Expert to talk at UQ on science research management

An international expert will discuss the importance of research management and science communication at The University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus next week.

The free public lecture, as part of a series for the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (ATSE), will be held on Thursday October 6 at 6pm in UQ’s Senate Room, Level 5, Brian Wilson Chancellery.

Professor Margaret Gill is the Chief Executive and Director of Research at the Macaulay Institute in Scotland.

With a background in agricultural science, Professor Gill has worked in both public and private research agencies and has extensive experience globally in research and development.

Her talk is entitled Managing Science for Application: An Exploration of the Management and Communication of Science.

Change in organisational structures and accountability for research outcomes are common themes for public research enterprises globally.

This is seen in Australia through a drive for accountability in research quality in the Australian Research Council and in universities through the Federal Government’s Research Quality Framework.

Professor Gill will draw on her current experience in Scotland to explore the management and communication of science. Scottish institutes are threatened by a number of scenarios from placing them in universities to merging institutes. Literature on science management is emerging.

She will reflect on how research proposals are communicated to the public and on the value of government funding for science research.

For more information, contact UQ’s Sharon Mathiesen (3365 3885, sharonm@cheque.uq.edu.au).