Welcome to the 2011 edition of Research Review

Researchers from the University of Melbourne and its partners are engaged in finding solutions to some of the world’s great challenges while simultaneously enlarging our knowledge of a more fundamental nature. We are not only making previously unrecognised connections across different disciplines, but we are also deepening our understanding of all corners of human curiosity. This diversity of activity, characteristic of a comprehensive University, creates a perennial challenge in presenting what we stand for and what we want to communicate in our annual Research Review. We are acutely aware that our researchers in the arts, humanities, and sciences make a substantial contribution to the changing landscape of our society. Each of them could justify a whole tome of their own. But our aim is to give a flavour of the University’s endeavours, reflecting our purpose and mission. So this edition of Research Review, building on our past reports, provides a selective snapshot of research across a range of disciplines. The aim is to illustrate how we seek to be relevant to individuals and to society. We have tried to depict our efforts towards a deeper understanding of the challenges we face, big and small, fundamental and pragmatic at the same time as highlighting some of the creativity, innovation and professional excellence that the University offers. In compiling this snapshot we recognise the huge importance of our graduate researchers, embarked on PhD and Masters studies, devoting their most precious years to fuel the creation of new knowledge and discovery.

Some highlights of this review include:

Stem cell research: Though it’s still early days, research into stem cell biology has captured the imagination of the public like few sciences before it. Recognising the University’s leadership, the Australian Research Council (ARC) has awarded Melbourne and its partners $21M to establish Stem Cells Australia.

HIV: There are more than 33 million people worldwide living with HIV. The latest research investigating immunity to HIV could develop a vaccine to better target human antibodies against the disease.

Musical futures: A challenge in musical education is how to encourage more music learning in schools. Research from the Faculty of VCA and Music may hold the answer, which could lie in understanding students’ belief in their own abilities.

Making sure it’s fair: The wellbeing of more than eight million Australian employees is underpinned by statutory workplace entitlements. Melbourne law researchers are working with the Fair Work Ombudsman to improve the effectiveness of the Australian Government’s employment standards.

In addition to these articles, there are vignettes intended to highlight research across a broad spectrum of disciplines including education; humanities; the arts (including performing arts); music; land and environment; architecture, building and planning; veterinary science; engineering; business and economics; law; and medicine, dentistry and health sciences.

The stories mostly address some newer research areas that are works in progress. They ultimately illustrate our vision of being a globally engaged, comprehensive research-intensive university uniquely positioned to respond to major social, economic and environmental challenges.

To understand the University’s performance we have included some statistics on the University’s research activity that are drawn from nationally collected data as well as international rankings.

The review alludes to the achievements of some of our affiliated partners and we could write a book on these if space permitted. Suffice to say, the University is privileged to anchor a much wider academic community than that within its own boundaries, embracing medical research institutes, hospitals, industry partnerships, CRCs, public institutions and many specialist research centres. We are deeply indebted to these partnerships for their contribution to the achievements and international reputation of the University.

This modest cross-section of our research is intended to be stimulating and illuminating.

I hope you will find some inspiration in this Research Review as it celebrates the breadth and commitment of our researchers.

Professor James McCluskey
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research