The 2010 Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award winners:
• Professor Stuart Bunn from the Australian Rivers Institute for the category Award for research leadership
• Professor Alfred Lam from the Griffith Health Institute for the category Award for excellence of an individual mid-career or senior researcher
• Quantum information science team, led by Professor Howard Wiseman, at the Centre for Quantum Dynamics for the category Award for excellence of a research group or team
• Dr Keith Townsend from the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing for the category Award for excellence in an early career researcher.
The awards aim to recognise researchers in all stages of their careers and provide funding of up to $15,000 to support their research. Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O'Connor said the nominees had made outstanding contributions to their disciplines. "These awards play an important role in recognising our researchers' hard work and celebrating their outstanding achievements," Professor O'Connor said. "Griffith University's research income, publications and impact have significantly increased in the past decade as a result of our exceptional researchers." Today, the University ranks among Australia's top 10 research universities, based on analysis of the Excellence in Research for Australia 2010 National Report for the number of fields of research assessed as meeting world standard or better at both the two and four-digit levels.
The University was also ranked seventh in Australia and 30th in the Asia-Pacific region in the prestigious Nature Publishing Index 2010 released in March this year. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Ned Pankhurst said the award winners were selected from a shortlist of highly performing researchers nominated by their peers. "Congratulations to all nominees for standing out in a high performing research institution," Professor Pankhurst said. "This is a significant year for Griffith as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formal creation of the University." The Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award recipients were presented with their awards at a ceremony at the Queensland College of Art, South Bank on 12 May.
Pictured from left: Alfred Lam, Stuart Bunn, Keith Townsend and Howard Wiseman