ACDS Newsletter – September 2025

Welcome to the third of our quarterly newsletters of the ACDS for 2025! With the challenges around universities and science that are being reported in the media almost every day, we hope that you are successfully juggling the many demands on your leadership and supporting your staff and students to succeed in university science.

Welcome to new Science Deans:

We welcome Robyn Murphy, Dean of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University.

Farewell and thank you to outgoing Science Deans:

Thank you to Shaun Collin, outgoing Dean at La Trobe University, for all his ideas and contributions to the previous Executive of the ACDS.

ACDS 2025 Annual Conference and pre-conference workshop

Registrations are open for the 21–22 October ACDS Conference, Canberra, and the pre-conference Government Relations & Advocacy Skills workshop. Planning is well advanced, with a strong, high-profile program and excellent networking opportunities. We are delighted to welcome to our conference Tony Haymet (Chief Scientist of Australia), Tanya Monro (Chief Defence Scientist), Mary O’Kane (Interim Chief Commissioner, ATEC), Luke Sheehy (CEO, Universities Australia) and Catherine de Fontenay (full-time Commissioner with the Productivity Commission). Science Minister Tim Ayres recently advised that he is no longer able to attend, however I am sure you will agree that we have a compelling lineup of speakers. This year’s conference dinner will be a gala event to celebrate our 30th anniversary.

The ACDS has engaged STA to deliver a tailored Government Relations and Advocacy Skills pre-conference workshop. Designed specifically for senior academic science leaders, this in-person session will equip Deans and Associate Deans of Science with strategic advocacy skills to engage effectively with government and influence higher education and research policy. The workshop will take place the day before the ACDS Annual Conference in Canberra, on Monday afternoon 20 October 2025 3:30-5pm in the conference venue at the ANU. It is offered free of charge to all attendees at the ACDS Annual Conference.

Farewell to Susan Howitt and Glenda Key

Professor Susan Howitt is the Director of the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre. After four amazing years at the helm, Susan is stepping down at the end of 2025. During her time as Director, Susan has overseen significant T&L grants for the ACDS, organised a regular series of webinars, nurtured thoughtful and supportive Communities of Practice (in Assessment and Practical Work), promoted the ACDS online resource repository, overseen projects on First Nations science, work integrated learning (WIL) and updating the Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs), produced a regular T&L newsletter (with over 1000 subscribers), coordinated the annual T&L Leaders forum, and hosted the organisation of ACSME.

Before taking up her role with the ACDS, Susan had a long and deep-rooted passion for science education, transitioning from a research-only role at the ANU to a teaching and research position that sparked her interest in curriculum design and student learning. She completed a Master of Higher Education and received multiple OLT grants for improving undergraduate research experiences. She has published widely and contributed to national education initiatives, including post-COVID bioscience education planning. Her practice-based research aims to improve learning outcomes through better scaffolding and assessment. She is looking forward to having more time to focus on these activities and enjoying crime novels!

We are currently interviewing candidates for the new Director of the T&L Centre.

Glenda Key is the Information and Communications Officer for the ACDS. During her six years with the ACDS, Glenda has been the behind-the-scenes powerhouse that has kept the wheels of the ACDS turning. She has ensured that external stakeholders are aware of the ACDS through our website, organised the practical details of the ACDS networking events (forums, annual conference, AGM), helped the Executive meetings to run smoothly, supported our internal communications, and generally kept the ACDS on track to meet its objectives.

Before joining the ACDS, Glenda was Faculty Academic Manager in the Faculty of Science at Monash University, where she worked with the Dean, Rob Norris (a former President of the ACDS), and the Associate Dean Education, Cristina Varsavsky (a former Director of the ACDS T&L Centre). Later, Glenda took up a central university role to work with the Provost (Edwina Cornish) on a whole of university course and governance review, and was appointed as Director of Academic Course Governance and Policy. Glenda wishes to finish up with the ACDS at the end of this year and she will be sorely missed.

Call for Expressions of Interest for ACDS Policy and Engagement Manager

The ACDS is calling for expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals to provide policy and engagement services to the Council, commencing as soon as possible for a period of up to three years (subject to review). The successful candidate will hold the title Policy & Engagement Manager. This part-time role may especially appeal to people who are (or have been) associated with university science endeavours.

Report on scientific visit to Indonesia (Jacqui Ramagge and Tony Willis)

ACDS President, Professor Jacqui Ramagge, and Executive Director, Tony Willis, joined a delegation led by the Australian Academy of Science to Jakarta, Indonesia in late July. The delegation held a series of productive meetings with the newly appointed Indonesian Minister for Science, the head of the government research funding agency BRIN, the Indonesian Academy of Science, representatives of the regional headquarters of UNESCO, and representatives of the Australian Government at the embassy in Jakarta, among others.

We also participated in a major conference arranged by the Indonesian Ministry of Science, attended by several hundred prominent Indonesian scientists and university leaders. The visit highlighted the value of “science diplomacy” in strengthening ties with our nearest neighbour, fostering deeper collaboration between Indonesian and Australian science, and laying the groundwork for future engagement with Indonesia’s university science sector.

Update from the ACDS Executive Director (Tony Willis)

Raising Our Profile: Recent meetings with Queensland Shadow Minister Leanne Linard, Federal Shadow Education Minister Jonathon Duniam, and upcoming talks with Assistant Science Minister Andrew Charlton are building valuable relationships. The digital version of Australian University Science has also opened the door to a productive dialogue with the Minerals Council of Australia.

