The Professor of Criminology will formally start the role on Monday, January 29, serving as VC and president designate until then.

Prior to her appointment she was deputy vice-chancellor of education and senior vice-president from July 2021, where she led the university's 2022-30 education plan, and was promoted to acting provost and senior vice-president in August 2023.

Previous to that, she was the dean of arts at the University, and taught humanities and social sciences to students using her expertise in criminal justice and refugee law, migration, human rights law and sex trafficking.

Professor Pickering was invited by Education Minister Jason Clare to serve on the Gender-Based Violence Reference Group for the Australian Universities Accord after she led discussions about sexual assault and harassment on campuses.

The professor founded Monash's Border Crossing Observatory, a hub for NGOs, criminologists and researchers to examine border crossings and migration in a human-centered way.

During her time as dean, Professor Pickering formed the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, along with other hubs funded to research climate change and family violence.

Professor Pickering said she will aim to lead the university as one holistic body.

"I see the collective and individual efforts of everyone in the Monash community," she said.

"When we all come together – the researchers, the educators, the students, alumni and staff – we can do great things, supported by our many external stakeholders.

"My commitment is to lead Monash with energy, and in service of the University, our local and global communities to create a joyful place to study, work and create meaningful lasting change."

Executive search firm Perrett Laver started an international search for the Monash's new leader after the former VC, Professor Margaret Gardner AC, resigned to become Victoria’s 30th governor in July.

Professor Gardner was in the role for nine years, and was temporarily replaced by Susan Elliot AM as interim chief.

Any First Nation student completing a science, technology, engineering or maths degree (STEM) in an Australian university could apply to be in the first NISA cohort earlier this year.

The successful applicants, selected on academic merit, are:

• Ngarrindjeri man Linden Beaumont, Monash University
• Kamilaroi woman Cedar Lett, Griffith University
• Palawa man Edward (Ted) Vanderfeen, Western Sydney University (WSU)
• Limilngan and Mudburra man Lincoln Bourke, University of Sydney
• Gundungurra woman Tully Mahr, University of Melbourne (UoM)
• Tharawal woman Renee Wootton, University of New South Wales and Monash University

Due to a timetable clash, Ms Wootton is completing the internship in the near future. The remaining five flew out in August after completing a space bootcamp, training in aerodynamics, robotics, astrophysics and planetary science.

They are currently being mentored by a NASA scientist or engineer at the JPL site, and are participating in space missions, rovers, robotics for unexplored ocean worlds, robot perception control, AI and path planning projects.

WSU engineering student Ted Vanderfeen said his favourite part of the internship so far has been choosing what Aussie music NASA plays as an alarm clock on Mars.

"A tradition here at the [JPL] is to play a wake up song in the operations centre from which the Perseverance Rover [on Mars] is controlled,' he said.

"The rover operates on Martian days (known as Sols), so it will ‘sleep’ during the night, and drive and run experiments during the daytime.

"I got to meet an Australian-born engineer that works within the operations centre, and he asked me to recommend Australian artists to ‘wake up’ the Perseverance Rover and the NASA Engineers in the operations centre."

Mr Vanderfeen said he is keen to bring his knowledge back to Australia to continue a career in the space sector, and learn how to better the lives of people on Earth using technological advancements developed for space.

UoM student Tully Mahr said she applied to the internship because she has always been interested in space exploration, especially at NASA.

"During this internship, I've had the privilege of interacting with many inspiring individuals who are not only experts in their respective fields, but also some of the brightest minds on the planet," Ms Mahr said.

"Engaging in conversations and receiving mentorship from these remarkable people has undoubtedly been the highlight of my experience."

Head of NISA, Wadjak/Ballardong Noongar man and Monash professor Christopher Lawrence said the pioneering cohort is making Australia proud, representing our STEM learning overseas.

"These amazing young Indigenous STEM students will be working on ongoing NASA projects, including ocean exploration vehicles and characterising the microorganisms within the International Space Station," Professor Lawrence said at the NISA announcement.

"It is incredible that we are able to empower our Indigenous youth to learn from the best in the world so we can nurture Australian capabilities in space research, and ultimately it would be great to see NISA produce the world’s first Aboriginal astronaut."

The Australian Space Agency supports the program, hoping to expand Australia's knowledge of First Nations people and build an Indigenous STEM workforce through the program.

"These students are going to be exposed to cutting-edge space missions and will develop knowledge and skills they can bring home to our space and tech community," Mr Palermo said.

"As we continue to grow our space sector here at home, we have an opportunity to do that in a uniquely Australian way by embracing thousands of years of First Nations knowledge in making sense of the land, by looking to the sky."

The Thrive smartphone app was rolled out to the Monash community – providing mental health support in response to the challenges and needs reported by students throughout Victoria’s pandemic lockdowns.

Developed by Thrive researchers at the Turner Institute, and co-designed by students, the app encourages users to check in daily, be more aware of their feelings, and identify if they’re struggling.

Turner Institute director and Thrive co-lead Professor Kim Cornish said the app is unique in Australia because it is a not-for-profit resource that records no student data.

