"Australia's universities are paying external consultants and contractors an estimated $1.8 billion a year without disclosing which firms they are hiring and what the money is being spent on."
Call me crazy, but I feel like there are better uses for that money... 4 Corners tonight sounds like […]
Australia has among the lowest share of spending on R & D the OECD at 1.69% in 2023-24. This is from a peak of 2.24% of GDP in 2008-09.
Let's hope the recommendations in this report actually catalyse change in the crumbling research sector
@aunz.theconversation.com
#auspol #scipol #ausacademia
Flinders has a great Indigenous-identified position advertised. Wide appointment opportunity (level A to C) in the Natural Sciences.
#AcademicChatter #AusAcademia […]
The Australian Government research funding system is broken. We would be better off having a lottery than wasting our time and money spending weeks on writing a grant that attracts positive feedback but fails to succeed.
Sorry to all who received shit news today
#NHMRC #AusAcademia #AcademicChatter
The 2026 Australian of the Year, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, said "people were stepping away from STEM" and "encouraged Australians to have the same 'give it a go' attitude towards science and maths as they did sport".
If STEM were as well funded or paid as sports...
#AcademicChatter #AusAcademia
Be careful what you name your projects!
I'm looking at the social and economic burden of AMR, so I named my project "Burden".
I'm telling you it's definitely feeling like one! It's been two years and I don't even have all the data for part 1 of the project.
#AcademicChatter #AusAcademia #EpiSky
100% this!!!
Love the idea of a lottery, because that's literally how the #NHMRC in Australia appears
I'm going to a PitchFest next month where 10 researchers get 3 minutes to do their elevator pitch to a room of philanthropists. Fingers crossed I get some monies 🤞🏼
#AcademicChatter #AusAcademia
According to Web of Science, I just hit 100 citations!
Whilst this is pittance compared to others, to me it feels like I am a real scientist now.
Let's see how quickly it takes to get me to 500...
#AcademicChatter #AusAcademia #PublishOrPerish
Exciting news - there's a spot open in the #IDepi team at @thekidsau.bsky.social !
Prof Chris Blyth is looking for a Research Officer to work on influenza research
1-year initial contract based in Perth
Slight bias (my team/boss) but it's a fantastic opportunity!
#EpiSky #AcademicSky #AusAcademia
The #AusCDC has #researchgrants available for those investigating BBV and STIs
The grants will fund research activities to continue building the evidence base and support work to reduce the spread and impact of STIs
Applications close Feb 10
#AusAcademia #IDEpi #EpiSky #MedSky #MicroSky
It's really cool how we get to watch Australian higher ed crumble in real time. It's not like having a highly-educated populace benefits the nation, or anything 🙃
#AusAcademia #HigherEd #AcademicChatter #AusPol […]
A bar chart of ARC Future Fellowship Participation and success rates. The chart shows that women had lower participation than men for all fields except the humanities, but higher success rates than men in all fields.
ARC Future Fellowships announced today. Grim picture for Quaternary science, with 2 funded projects (by my count, I guess this depends on how you define Quaternary science!).
This graph on gender disparity is quite eye-opening. Women were under-represented […]
[Original post on fediscience.org]
Forest Research Foundation postdoctoral fellowships are open for th 2026 round. 3-yr research positions with housing and research support, can be held at any Western Australian Uni. Open to international applicants […]
AINSE PGRA scholarship applications are now open. I was lucky enough to get a PGRA during my PhD (and, later, an ECRG during my last postdoc), and the support was invaluable. Highly recommend applying!
https://www.ainse.edu.au/postgraduate/
#AcademicChatter #AusAcademia
A schematic titled Actionable Points for Systemic Improvement (Colours refer to The Vicious Cycle). The schematic has 3 columns, coloured blue, green, and red. The first is titlted: For Government to action. The second is titlted: For universities to reform The third is titlted: For individuals to action if institutions and governments do nothing There are 5 things for governments to action: 1. Decouble research and teaching funding 2. Fund national research hubs 3. Revise block grant allocations 4. Support early career researchers and professors 5. Increase base university funding. There are 5 things for universities to action 1. Reform internal metrics and KPIs 2. Empower leadership through training 3. Allocate resources for mental health support. 4.Reduce administrative overload 5. Promote cross sector mobility. There are 5 things for individuals to action 1. Focus on mental health 2. Explore alternative career paths 3. Build peer support networks 5. Seek work-life balance 6. Advocate for change
soilinsights.com/resources/f/breaking-poi...
Good blog on the state of the Australian university system from a former insider. I really like this figure, and its clear suggestions for individuals. (1/2)
#AcademicChatter #HigherEd #AusAcademia
