ACDS Newsletter – March 2026 Posted in News, Research, Teaching and Learning on March 22, 2026 by Sue White. Welcome Welcome to the first quarterly newsletter of the ACDS for 2026! We hope that your busy year is going well and that you are managing the many demands of science leadership in higher education. Please share this newsletter with your leadership teams. Welcome to new Science Deans Fiona Dyer has taken up the role of Acting Executive Dean at the University of Canberra, and John Dearnaley has recently been nominated as the University of Southern Queensland representative. We welcome them both as they commence their important leadership roles. A reminder that an up-to-date list of ACDS member universities, and their corresponding Deans or member nominees, is available at https://www.acds.edu.au/about-us/acds-member-institutions/. National scene. Vale Emma Johnston (by Melissa Brown, ACDS Immediate Past President) Vale Emma Johnston I and many fellow Deans of Science were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emma Johnston AO, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, in late December 2025 at the age of only 52. Emma was an accomplished marine ecologist, a respected university leader and a passionate advocate for science. Her many leadership roles included being Dean of the Faculty of Science at UNSW where she demonstrated extraordinary energy, optimism, leadership and friendship to colleagues, including fellow Deans of Science through the Australian Council of Deans of Science. Emma’s tenure as Dean of Science, from 2017 to 2022, was marked by exceptional achievements, notably including increasing the percentage of women professors in the Faculty of Science from 17% to 27% and implementing strategies to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, whilst balancing high profile discoveries with policy impact. She was also the President of Science Technology Australia during this time, where she contributed to the development of the Superstars of STEM program and successfully advocated for improved national research infrastructure. All of this was achieved whilst she continued to be an active and accomplished researcher in the field of marine ecology and a mother of two children. It was a privilege to know Emma, and she will be sadly missed. Universities Australia conference (by Melissa Brown) The 2026 Universities Australia conference was held in Canberra between the 24th and 26th of February. The full program can be found here. Highlights include: A keynote address by Bran Brack, Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia who talked about the economic benefit of universities and their critical role in workforce development and innovation. He also noted the importance of university-industry partnerships and the need for these to be supported, referring to the catapult scheme in the UK which focusses on the development of enabling facilities and innovation ecosystems, A great panel discussion with Margaret Shiel, Ian Chubb and Kate Cornick on the Strategic Evaluation of Research and Development. Whilst there was not a lot to share until the report and its recommendations are approved, there was an important conversation about this being a one-time opportunity to effectively enable R&D in Australia (N.B. The SERD report was publicly released just as this newsletter was going to press. The announcement is here.), Two panel discussions on international education, with a fascinating overview on the various models of transnational education, and A keynote address from Australia’s Chief Scientist, Tony Haymet, who commended universities for their contribution to scholarship and innovation and highlighted the critical importance of technology and infrastructure to the scientific endeavour. A copy of his speech can be found here. Perhaps not such a highlight was a speech by the new Shadow Minister of Education, Mr Julian Leeser, who scolded universities for issues ranging from a perceived contribution to racism and antisemitism in Australia, the establishment of ATEC and group assignments for university students. Alongside the conference were the Australian Awards for University Teaching on the Tuesday evening and the Shaping Australia Research Awards on the Wednesday evening. It was wonderful to see nominees and winners from across our sector announced at these two events. Further information can be found here and here. For another perspective on the conference, I refer you to an, as always, inspiring and insightful article by Merlin Crossley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Quality and past Dean of Science UNSW, titled ‘Grappling with a big new purpose’. ACDS submission to the Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) consultation Following a productive lunchtime meeting of the ACDS which included Deans of science and Associate Deans (T&L), the ACDS prepared a brief submission to TEQSA this week which summarised our feedback on the five topics of racism, governance, disability, emerging technologies and cyclical reviews. Our submission highlighted the important perspective of the Deans of science. Our key messages were: Governance: Clearer expectations for academic oversight would strengthen the consistency and effectiveness of governance arrangements across universities. Racism and cultural safety: The Standards should more clearly articulate institutional responsibilities for addressing racism and supporting culturally safe learning environments, including explicit recognition of First Nations peoples and knowledge systems. Disability and accessibility: Accessibility should increasingly be embedded within course design through universal design approaches rather than relying primarily on individual adjustments. Emerging technologies: Regulatory approaches to technologies such as artificial intelligence should balance risk management with the need for innovation in teaching, learning and assessment. Review of the Standards: Regular cyclical review of the Standards would help ensure the framework remains relevant, proportionate and aligned with developments in higher education. Our full submission can be read here, and more details can be found on our website. Report from the ACDS AGM 10 March 2026 TEQSA Chief Commissioner, Professor Kerri-Lee Krause The 2026 ACDS Annual General Meeting opened with an engaging presentation from TEQSA Chief Commissioner, Professor Kerri-Lee Krause (pictured), who spoke about emerging sector-level risks, the increasing complexity of the regulatory environment, and the pivotal role that Deans play in sustaining Australia’s university science ecosystem. A high-level overview of Professor Krause’s presentation will be made available shortly. Unfortunately, the AGM was ultimately inquorate, meaning that under the ACDS Constitution the meeting must be reconvened by 31 March to complete the necessary decisions. The reconvened AGM will be held on Tuesday 31 March at 1pm AEDT, and we strongly encourage all Deans to nominate a proxy—even if they expect to attend—so that a proxy can participate should their availability change unexpectedly. During the initial meeting we proceeded with items that did not require formal resolution (including discussion of the new ACDS Strategic Plan—see below—and the receipt of reports). The Treasurer, Professor Marcel Dinger (University of Sydney), also outlined an issue that will require a formal decision at the reconvened AGM: the proposed increase in the annual membership subscription. He noted that after several years without