ACDS Newsletter – December 2025 Posted in News, Research, Teaching and Learning on December 8, 2025 by Glenda Key. Welcome to the fourth and final quarterly newsletter of the ACDS for 2025! We hope that your faculties and colleges are in good shape and that you have plans in place for reinforcing the things that have gone well this year and building on your successes in 2026. Welcome to new Science Deans Curtin University has had a change in science leadership. Sarina Claassens has taken on another internal position at Curtin and Martin Van Kranendonk will now be the Dean of Science. We thank Sarina for her contributions at various forums this year and we welcome Martin to the ACDS. Please see the following link for an up-to-date list of ACDS member universities, and their corresponding Deans or member nominees. The ACDS Executive Committee was pleased to be able to hold a face-to-face meeting in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. Our President, Jacqui Ramagge, led a productive discussion about the activities and national role of the ACDS and there was a lot of enthusiasm and energy amongst the committee members. As a reminder, the details of our current Executive committee are listed on the ACDS website here. ACDS highlights in 2025 AGM with a panel of guest speakers (Emma Johnston, Aidan Byrne, Elizabeth Johnson) Teaching and Learning Leaders Forum in Adelaide ACSME conference in Melbourne T&L Webinars and Communities of Practice Position statements on the value of science education, the importance of mathematics education, and the importance of practical work National Research Forum in Hobart Two issues of our magazine, Australian University Science Continued increase in our visibility in Canberra (thanks Tony!) Annual Conference in Canberra, together with a satellite workshop on advocacy Submissions to government and other organisations on a range of important issues Several gatherings, a video and other activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the ACDS 2. National scene Australian Academy of Science report on future workforce The ACDS congratulates the Australian Academy of Science on the policy report Australian Science, Australia’s Future. The report was released in September and according to the President of the ACDS, Jacqui Ramagge, it should be compulsory reading for policy makers and university leaders “not just because it relates to university science but because it is a comprehensive and evidence-based report assessing Australia’s national science capability against future needs”. The full report is available from the AAS website: https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/australian-science-australias-future-science-2035 ACDS submission to the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) The ACDS made a submission to SERD in relation to the release of six Issues Papers. In its submission the ACDS said that it supports protecting curiosity-driven research, shifting focus to impact, and investing in infrastructure, PhD pathways and commercialisation. The ACDS urged recognition of foundational research’s unique value, sustainable funding linked to GDP, longer grant cycles and NCRIS reform. Improvements in the research system must address HDR decline, avoid over-specialisation and ensure financial resilience for innovation. Our full submission is available here. ACDS submission to the National Research Infrastructure (NRI) consultation The ACDS was pleased to make a submission to the 2026 National Research Infrastructure (NRI) Roadmap Issues Paper. Our submission reflects the collective expertise of our members, the science leaders from most of Australia’s universities, and highlights key priorities to strengthen national coordination, support equitable access, and ensure the NRI system is equipped to meet Australia’s future research and industry needs. Our full submission is available here: Topics of current interest In my role as Director of Communications and Strategic Engagement for the ACDS, I have started producing a short briefing paper on ‘Topics of current interest’ for each meeting of the Executive Committee. We would like to share this with all Deans of Science in case it is useful to you. Please feel free to distribute this paper to your leadership teams, and please let me know if it is worthwhile. The latest briefing paper is available here. 3. Welcome to Michelle Harvey and Sue White Professor Michelle Harvey is the new Director of the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre. Michelle is Associate Dean Teaching and Learning for the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin University (https://experts.deakin.edu.au/2822-michelle-harvey). She has a fantastic record of innovation there and is passionate about supporting science educators. We know that the T&L Centre will continue to thrive under her leadership. Michelle has already engaged with planning for next year and I am sure you will all support her and the Centre activities. Once again, we wish to thank the previous Director, Susan Howitt, for her inspirational leadership of the Centre over the last four years and wish her well in the future. Sue White has been appointed to the role of ACDS Policy and Engagement Manager, a role which will take up some of the activities that Glenda Key has previously looked after. Sue is an accomplished communications specialist with over two decades of experience in policy, advocacy and content strategy across government, non-profit and corporate sectors (https://www.suewhite.com.au/). She says that she has a knack for translating complex work into compelling narratives, while building strong stakeholder engagement along the way. We thank Glenda Key for all that she has done for the ACDS over the last six years, and we look forward to working with Sue in 2026. 4. Update from the ACDS Executive Director (Tony Willis) The 2025 ACDS Annual Conference (see report below) was a major focus of the final quarter, and feedback—both anecdotal and via the formal survey—suggests it was a highly successful event. I was also delighted by the response to our 30th-anniversary gala dinner, especially the wonderful celebratory video we launched. If you haven’t yet seen it, I encourage you to take a look: https://www.acds.edu.au/. We thank members who contributed to our consultations on the SERD and NRI Issues Papers noted above. Your input directly shaped our final submissions. This year we trialled Lunchtime Consultation Workshops to help shape our policy submissions. They worked well and will continue as a model for future policy engagement with our member universities. Report from the annual conference The 2025 ACDS Annual Conference, held on 21–22 October at the Australian National University, was an important milestone event marking the Council’s 30th anniversary. With an exceptional lineup of national leaders across science, education, policy and industry, the conference provided a rich platform to reflect on our achievements and shape the future direction of university science. A detailed summary of the conference sessions is available on our website: https://www.acds.