News

Dr Rachel Popelka-Filcoff, an internationally recognised expert in radioanalytical chemistry and the scientific analysis of Indigenous Australian natural mineral pigments will lead the University of Melbourne’s Archaeological Science Group as the Kimberley Foundation Minderoo Chair in Archaeological Science.

Associate Professor Lauren Bennett is a Principal Research Fellow in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences.

Dr Amy Prendergast is a Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow in the School of Geography.

Head of the School of BioSciences, Professor Ute Roessner, has been named a Trailblazer on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Professor Devi Stuart-Fox is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Co-Chairs the Melbourne Hallmark Research Initiative in BioInspiration.

Dr Suzie Sheehy is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Accelerator Physics in the School of Physics

For International Women's Day, Colette Boskovic from the School of Chemistry talks about her research and experiences.

Dr Eleanor Green is a Senior Lecturer in Computational Petrology in the school of Earth Sciences.

To celebrate International Women's Day, Jennifer Flegg highlights her research and recent achievements.

Three outstanding Faculty of Science academics have been recognized in the 2020 Australian Academy of Science Awards.

While completing her Master of Ecosystem Forest Science , Cleo got the opportunity of a lifetime to intern with the UN in Thailand.

Professor Rachel Webster has received an Officer of the Order of Australia for her service to education in the field of astrophysics and astronomical research, and for her dedication to young women scientists.

Professor Anthony (Tony) J. Guttmann has been named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contributions to the discipline of Mathematics.

Research to improve the quality of public landscapes is among three projects awarded $1.4 million from the Australian Research Council

Animals like beetles and birds are teaching us new ways of understanding colour at a nanoscale, which could change the way we manufacture it.

Five University of Melbourne students are among 125 students from around Australia to receive a 2020 New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship.

Scientists are facing up to the challenge of food security and sustainability on myriad fronts.

With her living bequest, Professor Kerry Landman — a leader in the field of applied mathematics — aims to share the beauty of maths by supporting future teachers in the field.

The 2019 Dean's Awards for Excellence have been announced.

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions. It supports research in areas of critical national importance by enabling outstanding Australian and international early career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

The Merri Creek is a vital artery of Melbourne’s waterways and hosts some of Australia’s most threatened ecosystems.

In 1998 L'Oréal and UNESCO founded the For Women in Science program and in 2007 launched the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Australia & New Zealand Fellowships. L'Oréal and UNESCO aim to promote and highlight the critical importance of ensuring greater participation of women in science.

In the 90s, Professor Richard Robson created a new class of coordination polymers, and his models inspired an entirely new field of chemistry.

Professor Wedell will join the School of BioSciences to take up the Fellowship for her project, 'Sexual conflict and evolutionary dynamics of insecticide resistant genes'.

The Australian Research Council has awarded Future Fellowships to Professor Howard Bondell, Associate Professor Colette Boskovic and Dr David Garrett.

Professors Ann Roberts and Kenneth Crozier are Chief Investigators on the $34.9 million Australian Research Council funded centre that will develop the next-generation of miniaturised optical systems, turning science fiction into fact.

Dr Kim-Anh Lê Cao has been awarded the Georgina Sweet Award to promote and support female scientists who demonstrate excellence in the area of Quantitative Biomedical Science.

Titled 'Spirit' and filmed in the remote Indian Himalayas, the film picked up multiple awards in New York, Germany and Dehli.

Cambridge Australia Scholarships provides scholarships for outstanding Australian graduates to undertake Masters and PhD studies at the University of Cambridge.

In July, twelve Bachelor of Science students toured schools in regional and disadvantaged areas of Victoria to inspire the next generation of young scientists.

The University of Melbourne has welcomed Federal Government funding of $35 million for an ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics to search for dark matter.

Despite an improvement in equality over recent years, many women still face difficulties pursuing a career in mathematics. A new portrait exhibition at the University of Melbourne hopes to inspire more women to join the profession.

Dr Claire Farrell and John Rayner from the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences (SEFS) combine beauty and biodiversity in the heart of Melbourne.

