Faculty of Arts academics have recently been recognised through a multitude of successful grants, visiting fellowships and King’s Birthday honours.
GRANTS
Macquarie Research Acceleration Scheme (MQRAS) 2024 outcomes
The following Faculty of Arts submissions have been accepted in the 2024 Macquarie Research Acceleration Scheme (MQRAS).
This project will critically examine recent urban planning reforms that aim to increase housing supply in response to Australia’s housing crisis. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, it will interrogate how and why planning reform has become accepted as the primary mechanism for addressing the housing crisis, how planning reform affects the quantity and geography of housing supply, and the extent to which the NSW Government’s current round of reform will increase housing supply in well-located areas. The project fills a vital gap by testing claims about the relationships between planning and housing supply, providing insights for policy makers, communities, and researchers ($47,915).
This project seeks to explore the practice of painter Peter Neilson, a significant figure in the Australian art scene, through a proof-of-concept film that delves into his engagement with historical themes, societal narratives, and spatial geographies. It aims to transcend traditional art documentation, employing hybrid documentary techniques to highlight Neilson's unique approach. The MQRAS will support pre-production, production, and initial dissemination efforts, setting the stage for attracting external funding for a feature documentary and a symposium that fosters dialogue across art, history, philosophy, and film, ensuring the project’s contribution to both cultural and academic discourse on art’s impact on society ($50,000).
This pilot project aims to discover urgently needed knowledge regarding the dynamics of police pursuits in New South Wales. Despite the frequency and seriousness of police pursuits, little research exists about them within the Australian context. With rare access to aerial footage, the project will scope and analyse the key dimensions of pursuits. Through in-depth interviews and an audio-documentary, the project will build understanding regarding the lived experiences of police and how they cognitively imagine pursuits. The resulting research will enable police to better predict and manage the dynamics of pursuits, thus better ensuring public safety as well as the safety of the offending-driver ($41,283).
Early Career Research Enabling Scheme (EES)
Seven early career researchers from the Faculty of Arts have recently been awarded micro-funding to enhance their research prospects and career development. Congratulations to the following recipients:
Signe Duff (Macquarie School of Education)
Dr Madeline Taylor (Macquarie Law School)
AWARDS
The Aboriginal Legal Career Pathways Program, a partnership between Macquarie University, Legal Aid NSW, the Djurali Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research and Education and TAFE NSW, has been awarded the 2024 TAFE NSW Gili Industry Partnership Award. The program offers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people an opportunity to gain employment with Legal Aid NSW while they complete legal studies at TAFE. Those who wish to continue their studies are provided a supported pathway into tertiary education at Macquarie University Law School.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Visiting Scholars
Associate Professor Kate Rossmanith, from the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature, has been awarded a Visiting Scholar position at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Life-Writing in the first quarter of 2025. Dr Rossmanith plans to advance her research on the ways in which first-person narration in hybrid fiction is, and might be, conceptualised and imagined.
Professor Louise D’Arcens, Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation, has been selected for a month-long visit as a Visiting Professor at the École normale supérieure (ENS) de Lyon. Professor D’Arcens will be based in the Centre for History, Archaeology, and Literature of the Medieval Christian and Muslim Worlds (CIHAM), which is a nationally funded centre.
King’s Birthday honours
Judith Kathleen King received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to secondary education. Ms King was a member of the Teacher Education Program (English and History) at Macquarie University between 1980-1982 and 1984-1985.
Mr Talal Yassine was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to business, and to the community. Mr Yassine is an Adjunct Fellow at Macquarie Law School.