Scroll down for the 2026 ATSE fellows.
James Armit starts this week as UTS’s head of curriculum management and student opps. He moved from Uni Melbourne.
Jake Ball becomes Dean of Dentistry and Oral Health at Charles Sturt U. It is an internal appointment.
Megan Cassidy-Welch is now Interim VC at University of Divinity. She steps up from its research strategy dean.
Simon Luke Robinson Burke (Australian University of Theology) is awarded the Australian Academy of the Humanities Translation Medal. It is for his translation of a 13th century Middle Arabic text.
Charles Cox (Victor Chang CRI/UNSW) wins the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences’ Jian Zhou Medal for research on how cells sense physical forces.
The Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities has a new board. Lori Lockyer (QUT) is president. William Fish (Massey U-Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is VP. Deborah Gare (Murdoch U) stays as treasurer and Kate Nash (Uni Newcastle) is the new secretary. New and continuing board members are Martin Drum (Uni Notre Dame Australia), Katherine Johnson (RMIT), Michael Ondaatje (Griffith U), James Verdon (Swinburne U),
Nathan Wise (Uni New England).
Toni Erskine (ANU) takes the 2026 Jeffrey Grey Distinguished Chair at the Australian Defence College for her work on “AI in the military domain.”
Carolyn Evans started Monday as VC of Uni Melbourne, she moved from Griffith U.
Tanya Fitzgerald (Uni WA) becomes a Distinguished Fellow of the British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society.
Rory Gallagher announces he will start November 9 at UTS, as Director of its Institute for Public Policy and Governance. He moves from independent policy organisation, Amplify.
David Kellermann (ex UNSW) becomes Microsoft’s Director of Higher Education (Asia).
Briony Lewis step up to Interim DVC, University Services at Deakin U, from ED, Assurance.
Bev Muhlhausler will start in January as Associate DVC R, at Torrens U. She is now CSIRO’s Principal Research Scientist, Public Health and Wellbeing.
Tom Poletti (Swinburne U) is the Australian winner of the 2026 James Dyson Award, for Clear Step, a cane for blind navigation with “improved spatial awareness via hazard detection and intuitive tactile feedback.”
Fiona Wood (Uni WA) is awarded a Royal Society Royal Medical C (aka the King’s Medal) from the Royal Society (as in the original Royal Society).
Damien Valente started this week at Open Universities Australia’s Partner Success Lead, he was previously Vic/ACT account manager for Clarivate.
Danielle Woolley is appointed CEO of the Australian Public Policy Institute, moving from UTS.
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering announces new fellows.
Nathaniel Bindoff (Uni Tasmania) Kay Blades (Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Water Interests) Alec Cameron (RMIT) Fang Chen (UTS) Nanda Dasgupta (ANU) Tanya de Hoog (Aurecon) Fariba Dehghani (Uni Sydney) Chris Downs (Uni Queensland) Amanda Ellis (Uni Melbourne) Michael Farrell (Resmed)
Lan Fu (ANU) Rebecca Gravina (Uni Queensland) Ben Hayes (Uni Queensland) Parwinder Kaur (MLC, WA) Melita Keywood (CSIRO) Robin Khuda (Air Trunk) Glenn King (Ifensa Bioscience) Grant King (Transgrid) Karl Kruszelnicki (science communicator)
Simon Lucey (Adelaide Uni) Graciela Metternicht (Western Sydney U) Elisa Mokany (SpeeDx) Jian-Feng Nie FTSE (Monash U) Nick Opie (Ultra Bionics Pty Ltd) Katherine Richards (Engineers Australia) Flora Salim FTSE Uni NSW) Kate Smith-Miles (Uni Melbourne) Mark Stickells (Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre)
Rajeev Varshney (Murdoch U) Xingjin Wang (Denison Gas) Liz Westcott (Woodside Energy) Graham Wren (Uni Strathclyde) Chunxia Zhao (Adelaide University)
Liming Zhu (CSIRO)