In2Science is a schools partnership program that places volunteer university mentors in secondary school classes to inspire students to study STEM disciplines. The University of Melbourne was able to donate 65 microscopes worth over $30,000 to local partner schools.

Listen to our unique 12-episode podcast series showcasing the value of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects as a pathway to jobs of the future.

Two students from the Faculty of Science have won a 2019 Chancellor’s Prize for Excellence in PhD Thesis.

The Geography Postgraduate Society (GPS) have launched The Sites, a monthly podcast designed to communicate research from within and around the school to a generalist audience.

Each year the University of Melbourne recognises and celebrates the outstanding work of academic and professional staff in the key areas of engagement, professional excellence, research, strategic priorities and teaching through the Melbourne Excellence Awards.

Finding a mathematical proof is a long, difficult process – involving trial-and-error, grunt work and the occasional eureka moment

Dr Chris Murray has enjoyed a successful career in dentistry, but to contribute to a better future, he’s leaving a gift in his Will to support his personal passion – environmental preservation.

Like most things in life, careers don’t always have a clear and straightforward path. Hear the career stories of the Faculty of Science's Frances Separovic and Theresa Jones. You just never really know what you are capable of, and sometimes you have to follow your nose and just take the opportunities as they happen.

For several millennia during the Last Interglacial period, temperatures were higher than pre-industrial levels and that had an impact on our climate system. But with recent dire forecasts of global warming, what can the past tell us about the future of our climate?

Innovative design is combining with new, low-cost nano-satellite technology to build Australia’s first space telescope, Skyhopper

Designer dogs, selective breeding, clones and intensive breeding are having unintended effects on the health and wellbeing of man’s best friend - so is our love of pups actually bad for them in the long run?

Urban forests are great for keeping our cities cool, but as temperatures go up they need water to survive - and that’s where redirecting storm water to street trees comes in

Like the evolution of classic computers in the 1940s, quantum computers are on the cusp of mainstream, and researchers, businesses and universities are already getting themselves quantum ready

What is life? The question was posed by famous theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger, and now advances in quantum mechanics could help provide the answer

The quantum revolution is coming, and it’s taken some big leaps of thinking from some of the biggest minds of the 20th century to get us to this point.

Quantum computing can be a challenging concept to get your head around - could you explain it?

Quantum computing could stream-line financial calculations, optimise the workings of complex systems like logistical networks and enhance artificial intelligence. So how hard can it be?

Much of quantum computing exists primarily in theory. Quantum sensing, however, is already here

Advanced digital imaging has ‘virtually dissected’ the Derwent River Seastar, confirming it as a new but extinct species without harming remaining precious specimens

Two Faculty of Science academics received AOs in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours list for distinguished service.

The University of Melbourne has partnered with the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) and the City of Melbourne on a research project to retrofit the building that houses the office of the Victorian Premier with a green roof.

Professors Kerry Landman, David Balding and David Karoly are among six new fellows elected from the University of Melbourne

New experiments and mathematical modelling reveal that bacteria swimming in the oceans are supremely evolved to detect and move towards hard-to-find nutrients

Five of the finalists will be awarded $A10 million each to fund projects that address an area of social need.

The BioInspiration Seed Funding Competition is designed to have teams develop creative, nature-inspired solutions to global/ practical/ human technological and design challenges.

Professor Paul Mulvaney will lead a project to develop flexible graphene electronics after successfully receiving funding from the Australia-China Science Research Fund (ACSRF).

This is the highest award of the SSR and given in recognition of a career of research and scholarly activities in the field of reproductive biology

Thanks to the generosity of Biotech pioneer Peter Turner, the transformative Early Career Overseas Research Grants are giving emerging scientists like Dr Rebecca Morris the opportunity to develop their research in depth with other leading scientists and institutions around the world.

The prize recognises his work in NMR spectroscopy, which can be applied to design, optimisation and processes in research and industrial sectors.

There have been more than 50 formal inquiries into bushfire management in south-eastern Australia since 1939, but what lessons have we learned?

Working with juvenile in vitro embryo (JIVET) production, Bethany’s research could help maximise the offspring from an individual cow over her lifetime.

