The scheme is needs based to prioritise support for researchers who have limited access to funds to boost their research trajectories. Launched in 2021, 109 ECRs have been awarded funds so far and 89 ECRs have been involved in the assessment panels, with almost $290,000 awarded in research funding.

Funds can be requested for, but are not limited to: equipment purchase, research assistant support, workshops or training, transcription services, open-access publication costs and research-related travel such as conferences or field work.

The scheme is open to early career researchers who are:

• less than seven years post-PhD conferral (with consideration given to career disruptions)
• employed at academic levels A–B (with the possibility to justify ECR status at a level C appointment)
• on a continuing or a fixed-term contract that extends to at least 1 December 2024 ( this can be full- or part-time)
• in one of the following academic job families: Research Intensive, Teaching and Research, or Technical/Industry/Commercial with at least 40 per cent research in their workload.

Information session

An information session will be held on Tuesday 28 November from 12pm – 1pm to provide an opportunity to have your questions answered prior to the scheme closing date. Visit the EEC information session registration form for more information and to register.

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the scheme, please email ecrenablingscheme@mq.edu.au

Applications for funding will close at 5pm on Friday 15 December 2023

Read the funding rules and apply here.

EES assessment panel

In addition to providing ECRs with micro-funding, the EES also provides ECRs with the opportunity to participate on a grant assessment panel. To participate you must be employed at level A–C and within 10 years of PhD conferral. More details can be found here  EOI for ECR Enabling Scheme Assessment Panel – 2024.

Expressions of interest in becoming an assessment panel member will close at 5pm on Friday 8 December.

 Congratulations to the 25 early career researchers (ECRs) recently awarded micro-funding from the ECR Enabling Scheme (EES). The scheme is funded by the DVCR and delivered by the PVC (Research Performance and Development) team to provide ECRs with up to $3000 to enhance their research prospects.  

Funds can be requested for equipment purchase, research assistant support, workshops or training, transcription services, open-access publication costs and research-related travel including for conferences or fieldwork.  

The scheme also creates an opportunity for ECRs to participate in a grant assessment panel. Formed by ECRs from across the faculties, the panels provide guidance and feedback to all applicants on the strength and weaknesses of their applications, providing a learning opportunity for future grant applications.  

Among the recipients were Dr Diana Matovic, Dr Jincheol Kim, Dr Kirstin Mills and Dr Samantha Spanos. 

Dr Spanos, from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, says: “The EES funds will enable me to present my research on quality measurement in primary care skin cancer management at the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) conference in Seoul this year and collaborate with international researchers in this field.” 

EES Grant recipients 

Dr Jincheol Kim will use the EES funding to develop a material stabilisation technology for perovskite solar cells. This technology will help the cells to reach their full potential in reducing carbon emissions. 

He says: “Applying for the EES scheme was a valuable experience that helped me improve my proposal writing skills and gave me access to essential equipment for engaging in further research funding opportunities.” 

Dr Mills says the funding will enable the Open Access publication of some of her most innovative research, which identifies new forms of Gothic literature in the 19th century and now. 

“Publishing Open Access is important to increase the visibility, reach and impact of my work ahead of my larger, developing projects,” she adds.  

Dr Diana Matovic will access her funding to support a study that aims to identify the barriers to, and enablers of, social participation and isolation in older adults with cognitive impairment.  

“This funding will allow me to begin to build my independence as a researcher by leading my own projects, increase my number of first-author publications, and seek further funding to use the results from this study to develop and test an intervention to increase social participation in people with cognitive impairment and their supporters,” adds Dr Matovic.  

To stay up to date on ECR matters, including future rounds of the ECR enabling scheme, sign up to the newsletter. 

Twelve of Macquarie’s best Early Career Researchers (ECRS) presented groundbreaking, world-changing research to the wider University community at the recent ECR Showcase.

Speaking at the event, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Performance and Development) Amanda Barnier said: “Congratulations to all the finalists from across the University. It’s always a pleasure and a privilege to hear about your research, to support you in every way we can and to watch you thrive.

“At Macquarie, we believe that by cooperating, collaborating and coordinating our research we can become more than the sum of our individual parts, and able to solve complex problems we cannot solve alone. Our early career researchers are crucial to the success of this endeavour; their innovative research shows they are open to consilient conversations and solutions.”

ECR Showcase winners:

Best overall

Dr Karen Pack (she/her), Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts

An experienced educator and communicator, Pack recently completed a PhD in History at Macquarie, where she explored the marginalisation and erasure suffered by women who did not conform to the dominant heteronormative framework of Australian protestant churches in the twentieth century.

