ARC awards $10.1m for Sydney Univ. research projects

07 / 11 / 2020

By Marwa Nassar - -

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has through its Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme awarded a total of $10.1 million for research projects of 24 academics of Sydney University.

Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the projects are covering a broad range of areas, including the gig economy, mental health treatment and gendered violence in schools.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Duncan Ivison welcomed the announcement and congratulated recipients, pointing to a high success rate among Sydney applicants.

“It’s pleasing to see our success rate for these awards is 23%, the highest among the Go8 universities. This highlights not only the talent of our up-and-coming researchers, but also the support from our professional staff in helping academics reach their potential.

“My congratulations to the recipients and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this valuable research,” said Professor Ivison. “I know there are also some very good projects that didn’t get funded this round and we look forward to working with colleagues on those for upcoming ones.”

Among the recipients are Dr Carolyn McKay, from the University of Sydney Law School, who will examine the impact of digital technologies, such as audio visual links replacing physical presence in courtrooms, on vulnerable members of society, as well as Dr Milad Haghani, from the University of Sydney Business School, who will develop materials to assist in rapidly and safely evacuating crowds in mass emergencies.

Sydney’s 2021 DECRA recipients include Dr Behnam Akhavan of the Faculty of Science, Dr Gareth Bryant of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Jianguang Fang of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Rosemary Grey of the University of Sydney Law School, Dr Milad Haghani of the University of Sydney Business School, Dr Ryan Holmes of the Faculty of Science, Dr Amandeep Kaur of the Faculty of Medicine and Health, Dr Mert Kimya of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Wei Li of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Sinan Li of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Carolyn McKay of the University of Sydney Law School, Dr Mohammad Mirkhalaf of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Barnaby Norris of the Faculty of Science, and Dr Charlotte Petersen of the Faculty of Science.

The list of recipients also comprise Dr Mohsen Ramezani of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Victoria Rawlings of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Changyang She of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Yevgeny Stadnik of the Faculty of Science, Dr Josh Stenberg of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Emma Tseris of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr Alex Veen of the University of Sydney Business School, Dr Xuehang Wang of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr Sophie Webber of the Faculty of Science, and Dr Sabin Zahirovic of the Faculty of Science.