Join us in congratulating Professor Lesley Hughes and Professor Peter Nelson on their appointments to the newly established Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) positions in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) portfolio.

“The establishment of these roles ensures the realisation of Macquarie’s long-term research aspirations,” said Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretoruis.

As the new Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Integrity and Development), Professor Hughes will help sustain and grow our research profile through the development of research capability and the promotion of research integrity.

“Lesley’s track record as a research leader and expert in her field make her an excellent candidate for this position, while her outstanding communication skills were acknowledged nationally recently when she received the 2014 Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Australian Science Research,” said Professor Pretorius.

As Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Performance and Innovation), Professor Nelson will help us sustain and grow our research profile through the development and implementation of strategies to facilitate research innovation, build research capacity and optimise our research assessment and metrics capabilities.

“Peter’s extensive career as research leader, and his proven track record leading our submission to the Excellence in Research Australia initiative is proof positive that he will provide invaluable insight and leadership as we move into the next phase of research excellence,” said Professor Pretorius.

The new Pro Vice-Chancellor positions are 0.5 full-time equivalent, and both Professors Hughes and Nelson will continue to remain active as leading researchers in their fields.

“I look forward to working with both Peter and Lesley as we transition from our first 50 years of research excellence, to the next decade and beyond of world-leading research with world-changing impact. This is a very exciting time as we begin to realise the aspirations of the soon to be released Research Framework White Paper.”

We asked Professors Hughes and Nelson a number of questions about their academic backgrounds, aspirations for the new roles and the challenges that lie ahead.

Professor Lesley Hughes, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) Integrity and Development

What’s the elevator pitch/layman’s version of your academic background and expertise?
I started out as a behavioural ecologist, but more than 20 years ago became interested and concerned about the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems. I’ve been in that field ever since. Once immersed in climate change science it’s really hard to imagine doing anything else – it is the greatest social, economic and environmental challenge of our time.

Why did you choose that discipline?
I was an animal lover who spent most of my childhood catching things in jars. It was a natural progression.

What attracted you to Macquarie?
I was working at Sydney University as a tutor, having graduated with an Honours degree in Science there. My boss at the time, Jan Mercer, was married to Frank Mercer who had been the founding professor in Biological Sciences at Macquarie. Frank strongly encouraged me to investigate Macquarie as a potential place to enrol in a PhD. I visited the campus and liked what I saw. Except for a couple of years as a postdoc in the US I have been here ever since.

What do you hope to achieve in the new role?
Over the past few years I have progressively moved from focusing on my own hands-on research, toward facilitating a broader research effort. I see the PVCR role as a natural extension of that evolution. I am also a passionate believer in engagement with the community and policy makers. In climate change this is not just stepping outside the ivory tower, it’s more like throwing oneself from the battlements. But it’s also incredibly rewarding and I would like to help and encourage others to take up the types of opportunities I have had over the past decade.

What do you see as the opportunities and challenges for Macquarie in the next 5 to 10 years?
The new Executive team has articulated some extremely exciting but challenging aspirational targets for Macquarie over the next decade. Achieving these goals whilst still maintaining sanity, work/life balance, and enthusiasm is a worthy target. I’m excited to have the opportunity to help.

Professor Peter Nelson, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) Performance and Innovation

What’s the elevator pitch/layman’s version of your academic background and expertise?
My PhD was in Physical Chemistry from the University of Sydney but my research has been largely in applied areas related to the environmental issues associated with energy production and use. The energy sector is not only the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, but also to air pollutants such as oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, and fine particles with significant health impacts. I have been interested in developing techniques to determine the contributions of different sources to these pollutants, and hence in advising on techniques to reduce population exposure to them. In recent years I have developed a program of research on mercury, a toxic trace metal with a variety of industrial sources, and long-standing use in industrial processes and commercial products. In 2013 the United Nations agreed on a Convention for mercury management and my research contributed to Australia’s understanding of this issue.

Why did you choose that discipline?
I had competing interests as a student in both science and the humanities. I could see a productive career pathway in the science but continued a parallel interest in the humanities by pursuing a BA at Macquarie in English Literature.

What attracted you to Macquarie?
As I said I had been a student at Macquarie and was an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of the Environment (GSE) and the School of Chemistry for about 10 years before I was appointed to a Chair in Environmental Studies. I was attracted to the inter-disciplinary approach to learning and teaching, and research as practised in the GSE, and its agenda of developing practitioners and researchers who were interested in developing skills and expertise in critical thinking and broad appreciation of the complex nature of environmental issues.

What do you hope to achieve in the new role?
I’d like to play a key role in enabling Macquarie to achieve its full potential in research excellence and impact. I hope that this achievement can extend to scholarship and research in many disciplines, and my background and interests should help facilitate this.

What do you see as the opportunities and challenges for Macquarie in the next 5 to 10 years?
Any analysis of the higher education landscape suggests: increasing challenges and opportunities driven by an intense global competition for students and funding; increased desirability by students and governments for international experience in higher education and the global mobility that accompanies those aspirations; significantly enhanced need to engage and integrate the research portfolios in universities with industry; and the expectations of government, industry and community for increased and demonstrable research impact. Macquarie is well positioned to respond to these challenges based on our history of research-informed learning and excellence in research, but needs to think more strategically and to focus its efforts on areas with good prospects of impact on beneficial, broadly-based outcomes.