In her showcase presentation ‘Singularly engaged: The historical erasure of women from Australian church histories and the ongoing impact on LGBTQIA+ people of faith’, Pack linked the erasure of unmarried women in the past with ongoing attempts to erase LGBTQIA+ people in the present, and called for a new approach to the writing of religious history in Australia.

Runner-up

Dr Rebecca Bachmann (she/her), Macquarie Business School

Bachmann’s presentation ‘CSR restatements: Mistake or mischief’ explored how corporations have responded to the concept of corporate social responsibility and incentivise CEOs to promote sustainable progress within their organisation. Her findings showed a significant number of ASX500 firms have made little to no authentic progress towards achieving a more sustainable future.

Second runner-up

Dr Elizabeth Austin (she/her), Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

Austin’s presentation ‘What is better healthcare, and how might we achieve it?’ explored how surges in demand for emergency department (ED) services, along with shortages in resources, make it increasingly difficult for our EDs to provide safe, timely, quality care.

Austin was the first to apply the Cognitive Work Analysis Framework to understand and improve ED care interactions. This systems tool provides a platform to help human factors experts, clinical agencies, frontline workers and patients work together to design better care.

People’s Choice Award

Dr Estefania Giannini (she/her), Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology

Giannini is currently working on developing innovative synthetic biology approaches to allow the engineering of symbiotic relationships among microbes of different species, with the goal of creating an impact in areas as diverse as health, ecology and biotechnology. This research aligns strongly with Macquarie’s future-shaping research priorities, which aim to establish a secure planet using innovative technologies.

Impact Award

Dr Ebony Birchall (she/her), Lecturer, Macquarie Law School

Birchall teaches and researches strategic litigation, accountability of businesses and governments, and refugees and human rights.

Her research presentation ‘Doctors in detention: An impossible position’ showed that it is impossible for doctors to provide effective and ethical medical treatment to patients who are incarcerated in a system designed to cause harm, and highlighted the need for collective approaches from the wider medical profession.

Impact Award

Dr Christopher Bladen (he/him), Senior Research Fellow, Macquarie Medical School,  co-founder Zymedyne Therapeutics

Bladen has been investigating the effects of natural and synthetic cannabinoids on various ion channels, with a view to identifying their therapeutic potential and developing a safe and effective non-opioid approach to pain management. His research has identified proteins called ‘T-type’ calcium channels that are crucial in pain signalling and he will develop pharmaceuticals that target these proteins through Zymedyne Therapeutics.

Plans for the 2023 ECR Showcase will commence early next year. ECRs are invited to become part of the organising committee. Express your interest by email at ecrsupport@mq.edu.au.

Watch the full 2022 ECR Showcase below:

It sounds like a lot to ask of a PhD candidate but that’s what the annual 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is all about. This year, Macquarie has eleven finalists who have won their faculty heats. Their video submissions will be assessed by Professors Sakkie Pretorius (DVC Research), Dominique Parrish (PVC Learning and Teaching) and Dan Johnson (PVC Research Innovation).

Have your say in this year’s 3MT by voting in the People’s Choice ballot. From 5-8 September, you’ll be able to view the finalists’ video submissions here and cast your vote.

Hosted by the Graduate Research Academy (GRA), the 3MT Winner, Runner Up, 3^rd Place, and People’s Choice will be announced online at 10am on 9 September. Please join us.

The MQ Winner, along with finalists from across Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, North-East Asia and South-East Asia, will progress to the 2022 Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Finals, with the overall winner announced on 19 October.

Good luck all!

Over 30 years Lesley has cemented herself as one of our University’s most influential and dedicated leaders. When she farewells Macquarie on Friday 19 August, she will leave a legacy of advocacy as a prominent change-maker.

After four years of following ants around the bush and completing her PhD at Macquarie in 1991 in Ecology she was ready for a change.

“I first got into climate change science as an interesting intellectual exercise, but as time went on, I realised it was the most important issue facing us, and it was impossible to leave it behind.”

Lesley has subsequently spent much of her research career studying the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems and the implications of climate change for conversation.

After working in the US, she returned to Australia and to Macquarie in 1997 as a Lecturer in Biological Sciences.

“I have truly loved being a member of Biological Sciences (now part of the School of Natural Sciences). The Department has been a wonderful place to work, with fantastic colleagues and a special sense of community,” she says.

Lesley has had many roles across the University. From being appointed the Head of the Biological Sciences in 2009, the Co-Director of the Climate Futures Research Centre in 2012, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) Integrity and Development in 2014, to taking on the role as Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering earlier this year. She has left a profound mark on Macquarie.