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/ACDS-2025-Annual-Conference-summary.pdf. We are very grateful to Sartorius for sponsoring our conference and we encourage you to take a look at the information from them provided at the end of this newsletter. Development of ACDS Strategic plan 2026-2030 Thank you to our science Deans and others who have contributed to the development of the ACDS 2026-2030 plan. The working lunch at the annual conference was particularly helpful in shaping the next iteration of this important document. Following a very productive full-day strategic planning session with Executive Committee members in Melbourne on 18 November, we are on track to finalise and publish the plan and to begin implementation in early 2026. 5. News from the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre (Susan Howitt and Michelle Harvey) ACSME news A very successful ACSME was held in Melbourne in September/October, with a post-COVID record attendance and some excellent presentations and networking opportunities. We also used the conference to reflect on 31 years of ACSME and the value of ACDS support for the conference with two special presentations. A conference summary can be found here We are delighted to announce that ACSME 2026 () will be held at The University of New South Wales 1-3 September 2026. Discipline Day will be held on Tuesday 1 September since starting with the Discipline Day proved popular in 2025. The Conference will follow on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 September. The conference theme is Innovating Teaching to Equip Impact-Driven Graduates. Further details are available about ACSME 2026 are available here. Deans are encouraged to support attendance by education-focussed academics and professional education support staff (along with others) as the conference provides a valuable opportunity for professional development and networking. Position paper on practical work ACDS has just published a position paper on the value of practical work in a science degree. The paper outlines the unique features of laboratory and field work and argues that we have an opportunity to re-design assessment to capitalise on the in-person nature of practical work. This could provide greater assessment security in response to AI. The paper includes examples of different types of in-lab assessment as a guide to changing practice. View the full paper here. 6. Activities to mark 30 years of the ACDS (Brian Yates) Special video and gala dinner As mentioned above, a short video was commissioned to showcase the value of university science and the role of the ACDS in supporting this over many years. The video was launched at our gala dinner at the Annual Conference and we were thrilled to have most of the ‘cast’ of eminent university science leaders present at the launch. The gala dinner itself was a wonderful way to celebrate 30 years of the ACDS. The President of the Australian Academy of Science gave a powerful speech and congratulated the ACDS on its role in supporting innovative education and research in science. (https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/presidents-speech-australian-council-of-deans-of-science) Melbourne ACDS alumni gathering, Monday 17 November A gathering of past and present members of the ACDS took place at RMIT in Melbourne on Monday 17 November 2025 (in a beautiful old magistrates’ court). We were thrilled to have 6 of the Presidents of the ACDS at the function (there have only been 9 Presidents in total so far in the 30-year history of the ACDS), all 4 of the T&L Centre Directors, both of the Executive Directors, and other past Executive members. What a gathering! John Rice (the inaugural President) reflected on what the ACDS has accomplished over the last 30 years, while Jacqui Ramagge (the current President) spoke about the future of the ACDS and the importance of representing the voices of Science Deans from the many different varieties of universities in Australia. See the news post here. Wrap up of 30 year celebrations The Melbourne gathering was a great way to cap off our 30-year celebrations in 2025. Along with our special gatherings and the ACDS video, we have taken the opportunity to reflect on the role of the ACDS and the way that we can support the leaders of university science. During 2025, I was very excited that we could make contact with all 9 of our Presidents of the ACDS from the last 30 years, together with many of the other ACDS office bearers (https://www.acds.edu.au/previous-executive-committee-members/). This was quite an achievement! As we look forward to the new year, I would like to thank all participants throughout 2025 for helping to mark our anniversary in a meaningful way. 7. Strategic communications and engagement (Brian Yates) Position paper on the importance of Mathematics Education The ACDS along with three other deans councils have united to release a joint statement calling for national action to reverse the decline in participation in secondary and tertiary level mathematics. The joint statement calls for incentives to boost Year 11–12 enrolments, investment in teacher upskilling, reinstatement of mathematics prerequisites for key university courses, and creation of affordable pathways for students to access STEM degrees. We were very pleased to see that the joint statement was highlighted in Future Campus on 5 December 2025! The statement is available here. Satellite workshop at annual conference As an experiment this year, we organised a satellite workshop with STA on advocacy and government relations. The workshop covered parliamentary portfolios, committees and submissions. There was very positive feedback from members. We also took the opportunity to run a focus group with STA to discuss an initiative for developing business leadership in scientists. Given the success of these satellite meetings, and the opportunity for ACDS attendees to meet in-person with relevant leaders and policy makers in science, we will consider including another satellite meeting in our Annual Conference program in 2026. Issue 14 of the ACDS magazine Australian University Science The latest edition of the ACDS magazine has been sent electronically to a range of government ministers (both federal and state), university leaders, chief scientists, other councils of deans, industry leaders and peak bodies. This issue looks to the future of Australian universities, under pressure yet full of potential. It explores how the Bachelor of Science must evolve, how to build a more diverse student pipeline, and how changes in funding and public trust will shape the research landscape. Please share this edition of the magazine with your teams. (https://www.acds.edu.au/issue-14-australian-university-science-magazine-celebrates-30-years-of-impact-and-looks-ahead/) As we prepare for 2026, the ACDS is reviewing the purpose, audience and future format of the magazine to ensure that we are achieving the impact that we desire in communicating our messages about university science. The ACDS on social media This year we have sought to increase our presence and profile on LinkedIn, where many of the issues mentioned above have been featured in recent posts. If you haven’t already connected with us, please do so at https://www.linkedin.com/in/australian-council-of-deans-of-science-47b454215/ 8. Important Dates for 2026 March 10 ACDS AGM, 3:00-4:30pm, online June or July Teaching & Learning Leaders Forum, University of Queensland September 1-3 ACSME, UNSW September 30-October 1 National Research Forum, Curtin University October 27-28 (tbc) ACDS Annual Conference, Canberra Thank you for all your contributions this year to university science in Australia and your support of the ACDS. Professor Brian Yates ACDS Director, Strategic Communications and Engagement
