ANU congratulates new Future Fellows

Dr Peter Solomon is one of the new Future Fellows from ANU. Photo by Belinda Pratten.

ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young has congratulated the 203 researchers around the nation announced today as Future Fellows, particularly the 26 recipients from The Australian National University.

The Future Fellowships program administered by the Australian Research Council (ARC), aims to promote the best research in areas of national importance by giving grants to the country’s best and brightest mid-career researchers. The awards were announced today by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

This year, 26 ANU researchers have been announced as Future Fellows. Together, they will receive funding to the value of $18.2 million. This is up from last year, when ANU secured 25 Future Fellowships to the value of just under $17.3 million. This year ANU has secured more fellowships, and more funding, than any other university. The University had a 42.6 per cent success rate with grant applications.

"I wholeheartedly congratulate all of the Future Fellows announced today," said Professor Young. "The work that they will be undertaking is essential to the future prosperity of the nation, and the breadth of areas being researched shows the fantastic depth of talent at Australia’s universities."

ANU also secured 30 Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA) worth over $11.2 million. These awards are each worth $375,000 over three years, with funding to commence in 2012.

"I congratulate the 26 researchers from ANU given fellowships and 30 researchers given Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards. The Future Fellows are involved in everything from helping us understand how to reduce time pressures so that we can all be more healthy, to shining a light on how consumer waste is impacting on developing countries. The DECRA recipients are involved in everything from analysing state violence in Thailand to understanding how rural Australians have adapted to drought over the last two centuries," said Professor Young.

"The work that our Future Fellows and DECRA winners will be undertaking will contribute to public and policy understanding across a wide range of issues.

"These two programs ensure that both early career and mid-career researchers have the funds they need to continue their work in Australia, and show that the government is serious about building a knowledge society.

"I congratulate all of the recipients from ANU and look forward to seeing the outcome of their research in the years to come," he added.