"There are hundreds of mental health apps available via app stores, and unfortunately, many share private health information with third parties without disclosing it," Professor Cornish said.

"Thrive has been developed by a mental health research-trained lab for the community good, with privacy, co-design and evidence-based research baked into the development from day one - and it’s free for all users."

Users can log and monitor trends in their mood and access well-being resources covering topics like dealing with stress, mindfulness and breathing exercises, journaling, and procrastination-fighting tools.

Thrive co-lead and lead researcher Melinda McCabe said the app’s intensive design phase included two clinical trial-type studies, one with over 60 students and another with over 150 students. 

"The main goal of the app is to help students become more aware of their mental health and to seek help early if they need it," Ms McCabe said. 

"We hope all students find something within the app that they benefit from, whether it's the journaling tools called the ‘Wheel of Feels’ or the evidence-based Pomodoro timer to fight procrastination when their workload starts to build."

"We wanted something for everyone."

The Thrive app is available to all Monash students and staff with an active Monash email address and is available for free through all major app stores.

The commission’s full bench last week upheld an earlier commission decision in June which said it was not appropriate to make the change.

Monash had asked the commission to alter the current enterprise agreement to ensure that “associated” consultations with students by casual lecturers and tutors following a lecture or tutorial – “for example, within a week before or after the relevant tutorial but prior to the next tutorial” – would not attract extra payment.

However the full bench refused, although it did concede the wording of the enterprise agreement was “ambiguous and uncertain”.

Last week’s decision clears the way for the National Tertiary Education Union to continue a case against Monash University in the Federal Court to force it to give back pay to casual lecturers and tutors for follow up consultations with students that occur at a different time to when the lecture or tutorial takes place.

The NTEU’s Monash University branch president Ben Eltham said the university had not been paying casual academics for extra consultations with students even when these were scheduled sessions on a different day to the lecture or tutorial they were associated with.

“Our Federal Court case will now proceed,” he said.

While the union has estimated $9m is owed to casual academics, Dr Eltham said the exact amount was not known.

“We don’t know how may people (are affected), we think its thousands. It affects large numbers of casual academics over a period of years,” he said.

Monash University made its submission to the Fair Work Commission to change the enterprise agreement in October last year, just after the union lodged its case in Federal Court alleging that the university had not paid what was owed to casual academics. The court case has been on hold since, pending the resolution of the fair work case.

“This is the end of the road for Monash’s extraordinary attempt to dodge a wage theft claim,” said NTEU national president Alison Barnes. The union has called a 48 hour strike at the university starting on Monday to back the claim and to support the union’s position in negotiations over a new enterprise agreement.

Monash University said on Friday it would review the Fair Work Commission decision.

“Monash is committed to paying its staff accurately in line with the enterprise agreement and legislation. We want to provide sessional staff and supervisors with clarity on the casual payment rates for student consultation,” it said.

Monash University has previously admitted underpaying its casual academics and, in 2021, repaid $8.6m in lost wages. The underpayments were caused by “inconsistent descriptions of teaching activities”, the university said.

Other universities – including Melbourne, Sydney, RMIT, Newcastle, Charles Sturt, and La Trobe – have also repaid staff amounts in the millions of dollars in lost wages in recent years. The NTEU says the total is over $80m and likely to top $100m.

Former Monash vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner, who stepped down in August to become the Governor of Victoria, wrote in a paper in June that “incorrect payments of casual staff” were due to decentralised hiring practices in universities and “the complex payment schedules that are embedded in EBAs (enterprise bargaining agreements)”.

“Unions and management must recognise that the complexity that has led to the underpayment is a result of the industrial agreement in which both sides are equally complicit,” she wrote.

Monash University researchers interviewed 60 overseas students across Melbourne last year and found nearly half were struggling to afford basic groceries due to skyrocketing living costs and the difficulties of studying and working simultaneously.

The study, conducted by experts at Monash's centre for youth policy and education practice, found overseas students experienced food insecurity at rates nearly three times higher than the rest of the population.

Co-author Professor Lucas Walsh said students were being forced to resort to financial "coping strategies" such as accessing food relief banks or opting for more processed meals.

"International students are strategic and have already developed multiple coping strategies to avoid food insecurity, including adapting their budgets and developing tactics to mitigate the effects of food insecurity," Professor Walsh said. .

"When a crisis like COVID-19 or the cost of living crisis hits, many of these strategies stop working. That's what we need to understand to better support these international students."

According to charity Foodbank Hunger in 2022 about 2 million Australian households ran out of food due to limited finances.

Several studies have shown that food insecurity can severely impact a student's learning capabilities, concentration, and willingness to engage in lectures.

In Victoria, international students represent nearly 40 per cent of the population, with more than 180,000 overseas students living in Melbourne.

While international student numbers are still below pre-pandemic, government data showed that 53,640 students arrived in the country during March, with overseas arrival being 42 per cent higher since January than last year during the same period.

Pre-pandemic research has highlighted that one in four overseas students experiences severe financial stress, causing them to regularly skip meals to pay for tuition, rent and study-related costs.

One Monash survey participant told researchers he didn't "choose what to eat" but his "wallet does".