Kim-Anh Lê Cao, Stephen Leslie and Lars Goerigk have been acknowledged with awards from the Australian Academy of Science in recognition of their research and contributions to their scientific fields.

Professor Lesley Head from the School of Geography and Professor Linda Blackall from the School of BioSciences were on the Australian Academy of Science expert panel that reported that insufficient flows and poor management led to the massive fish kills in the Darling River this summer.

Australia’s Nullarbor caves are a precious time machine to millions of years ago, and crucial to understanding our future climate. So, why aren’t they World Heritage listed?

Nine members of the diverse Melbourne Science alumni community have been given Australia Day Honours.

Scientists are calling for a herbicide banned in the European Union for the last 15 years to be withdrawn in Australia for its effect on male fertility

Although scientific evidence says the Earth is a sphere orbiting the Sun, there are some people around who still think our planet is flat... and social media plays a role

A new drug delays motor neurone disease progression and improves cognitive and clinical symptoms according to trial results announced by a spin-out company from the Florey and University of Melbourne.

The Bushfire and National Hazards CRC and its predecessors have been supporting research in the Faculty of Science since 2013. Recently, the BNHCR gave funding for three projects out of the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences.

Researchers have discovered a ‘blind spot’ in atomic force microscopy – a powerful tool capable of measuring the force between two atoms, imaging the structure of individual cells and the motion of biomolecules.

The Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS) has awarded Professor Peter Taylor its highest honour, the George Szekeres Medal, and Dr Nicholas Beaton, Professor Jan De Gier, and Professor Tony Guttmann were awarded the prize for best paper.

Faculty of Science researchers will share in more than $12 million dollars of funding from the latest ARC round of grants.

Dr Roslyn Hickson has been recognised with the Victorian Young Tall Poppy Science Award for her research using mathematical modelling to predict the spread of disease.

In 2019 the Faculty of Science is launching a tiered mentoring program for all Bachelor of Science students. A key component of this is The First Year Mentoring Experience, a peer mentoring program designed to support commencing Bachelor of Science students as they transition into tertiary study.

Greater freedom of movement and investments in human rights and social opportunities can help protect humans from environmental threats like rising sea levels, new research says.

Dr Hall was one of six early career researchers awarded a 2018 Victoria Fellowship in Physical Sciences by VESKI at an awards ceremony on 24 October.

Ms Harcourt was honoured for her seminal work in integer linear programming and other contributions to the mathematical and statistical sciences.

Some Australian birds can control their temperature and avoid overheating by reflecting near-infrared wavelengths of sunlight, regardless of their feather colour

As the Hubble Space Telescope prepares to mark its 30th year, what can we expect from its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope?

A new software tool predicts landslide boundaries two weeks before they happen

Associate Professor Stephen Leslie, Dr Damjan Vukcevic and Dr Allan Motyer are part of the team that has published the world’s largest genetic study on humans.

Ms Alison Harcourt, an 88 year-old statistician who works at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, was featured on the ABC 7.30 program on Monday night.

Senator for Victoria, James Paterson, launched the new ARC Training Centre for Chemical Industries at the University of Melbourne on Friday 21 September.

Seven University of Melbourne staff members and associates have been selected to participate in the Homeward Bound global leadership initiative for women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine).

Associate Professor Wai-Hong Tham has been awarded the 2018 David Syme Research Prize - one of Australia’s oldest annual research awards - for her work towards a malaria vaccine.

This is the first time I participated in the 3MT contest and I am amazed by how much I have learned in the process. Based on feedback from the judges and other participants, my talk has “evolved” a lot during the three rounds of competition. I feel like I have gained a great amount of clarity about my research, and this is very useful for my career and my PhD.

From 2 – 11 July 2018, the Faculty of Science hosted a group of students and a travelling academic from the College of Environmental Science & Engineering at Peking University for a week-long study tour.

Professor Karen Day, Professor David Gardner, and Professor Stuart Wyithe from the Faculty of Science have been awarded the title of Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor by the University of Melbourne.

Some of the technological innovations of 2017 sound more like sci-fi, but according to the brains behind a few of them, the future is still full of surprises