“What a privilege it has been to have Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes as a colleague. Lesley has been a central part of research at Macquarie University since she started her PhD in 1987 – it is hard to imagine her not being here on our campus,” says Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius.

Pictured: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius and Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes 

“She and I have worked closely together since 2014 when she began as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Integrity and Development). The lengthy list of her extraordinary achievements while in this role includes establishing the MQ ECR Network and MCR Development Program, the MQ Inclusion Committee and leading the SAGE Athena Swan accreditation, leading Animal Research Services, numerous initiatives in Research Integrity and a member of the Academic Promotions working party that established the new promotions system. Her positive influence and guidance extend way beyond our university through her work on the Climate Council and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”

Helping establish and Co-Chair the MQ Inclusion Committee, Lesley is an active supporter and advocate of diversity and inclusion at Macquarie and beyond.

“I hope that one day we won’t be talking about women in STEM at all because it just won’t be an issue. This won’t happen until people of all genders have, and know they have, the same opportunities to pursue their dreams and passions,” she says.

When asked if she could pinpoint a single proudest moment during her long career at Macquarie, Lesley identified the formation of the ECR Network as something that stands out. “I’ve met so many wonderful young academics and know that Macquarie is in very good hands in the future. I hope I’ve played a small part in fostering their careers,” she says.

Pictured: Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes with members of the ECR Network

Pictured: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius and Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes at an ECR Network barbeque

“I am extremely grateful to Sakkie for giving me the opportunity to be the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Integrity & Development) for nearly eight years. In this position I have been able to work right across the institution with hundreds of staff to implement initiatives such as the ECR network. Being part of these programs has been immensely satisfying.”

“I would also like to acknowledge the fantastic people in the Faculty of Science and Engineering I have worked with closely for the past six months – they are truly exceptional.”

Now entering a new phase in her life, focusing on more climate advocacy work and travelling which includes cruising to Antarctica and ziplining to tree houses in the Laotian jungle to look for gibbons, she will always look back fondly at her time at Macquarie.

“During my time at Macquarie, I’ve learnt that if you have a good idea, and are willing to communicate and implement it, you can be an agent of positive change. For me, this is what defines leadership, not some title or accolade,” she says.

“Macquarie is truly a place that values and promotes a collegial and collaborative culture. Macquarie has agility, a willingness to look ahead, and is proud to be different. This is why I’ve stayed so long!”

Projects were funded across all four Macquarie faculties, with funding totalling $3,761,114.  Macquarie edged out a number of Go8 universities to place 7^th in Australia for number of projects funded.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius says our DECRA success is an encouraging reminder that the future of Macquarie research is bright.

“We have significantly improved our DECRA success rate in the last few funding rounds, with our Early Career Researchers continuing to demonstrate research excellence across a pleasingly diverse range of disciplines,” he says. “I commend our successful recipients on these innovative projects and look forward to seeing the impact of their findings.”

Dr Benjamin Ashton in the Department of Biological Sciences will use funding of $436,032 for a project looking at the relationship between the social environment and cognition. Mr Ashton will combine meta-analytical and experimental approaches to gain a new understanding of the factors which govern cognitive evolution – one of the longest-running debates in evolutionary biology.

Dr Eliane Deschrijver will join the Department of Psychology, with $452,285 of funding to deliver a unifying theory of human sociality that can account for why the human brain may want to avoid conflict between own and others’ ways of thinking. She will use behavioural experiments, innovative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design and philosophical approaches to generate knowledge on the social neuroscience of political and religious group behaviour. This knowledge may be used to develop tools to counteract religious and political radicalisation in societies and online spaces.

Associate Professor Daniel Ghezelbash in the School of Law receives $444,851 to identify fairer and more efficient processes for processing asylum claims. Comparing and evaluating ‘fast-track’ asylum processing methods in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Associate Professor Ghezelbash will produce evidence-based law reform and policy recommendations to improve Australia’s asylum processes.

Dr Marnie Graham in the School of Social Sciences is awarded $453,505 for a project looking at Indigenous tourism and how it can positively impact attitudes and behaviours relating to sustainability. Recognising that Indigenous custodians are increasingly recognised as leaders in sustainable land management, Dr Graham will work with NSW-based Indigenous tour operators to identify their impact as change agents and deliver policy-relevant materials to nurture impactful sustainability learning activities in the sector.

Dr Solene Hameau in the Department of Cognitive Science will use $417,505 in funding to investigate why, as we age, we have trouble retrieving words when we speak but not when we read aloud.  The project will advance understanding of how ageing affects the cognitive systems involved in speaking and reading, and investigate whether reading aloud can support word retrieval.

