Research Excellence Awards

Recognises and celebrates excellence in the translation of research, outstanding early career researchers and research supervisors, and the important role they play in our research achievements.

The Research Excellence Awards are awarded under three categories:

Research Impact Award

This award recognises an individual or team who have demonstrated excellence in the translation of research in any and all forms, which may include products, services, policy reform, new companies including social enterprise that are demonstrably delivering significant impact and benefits for industry and/or broader society and community. This may include social, economic, cultural and/or environmental impact.

Research Impact Award - Criteria

This award recognises an individual or team who has demonstrated excellence in the translation of research in any and all forms, which may include products, services, policy reform, new companies including social enterprise that are demonstrably delivering significant impact and benefits for industry and/or broader society and community. This may include social, economic, cultural and/or environmental impact.

Award criteria:

The principal criteria for assessing entries in this category are (up to 500 words):

  • Translation pathway: How was the translation opportunity identified and how were external end user partners engaged? What was the underlying research and how has it been translated? What challenges were encountered during the translation process and how were they overcome?
  • Demonstrated impact: What has been the impact to date, describing and quantifying impact and broader benefits with evidence? To what extent has the translation of this research successfully addressed or solved a problem or challenge in society/business?
  • Scalability: What is the expected potential for future growth and impact? What is the strategy in place to achieve that growth including with end user partners?

Additional eligibility criteria:

  • The Research Impact Award is open to all academic and professional staff members, including full-time or fractional, fixed-term, contract, sessional and casual staff. Contractors are not eligible.
  • Conjoint and honorary academic staff with an active appointment and demonstrable contribution to the University’s teaching, research, engagement or leadership functions will also be considered.

Research Supervision Excellence Award

Awarded to individuals or teams who have provided outstanding supervision to Higher Degree by Research candidates.

Research Supervision Excellence - Criteria

Awarded to individuals or teams who have provided outstanding supervision to Higher Degree by Research candidates.

Award criteria:

Nominee/s must demonstrate supervision excellence under one of the following criteria (up to 500 words):

  • Supervisor as a teacher. This could be demonstrated by:
    • Structures for ongoing interaction with students, in a positive and inclusive environment
    • Critical analysis of work and timely feedback
    • The balance between guidance and encouraging independence and innovation
    • Fostering and facilitating the development of academic skills and self-direction
    • Assistance with accessing specialist expertise (e.g. statistics, computing, language)
  • Supervisor as a mentor. This could be demonstrated by:
    • Assisting with networking skills, identifying opportunities for collaboration and promotion of students’ research
    • Conference and publication support for the candidate
    • Knowledge of processes relating to supervision (e.g. codes of practice, progress review, submission and examination, scholarships)
    • Advice on job contacts and career paths
  • Supervisor as model. This could be demonstrated by:
    • Supervisor’s personal record of scholarship and research
    • Supervisor’s ability to communicate knowledge and expertise
    • Publications record, especially jointly with research students
    • Peer acknowledgement as indicated by journal editing, speaking invitations, invited chapters or articles
    • Evidence of collegiality leadership and/or industry engagement
    • Evidence of open-mindedness on the knowledge interpretations of others

Nominations must clearly identify which of the above criteria the nomination pertains to. Nominations should define the performance of the nominated supervisor and demonstrate how the supervisor’s activities demonstrate excellence in relation to the chosen criteria.

Additional eligibility criteria:

  • The Research Impact Award is open to all academic and professional staff members, including full-time or fractional, fixed-term, contract, sessional and casual staff. Contractors are not eligible.
  • Conjoint and honorary academic staff with an active appointment and demonstrable contribution to the University’s teaching, research, engagement or leadership functions will also be considered.

Early Career Researcher Award

Awarded to an outstanding individual academic or professional staff member actively engaged in research, who is within 5 years of PhD completion. Conjoints may also be considered, providing their research is primarily based at the University.

Early Career Researcher - Criteria

Awarded to an outstanding individual academic or professional staff member actively engaged in research, including conjoint and honorary academic appointees and clinician researchers.

Award criteria:

The awards will be based on the excellence of the nominee’s cumulative research activity, subsequent to the awarding of their PhD.

The purpose of basing the selection criteria on the cumulative research activity is to reward early career researchers who are on a rising trajectory and making an impact within their research field.

Research activities include (but are not limited to):

  • Publications
  • Grants/significant funding
  • Collaboration
  • Industry engagement
  • Commercial activities
  • Creative arts exhibitions/performances
  • Mentorship/supervision/leadership
  • Community engagement and input
  • Policy input
  • Teaching load (if applicable)

Nominations should define the nature and significance of the research achievements and describe the importance of the research outputs in terms of originality and impact with the field (up to 500 words). Research activity since PhD can be listed if necessary. The selection panel will look at the nominee’s University research profile.

Additional eligibility criteria:

The Early Career Researcher Award is open to full-time or part-time academic or professional staff with continuing, or consecutive fixed term appointments of no less than three (3) years, including conjoint and honorary academic appointees and clinician researchers.

A Clinician Researcher is a person who:

  • Is qualified to practice in medicine, nursing, an allied health discipline and/or holders a health service practitioner position in a health service delivery organisation; and
  • Is currently practising as a health practitioner or clinician in their area or qualification no less than 0.2 FTE; and
  • Can demonstrate that they have achieved at least one of the following:
  • Received competitive project funding of ≥ $20k with the researcher as the lead investigator; or
  • published an article in a peer reviewed journal as a lead or co-lead author; or
  • been awarded their PhD in a health-related field.

The award is open to individuals only.  An individual may be nominated by a staff member (nominator) for an Excellence Award. Self-nominations for individual awards will not be accepted.