A message from our Vice-Chancellor about Research at Deakin

Deakin University continues to move confidently towards its goal to improve the University’s research performance so that is in the top third of the Australian higher education sector, says Professor Sally Walker.

We are doing this by building a critical mass of researchers who will develop a distinctive, broad-based portfolio of high quality discovery, applied and commercial research.
 
A recent important part of our progress is the setting up of ITRI, the Institute of Technology Research and Innovation. Primarily based at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds, ITRI draws together world-class researchers from three existing areas of research strength – BioDeakin; the Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation; and Intelligent Systems and Robotics. The leadership team at ITRI is Professor Andrew Parratt, the Executive Director; Professor Peter Hodgson, a Federation Fellow who is the Director of Research, and Alfred Deakin Professors Xungai Wang and Saeid Nahavandi.
 
A ‘Proof of Concept facility’ at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds will also play an important role in our research programs at Deakin University. Once completed, this facility will give increased impetus to Deakin’s policy of building partnerships with industry, government and the community; this is a successful policy as our growing collaborations in India, China, North America and Europe attest. At the Proof of Concept facility, co-located industry partners – local, national and international - will be able to take a product from raw idea to the cusp of commercialisation while working alongside, and drawing on the knowledge and expertise, of our researchers.
 
Deakin’s approach to partnerships was recognised by the University’s success at the annual Business/Higher Education Round Table Awards in 2008. The partnership with the City of Greater Geelong, the Geelong Alliance G21, the Geelong Manufacturing Council and the Committee for Geelong, entitled ‘Partnering for a 21st Century Future for Geelong’, won the B-HERT award for Outstanding Collaboration with a Regional Focus – Research and Development.
 
We draw satisfaction and inspiration from other recent achievements by our researchers. One of the real world challenges successfully responded to in 2008 was the Ford Global Challenge. In October last year, the Ford Motor Company announced that Deakin University’s entry had shared first place in the Challenge to design a Model T for the 21st Century. Deakin was the only Australian university invited to participate in the challenge. Deakin’s design and presentation was cutting edge, reflecting the quality of research being done at the University in advanced materials and lightweight metals for both the automotive and aerospace industries.
The car, dubbed the ‘T2’, was safe while sufficiently lightweight to be powered by an environmentally friendly compressed air engine.
 
Another pleasing aspect of 2008 was the recognition of many our Early Career Researchers by independent organisations.

These included:

• Associate Professor Kylie Ball who won the Victorian Tall Poppy Award Science Award for her research in obesity prevention. These awards are run as part of the Australian Institute of Policy and Science’s Tall Poppy Campaign and promote the achievements of outstanding young researchers.

• Dr Minoo Naebe, who won a Young Nanotechnology Ambassador Award 2008. Dr Naebe was also selected to attend the Asia Nanotech Camp, held in Japan. She was one of the only three PhD students throughout Australia selected to attend this event;

• Betime Nuhiji from ITRI who won the Advanced Manufacturing Australia (AMAus) Academic Achievement Award;

• Dr Jenny [Veitch], who became the third Deakin researcher to win the Victorian Sport and Recreation Research Award;

• Dr Lu Sun, who won the Smart Technology Award at the 2008 Geelong Researcher of the Year Awards;

• Dr Dale Atwell, who won the Marcus A. Grossman Young Author Award, and

• Paul Della Gatta, a PhD student in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, who won the best young investigator prize at the 8th International Society of Exercise and Immunology Symposium.
 
The inaugural Alfred Deakin Fellowships were announced in 2008. The 12 Fellowships attracted applications from researchers from both Australia and overseas. These were instigated to bring to Deakin the next generation of researchers, that all important critical mass.
 
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), Professor David Stokes noted at the announcement of the successful applicants that “Alfred Deakin would be proud to have these young people being awarded fellowships named after him.”
 
The successful applicants and their research projects are:
 
Dr Elizabeth Manickam: Diet and inflammation
Dr Yan Zhao: Reducing UV damage to polymer solar cells
Dr Silvia Haase: Understanding malaria pathogenesis
Dr Clare Hume: Obesity resilience among the disadvantaged
Dr Luke Henderson: Nature inspired antibiotics
Dr Nicole Oke: Migrant integration into Australia
Dr Naarah Sawers: Video games as environmental texts
Dr Sunil Ratnayake: Health and canola oil
Dr Jonathan Ritchie: Nation building in the South Pacific
Dr Xin Geng: Facial age estimation methods
Dr Lesley Hardcastle: Prisoner reintegration into the community
Dr Fredrick Ochanda: Mechanical behaviour of metal nano-particles
 
Our Medical School, now into its second year, will play an important role in enhancing Deakin’s research reputation in public health.  There is already international recognition for Deakin’s cutting edge research in this area. Professor Boyd Swinburn’s research was ranked seven in the list of the 15 greatest nutrition discoveries since 1976. Professor Swinburn’s findings that “obesity is a normal response to an abnormal environment” was the only research from Australia or New Zealand included in the top 15.
 
Another central component to Deakin’s innovative work in health and wellbeing is the Clinical Research Facility, the first stage of which was launched in January, 2008. The CRF has been established to provide a much needed state-of-the-art space within the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences to support approximately one-third of the School’s research conducted in a clinical setting. It is a multipurpose area capable of supporting both discrete discipline and multidisciplinary activity. The proposed stage two of the research facilities will establish rehabilitation and exercise programming space to provide clinical opportunities for postgraduate students and staff. These future clinical facilities will also provide a foundation for the future development of postgraduate studies in clinical exercise physiology (rehabilitation).
 
At Deakin we still has much work to do before we reach our goal of being in the top third of research universities in Australia. The enthusiasm to achieve this goal is, however, enormous.

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