Strategic Plan Development: Insights from the recent member survey, a facilitated workshop of the ACDS Executive Committee, and interviews with non-university stakeholders such as State Chief Scientists, Learned Academy CEOs, representatives of key peak organisations and senior government officials are shaping the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan. Member consultation will continue through 2025, with finalisation and approval proposed for the 2026 AGM.

News from the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre (Susan Howitt)

Teaching and Learning Leaders Forum: Over 40 Associate Deans and other education leaders met at Flinders City Campus in July. We discussed a range of topics from programmatic assessment to First Nations science in the curriculum and work-integrated learning. There was also a workshop session on challenges and opportunities for the next five years in the face of the rapidly changing education landscape, including AI and different approaches to teaching. Further information and speakers slides can be found here.

ACSME 2025: The Australian Conference on Science and Maths Education (ACSME) is on next week at the University of Melbourne. We have a fabulous line up of speakers, with the conference theme of ‘Shaping the future with STEM education’. This year, the Discipline Day has also been themed, around career development for education-focussed academics. Registrations are strong so we are looking forward to an exciting few days. The program can be viewed here.

News from the ACDS National Research Network (John Bartlett)

ACDS National Research Forum (NRF): The 2025 NRF, held at UTAS on 2-3 September, explored key themes in Australian research policy and infrastructure. Discussions covered research workloads, HDR support, Indigenous IP and responsible innovation. Improved research assessment, including better metrics beyond impact factors, was advocated, with support for DORA principles. Industry collaboration, Indigenous partnerships and public trust in science were recurring themes. The need for purpose-driven research was stressed. The forum was attended by more than 30 Associate Deans and Deans and underscored the importance of balancing discovery research with application and fostering collaboration. Attendees were inspired by the presentations on untapped opportunities for science faculties and celebrating Indigenous knowledge in research, and they were particularly enthusiastic about the Community of Practice sessions.

Database of industry professors: The development of a database of Australian STEM Industry Professors involved in collaboration with STEM-related industries is progressing, with over 130 such roles identified to date across 24 universities (noting that this process is ongoing). In addition to 56 colleagues directly identified as STEM Industry Professors, an additional 75 colleagues who have been awarded STEM-related ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships or ARC Industry Laureate Fellowships have been identified.

Recent and upcoming activities to mark 30 years of the ACDS

Adelaide alumni gathering, Wednesday 2 July: A lunch for past and present ACDS Deans was held at the Flinders University city campus in Adelaide in conjunction with the annual Learning and Teaching forum. Attendees shared stories of past successes and challenges, and reflected on the role of Deans as the stewards of university science. See news article.

Special video: A short video has been commissioned to showcase the value of university science and the role of the ACDS. With enthusiastic support from some eminent university science leaders, we anticipate launching the video at our gala dinner at the upcoming Annual Conference.

Melbourne alumni gathering, Monday 17 November 2025: A gathering of ACDS alumni is planned for late afternoon on Monday 17 November following a meeting of the ACDS Executive committee at RMIT. This will be the final gathering to mark 30 years of the ACDS and the Executive is looking forward to meeting alumni and friends of the ACDS, together with current members. This is open to anyone from the ACDS who happens to be in Melbourne at that time – all are invited! Following the afternoon function, we will coordinate an informal dinner at a local restaurant for those that wish to reminisce and share their experiences with fellow (past and present) members of the ACDS. More details will be sent later.

Strategic communications and engagement (Brian Yates)

Media release: A statement on the importance of university science education was released by the ACDS during National Science Week in August. This has received positive feedback and has led to the initiation of conversations with several politicians and other policy makers. The statement is available here.

ACDS magazine Australian University Science: Watch out for the launch of Issue 14 of the ACDS magazine in the next few weeks. The focus of this issue is to consider what university science might look like in the future and we have been fortunate to secure some great articles.

National scene

Recent national reports: Some reports of interest to Deans of Science include:

• Universities Australia – From fragmented to future ready. A series of four very brief discussion papers on how to improve Australia’s innovation system.
• Australian Academy of Science – Australian Science, Australia’s Future. An assessment of scientific capability in the context of the future needs of Australia.
• Strategic Examination of Research and Development – Six issues papers. This series of issue papers sets out some possible strategies to create a more effective research, development and innovation environment in Australia. Four papers have been released at the time of writing, with two more expected very soon. Submissions in response to these papers are requested by 30 September.

AAS National Committees for Science: The Australian Academy of Science is looking for interested researchers who wish to apply for membership of one of their 19 committees for science. Application is via the AAS portal.

Singapore conference: As part of a dialogue initiated by the ACDS Executive Director, we note the following international conference. A*STAR, with support from NRF and the ecosystem partners, is organising a Singapore Scientific Conference in celebration of Singapore’s 60th Anniversary (SG60) from 8-11 Dec 2025. The theme of the conference is “Forging a Sustainable Future through Science & Technology”. They are expecting many foreign speakers and participants, including luminaries like Nobel Laureate and former US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and former US ARPA-E Director Evelyn Wang. (see SingaporeSciConf.org).

Thank you to for all your contributions to university science in Australia and your support of the ACDS.

Professor Brian Yates

ACDS Director, Strategic Communications and Engagement