change, rising costs mean that a modest increase is now required to sustain current member-facing activities. Members participating in the 10 March meeting raised no concerns with Professor Dinger’s points or the proposed approach. ACDS Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and Priority Initiatives for 2026 After more than 12 months of development—including multiple consultations with members on different aspects of the draft, the new ACDS Strategic Plan 2026–2030 was presented to members at the AGM on 10 March. It is structured around four strategic goals that articulate the value ACDS can bring to strengthening university science: Goal 1: Champion Teaching & Learning Leadership Goal 2: Strengthen Pathways for Research & Research Translation Goal 3: Build Influence Through Strategic Engagement and Communication Goal 4: Strengthen First Nations Partnerships and Engagement in University Science Feedback at the AGM confirmed that the document incorporated the changes sought through earlier consultations, and no further adjustments were proposed. As the Strategic Plan did not require formal endorsement by the AGM, it was noted by members and now becomes the guiding framework for ACDS through to 2030. Implementation will begin shortly through several Priority Initiatives aligned with the four strategic goals. The 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, together with further information on implementation, will be available on the ACDS website shortly. Update from the ACDS Executive Director (Tony Willis) The first months of 2026 have focused on preparing ACDS for the year ahead and positioning the organisation to deliver on its priorities. In January the Executive Committee held its first meeting of the year, introducing a refreshed meeting format and discussing proposed initiatives for 2026 designed to help advance and implement the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan (see update on the Strategic Plan, above). Significant work also went into preparing for the 2026 AGM, including briefing TEQSA Chief Commissioner Professor Kerry-Lee Krause ahead of the meeting. As noted, because the meeting did not achieve a quorum, the 10 March meeting was adjourned and will be reconvened on 31 March to make the key decisions needed under our Constitution. ACDS has continued to engage actively in policy and sector discussions, including finalising our submission on the National Research Infrastructure (NRI) Roadmap Issues Paper and participating in the January meeting of the National Open Science Taskforce. We have also prepared a submission in response to the Government’s consultation on revisions to the Higher Education Standards Framework, informed by a lunchtime consultation with members on the consultation paper (see above). Alongside this policy work, we have begun a program of external engagement with Commonwealth parliamentarians, government agencies, the research sector and industry to strengthen relationships and explore opportunities for collaboration under the new Strategic Plan. News from the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre (Michelle Harvey) Planning is well underway for ACSME 2026 to be held 2nd-3rd September at UNSW with the theme Innovating Teaching to Equip Impact-Driven Graduates. Registration and abstract submission opened on Wednesday 11 March. A ‘discipline day’ will be held on 1 September. Assessment and AI-related seminar and share sessions are planned for the Centre in 2026, in addition to a grant round to be advertised in the second quarter of the year. Creating opportunities for sharing inspiration and innovation, networking and collaboration, and exploring common challenges and opportunities will be a major focus of activities for 2026. News from the ACDS National Research Network (John Bartlett) The Steering committee for the ACDS National Research Network has begun planning and developing the Program for the 2026 National Research Forum, which is being held at Curtin University’s city campus in Perth on 30 September-1 October 2026. As always, the Forum will feature presentations on topics impacting on the day-to-day roles of our science ADRs/DDRs. A feature of the 2026 NRF will be the inclusion of three Community-of-Practice sessions, together with panel discussions on key topics. Work is commencing on establishing a virtual Science Research and Research Translation Centre (the SR2TC) as one of our Priority Initiatives for 2026. The ACDS T&L Centre has long served as an important focal point for supporting and developing initiatives in the scholarship of teaching and learning in Australian University Science. The work on the SR2TC seeks to develop and launch (over a two-year period) a cognate Centre, hosted on the ACDS website, to support the work of the DDRs, ADRs and others tasked with the day-to-day leadership of Australian University Science research. It will also serve as a focal point for building the reputation of the ACDS as a “source of truth” for the development of science policy and developing the value-proposition of Australian University science for partnering with Industry. We would welcome any suggestions for content or resources that should be included in the virtual centre. Strategic communications and engagement (Brian Yates) Issue 15 of the ACDS magazine Australian University Science The ACDS has moved to a ‘digital first’ version of our magazine. Issue 15 will consist of a themed collection of stories which will be published online and promoted through various channels. Planning for this Issue has commenced with Refraction Media and will most likely include a number of in-depth articles coupled with short-form articles highlighting case studies of staff and students. We will shortly be contacting you for ideas and input. The ACDS ‘Engagement’ website In 2025, I started producing a short briefing paper on ‘Topics of current interest’ for each meeting of the Executive Committee. My intention is to produce these on a regular basis during 2026 and make them available to the ACDS community. These briefing papers (and other information) are available on the ACDS Engagement website at https://www.acds.edu.au/engagement/. Important ACDS dates for 2026 Please mark the following dates in your calendar: March 31 Reconvened ACDS AGM, 1pm AEDT, 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 ACDS Annual Conference, ANU, Canberra New Presidents of AAS, ATSE and STA We welcome the announcement of the new Presidents of the Australian Academy of Science, the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and Science Technology Australia: Professor Sam Berkovic, AAS (from May 2026) Dr Cathy Foley, ATSE Jas Chambers, STA We look forward to continuing to work with these organisations in support of science. Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) awards We would like to draw your attention to the AIIA awards, particularly for your students. This year’s theme, Innovation that Matters, shines a light on tech solutions that create a positive impact on how we live and work, and for communities across Australia and beyond. The Student Award category offers a unique opportunity for students to bring their tech solutions to the national stage. For more information, please see https://aiia.com.au/iawards/. Finally, thank you for all your contributions to university science in Australia and your support of the ACDS. If you have any feedback about the ACDS, our activities or this newsletter, please send it to Brian Yates (brian.yates@utas.edu.au). We wish you well in 2026.