Dr Raheel Hashmi receives $420,582 for a project in the School of Engineering that aims to develop affordable and compact reconfigurable antenna systems for use in satellite-terminals. The antenna systems will act as the ‘enabling’ chip in providing internet connectivity to millions of people who are currently unconnected or poorly connected, helping to close the digital divide and enabling remote jobs in the Australian economy.

Dr Douglas McConnell will join the Department of Philosophy for a $343,772 project that attempts to solve the philosophical problem of whether moral character motivates action. Dr McConnell will apply new knowledges around the concepts of moral identity and narrative self-constitution to professional settings, recommending ways that professional moral identities might be developed to improve public trust in professions.

Dr Haoran Ren in the Department of Physics and Astronomy receives $434,000 to design and interface multi-functional metasurfaces – nano-structured ultrathin surface devices – with optical fibres by using 3D laser printing technology. These novel metafibres will offer superior imaging capabilities, with potential for use in clinical tools such as fibre-optic endoscopes to aid rapid, accurate disease diagnosis.

Dr Claire Wright in the Department of Management is awarded $358,582 to undertake the first comprehensive history of women in corporate leadership in Australia across the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. By developing a deeper knowledge about women’s participation in corporate leadership in Australia, their pathways to leadership positions, and their long-term impact on corporation strategy and decision-making,  more effective strategies can be designed to improve the success of women in leadership.

The COVID Recovery Fellowship Scheme, launched by Pro Vice Chancellor Graduate Research Professor Simon Handley last month, uses Research Support Program funds allocated to the University by the Federal Government to support new fellowship positions for Macquarie PhD graduates across two rounds in 2021 and 2022.

The fellowships will be targeted to fields of emerging research strength, with the fellows supported by a Fellowship Mentor in their host department at Macquarie, as well as a $5000 project grant.

“COVID-19 has significantly and adversely impacted early career researchers,” Professor Handley says. “The intention of this scheme is to support the recovery of the careers of Macquarie PhD graduates, with the recipients using the time and funds to complete a project, build a track record through publications, engage in commercialisation activity, or advance their competitiveness for the next funding opportunity.”

Round 1 applications will close on 31 August for positions commencing in late October. Round 2 applications will be open from 1 September to 30 September for positions commencing 1 January 2022.

Interested applicants and potential mentors can refer to Funding Rules for the scheme, including specific eligibility criteria, before completing the MQ COVID Recovery Fellowship Application Form.

Here we meet the four winners and hear their showcase presentations.  Congratulations also to the other showcase finalists from across the University:

• Sophia Aharonovich, Xu Daozhi (Faculty of Arts)
• Cynthia Isley, Katherine Wongtrakul-Kish (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
• Annika van Hummel, Magdalena Przybyla (Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences)
• Hasnain Zaheer, Le (Lyla) Zhang, Macquarie Business School

Dr Noushin Nasiri, School of Engineering
Overall Winner and Winner – Faculty of Science and Engineering

This 2019 NSW Tall Poppy (and newly announced Superstar of STEM!) has had an impressive year. As head of the NanoTech Lab in the School of Engineering, she and her team are making incredibly exciting discoveries in nanomaterials and micro-devices that are set to have big impacts in areas like health, energy and the environment.

Noushin’s wearable sun exposure detector made big news earlier this year, and in the Showcase she presented another exciting innovation that has been years in the making – a breathalyser that could potentially detect diseases including cancer and diabetes in their earliest stages.

Dr Emma Burns, Department of Educational Studies
Winner – Faculty of Arts

Although Emma only commenced a as lecturer in educational psychology at Macquarie in February, she is off to a strong start. She was one of three early career researchers to receive a prestigious ECR Research Grant from the American Psychological Association and is currently a CI on an ARC Discovery Indigenous project.

Across these upcoming projects and her current work, Emma examines the nature of teacher-student relationships in secondary school and how teachers can use the curriculum to build positive relationships with and support the motivation of all students, and especially Indigenous students.

Dr Colin Zhang, Department of Actuarial Studies and Business Analytics
Winner – Macquarie Business School

Dr. Colin (Jinhui) Zhang’s research areas include life cycle models, optimal control, financial strategy and derivative pricing.

In his showcase, Colin highlighted his research into Australian retirement villages, outlining the complex fee structures that can often confuse older Australians and inhibit them from making fully informed choices about their future.

Colin is a contributor to the Business School’s Retirement Village Calculator – a free online tool enabling seniors to compare different retirement village options and protect them from potentially devastating financial decisions.

Dr Kathleen Yin, Australian Institute of Health Innovation
Winner – Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences

A Research Fellow from the Centre of Health Informatics in the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Kathleen and her team have been investigating how to utilise video games to positively influence health.

