“Platforms for lecture content like PDFs and PowerPoints are fast becoming redundant – at least in Computing – and we have replaced them with more interactive and web-based content. These are easily accessible from mobile devices and tablets, and can be viewed right in the browser. The ease of access and navigation contributes to student engagement and creates a positive attitude towards learning.”

Ms Charanya Ramakrishnan
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Sessional Staff Award

Ms Ramakrishnan’s passion for teaching replicates itself as enthusiasm. She keeps the environment fun by walking into a lecture with a jolly, upbeat attitude to ensure students enjoy learning and remain engaged.

“I have realised that being serious may not be something millennials cherish,” she says.

“Students struggle to understand decades-old examples that might have become obsolete. I use current examples that students can relate to, to facilitate better understanding of concepts.

“I try to inspire students to stay tuned-in and be curious to make logical connections. This widely involves exciting and contemporary examples like Game of Thrones or Avengers in lectures, workshops and assignments. This motivates many students to further explore the topic independently outside of the lectures. Students are encouraged to write and draw, making learning a fun activity and it also helps students retain concepts more efficiently.”

Dr Christopher Lustri
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

As a lecturer and convenor of multiple mathematics units, Dr Lustri has planned and developed new ways of teaching to engage with his students.

“Inspiring, motivating and guiding students is imperative when teaching mathematics,” he says. “Students are required to understand sophisticated and abstract ideas, and it is my job to help them see maths as a language they can use to understand the parts of the world they’re passionate about – such as biology, sociology, physics and engineering.”

Christopher also pioneered the use of a new teaching environment – Active Learning Space – and restructured MATH336 in order to best utilise the facility.

“By developing materials that were suited to the interactive learning space, I was able to engage students with collaborative project work in class time.”

Associate Professor Kira Westaway
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation (with team members: Michael Rampe and Matthew Cabanag – absent from photo)

Associate Professor Kira Westaway and team suggests that some of the major issues facing tertiary education are unengaged students with no curiosity and limited employability skills, as well as students who struggle to visualise concepts and form connections with the real world.

“Virtual Reality (VR) is a powerful tool that has not yet reached its full potential in educational environments,” Kira says. “There is the danger that VR is used as a gimmick rather than as an effective learning tool, leaving the student as a passive observer. Our Reality Embedded in Motion (REIM) project on the other hand places the students right in the middle of the action by using a bank of 10 fully mobile VR rigs that have been strategically housed around campus to facilitate University-wide engaging, inspiring applications.”

Dr Matthew Bulbert
Biology Capstone (with team members: Fiona Jones, Associate Professor Martin Whiting and Serene Lin-Stephens)
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

The Biology Capstone provides a transformative and stimulating learning environment embedded in a simulated think tank scenario to inspire students to assume a professional identity while learning.

“Our students are ‘employed’ as consultants within BioCap Corp which has its own branding with a student developed logo, Twitter feed and YouTube channel,” Matthew says.

“Assessments are embedded in an ongoing narrative with the students conducting market research, building a revenue stream from advocacy consultancy, applying for project funding to solve global challenges, and designing their own R&D projects.”

Serene adds that this unique ‘industry immersed’ learning environment is an authentic workplace experience that is planned and delivered by a team of experts from across the University and industry partners and has had significant impact on student retention and resource engagement.

Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award
Dr Bulbert believes university curricula prepares students well for scientific research but that there is a further opportunity to teach students to translate their skills for non-research positions.

“In reality, the majority of undergraduates will not pursue research,” Matthew says. “To address this conflict, I have undertaken leadership in curriculum design and development by designing and implementing curricula which embeds academic and digital literacy, career and employability skills.”

Celebrate with your colleagues
Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).