Dear staff,
As Semester 1 comes to an end this week, preparations are well underway for our July graduations. We had more than 49,300 students studying with us this semester.
I want to thank our staff – across recruitment, orientation, teaching, student services and facilities – for their ongoing work to welcome our students and support them through the semester. It was great to see so many of our students back and engaged with campus life.
Advancing our research capabilities
Last week, I was in Boston for #BIO2023 with senior UQ executives and members of the Queensland Government.
As part of the visit, we announced an exciting partnership with Emory University to accelerate Queensland’s vaccine discovery and development capabilities. This builds on the collaboration between Sanofi and the Queensland Government announced last December, in which UQ is also a partner. These partnerships put Queensland on course to be a major international vaccine hub.
While we were there, we also re-signed the Queensland Emory Development Alliance. This partnership, formed over a decade ago between UQ, Emory University and QIMR Berghofer, will continue to advance research in drug discovery.
We also took the opportunity to tour Sanofi’s mRNA Centre of Excellence in Waltham and discussed opportunities to further develop the Translational Science Hub at our Translational Research Institute (TRI).
Towards the end of the week, we met with colleagues at the University of Connecticut to explore collaborations in the key research areas of energy, technology and health.
Recognising our community’s achievements
In other great news, several members of our UQ community were recognised in The King’s Birthday Honours this week. I congratulate them for their contribution and service to the community. I would like to especially mention Professor David Craik, who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his distinguished service to science.
Each of them should be immensely proud of their achievements and the impact they have had here at UQ and beyond.
Another member of our community recognised this week for his continued contributions was Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer. The Queensland Government announced that Emeritus Professor Frazer has been appointed the Queensland Government’s Biomedical Advisor and Chair of the Translational Science Hub Statement of Cooperation Steering Committee.
This appointment is a testament to Professor Frazer’s exemplary commitment to making a difference through his work for more than 30 years.
Welcome to our new CHRO
I would like to welcome Phillip Vaughan back to UQ as our new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Phillip joined us from Monash University, where he was CHRO. Prior to joining Monash, he spent 6 years at UQ in various senior HR roles.
I would like to thank Shane Pitman for his support and great work as Acting CHRO over the past few months.
Engaging with the broader community
As I have mentioned previously, UQ hosted the Times Higher Education Campus Live ANZ earlier this month. I would like to thank the many staff who worked on the organisation and management of the event and the staff who took to the stage to share their knowledge and ideas about the future of the sector. The feedback from our colleagues at other universities has been very positive.
Earlier this month, we also signed an agreement with the Bundaberg Regional Council to work together on initiatives that will help drive sustainable growth and development opportunities for the region.
Shaping our future
And finally, I want to encourage staff to review the Learning and Student Experience Roadmap: Position Paper and provide feedback before Friday 30 June. This is an important piece of work that will help to inform how we continue to provide students with a rich and broad learning experience and prepare for future opportunities.
With best wishes
Debbie