Kathleen has been studying the holistic impact video games have had on human health during the COVID pandemic, identifying the potent power the medium had on supporting mental coping, socialisation, and maintenance of self-worth.

In 2021, she is looking to apply these findings to enable better design for consumer-facing health apps and explore the use of games as an innovative method to facilitate self-care in the community.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius, says it’s particularly pleasing to see four humanities projects funded.

“Through each of our future-shaping research priorities, but particularly Resilient societies, we strive to better understand ourselves and the cultures around us, so we can help build ethical, just and inclusive communities,” he says. “I congratulate all the successful recipients in the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science and Engineering and look forward to seeing the positive impact of these projects.”

Congratulations to our DECRA recipients

Dr Regina Fabry  (Faculty of Arts)
$328,092 for ‘Living to tell, telling to live: Experience, narrative, and the self’

A robust sense of self is crucial for our mental wellbeing and in this project Dr Fabry will analyse the biological underpinnings of the human mind and define the core features of self-narratives, leading to a novel theory about the sense of self and enhancing our understanding of the power of self-narratives. 

Dr Ana Tanasoca (Faculty of Arts)
$374,686 for ‘The Common Heritage of Mankind: A Cosmopolitan Preservationist Ethic’

This project aims to provide the first systematic, unified moral framework for understanding the ‘common heritage of mankind’ principle of international law, which postulates that some assets are valuable for all mankind and hence should be preserved for perpetuity.  It will provide an important contribution to philosophical debates on intergenerational justice, cosmopolitanism, climate change, and humanitarian intervention and provide practical guidance to policymakers and stakeholders in reshaping global governance around this principle.

Dr Pierrick Bourrat (Faculty of Arts)
$441,200 for ‘Inheritance and the Emergence of Individuals: From Concepts to Practice’

This project aims to solve a fundamental problem in biology:  how entities at one level biological organisation (e.g. single cells) transition or evolve into entities at a higher level (e.g. multicellular organisms). The project will demonstrate that conceptual research by philosophers of biology can make an impactful contribution in biology and answer fundamental questions in this field.

Dr Monika Zalnieriute (Faculty of Arts)
$426,530 for Artificial Intelligence Decision-Making, Privacy and Discrimination Laws

Monika’s project aims to expand knowledge of the effectiveness of Australia’s discrimination and data privacy laws by drawing on empirical mixed methods and comparative US and EU experiences.  Monika was successful in securing her DECRA grant through her previous role at the University of New South Wales but recently joined the Macquarie Law School (welcome Monika!).

Dr Xuyun Zhang (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
$387,141 for ‘Scalable and Deep Anomaly Detection from Big Data with Similarity Hashing’

Anomaly detection – aiming to identify anomalous but insightful patterns in data mining –  is an important big data analytics technique, but existing detection methods suffer from either high computational cost or low detection performance. This project aims to develop a detection framework to advance detection performance and efficiency, bringing huge benefits to applications such as real-time predictive maintenance in smart manufacturing, and intrusion detection in cybersecurity.

“These students – many of whom come from a background of disadvantage, are women caring and providing for others, or are self-funded, international students paying full fees without family, financial or practical support – are on our mind all the time,” says Professor Stephen Brammer.

According to Professor Brammer, the students in his faculty are dedicated, innovative and hard at work solving global issues “like strengthening economic productivity, monitoring risk and regulation, and bringing the human element to financial structures and sustainability”. However, he says some are definitely suffering from a lack of scholarships available for this period of their education, “and it is having a profound effect on their ability to stay the course”.

For example, one of the Faculty’s international students is a mother of two studying for her Master of Research; she was struggling. Her supervisor recognised her great potential but he was pained to realise that she was at risk of not completing her course due to financial hardship.

“Driven by compassion, he provided the student with funds from his personal savings, and helped her gain academic employment,” says Professor Brammer.

Motivated by ensuring that the quality of her thesis wouldn’t be hampered, the supervisor’s reward was knowing he had relieved the load for someone with great promise. Professor Brammer says he simply could not stand by and watch her give up.

“His kind, gracious, anonymous donation meant that this student could complete her studies, which she did with flying colours,” says Professor Brammer. “She has also been admitted to PhD studies under a scholarship.”

“But it takes more than one generous supervisor,” adds Professor Brammer. “To ensure others are helped, the Faculty of Business and Economics established the Young Researchers Support Fund.”

If you are in a position to help, you may wish to consider donating to the Young Researchers Support Fund.  Donations towards this fund will directly reduce the financial pressure and conflicting demands our higher degree researchers experience so they can finish what they came to Macquarie University to start.