Another student reported that her relationship with food had changed since she arrived in Australia and ate the "sake of it".

"I don't really enjoy eating nowadays… it's directly showing on my body and my energy levels…[but] I feel I've lost the will to also put in so much effort to cook. And obviously, when you can't have the home food, you miss home even more," a 25-year-old said.

According to co-study author Ms Agrata Mukherjee said for overseas students, food is more than a basic need, "it is an emotion".

"For international students who live far away from home, being able to eat familiar foods is like revisiting their memories - a connection to cultural roots," she said.

Research from Monash University has found a growing number of PhD graduates experience difficulties finding a job due to their lack of communication, time and project management, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Study author Monash University researcher Dr Thanh Pham said there is a "clear misalignment" between the design of a PhD program and the current job market.

"At the moment, universities think that doing a PhDs means becoming an expert and researcher. But only a small minority of PhD graduates become academics," Dr Pham told Campus Review.

"We need to train our staff, our academics to change their mindset about the purpose of PhD and add more professional skills to the degree."

In Australia, more than 10,000 students graduate with a PhD each year, a jump from 4,000 students in 2000.

In 2019, a report on PhD employers found that more than 50 per cent of PhD students intend to work in the public or private sector after their studies.

In her research, Dr Pham interviewed 23 PhD graduates who reported struggling to land a job due to their lack of networks and professional skills.

"During their degree, many PhD students only focus on research, but when they need a job, they can't find one because the labour market is saturated with people who have more connections with the industry and a better understanding of what will be expected from them at work," she said.

"Students did the interviews but could not sell their strengths; the only thing they have is their degree."

Dr Pham said that even when PhD graduates land a position, issues arise on the job as they have difficulties managing their work-life balance, their time-management, constant multitasking and work stress.

In her study, PhD graduates complained about receiving little support universities.

"I applied for more than 50 jobs during the last two years of my degree. I was shortlisted for four positions, but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in all of them." a PhD graduate in a non-STEM course reported.

"I eventually looked at what my peers were doing and why they were able to secure a job, and soon realised it was because they had an extensive list of networks and work experience that they were able to draw on."

According to Dr Pham, supervisors have a responsibility to educate graduates about the labour market and guide them through developing their skills and network.

Universities should also review the length of their PhD programs, she said, as a three-year course is too short for graduates to develop their expertise and find connections in the industry as graduates currently have to rely on their previous degrees to kick-start their careers.

In her paper, she found that PhD students who studied and worked part-time in their field of research while completing the degree had more practical skills and felt more engaged with their research, which helped them find a job after their studies.

She said universities should make their PhD courses more applicable and diverse to increase students' opportunities to develop and practise professional skills.

"All universities should develop some collaboration with industry and offer a PhD internship programmes to help students apply their expertise and develop their professional skills through real-life practises."

Dr Pham said it is important for universities to consider all PhD graduate cohorts and prepare them for various resources for long-term employability.

The Pacific Action for Climate Transitions (PACT) online research centre, launched Friday, will be based across both universities.

The new venture focuses on climate change and its economic impact in the Pacific islands region.

Monash University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Rebekah Brown, said the new centre is the continuity of the university's multiple initiatives in the Pacific launched in the last five years.

"Initiatives such as the World Mosquito program and the RISE program have already made a real difference to the lives of communities throughout the Pacific at the front line of climate change impacts," Professor Brown said.

"The PACT Centre further enhances our capacity to find evidence-based global solutions to the challenges of our changing climate and beyond."

The new international research centre, said to be the first of its kind, follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties in 2022.

Monash researchers will be based in Australia but will periodically travel to Fiji.

Pacific island nations are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

A 2017 report presented at the COP23 predicted an increase in coastal storms and sea levels rising between 17 to 38 cm by 2065, placing 30 per cent of the Fiji population at risk of relocation.

The report said the country would need nearly AUD$7 billion over the next 10 years to reduce its vulnerability to climate change, with upcoming floods and cyclones costing up to 30 per cent higher than current averages.

Head of the Monash Business School Professor Simon Wilkie said Fiji is losing 2.5 per cent of its GDP yearly due to infrastructure damage.

"Much of the focus in research on climate change has been on either understanding the science of it, trying to push forward with mitigation strategies or changing consumer behaviour," he said.

"But what we're focused on is actually: 'How do economies that have been damaged and shocked by climate change already transition going forward and restructure their economy to become more resilient and rebuild that have failed and make them more robust?'"

Professor Wilkie, who grew up in Fiji, said the PACT centre could be "a driving force behind the Pacific's transition to a resilient region in the face of climate change".

The centre has four ongoing projects analysing climate resilience and its connection to wellbeing, climate change policy and environmental changes impact on forests.

Acting Vice-Chancellor of Fiji National University Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba said the effects of climate change in Fiji has influenced the livelihood of many citizens.

"The PACT centre will enable the conduct of evidence-based research in Climate Change by academics from both institutions to inform policies and practice in the field," Professor Nabobo-Baba said.

"Pacific people will gain access to new knowledge that will enable them to address a myriad of climate change issues by research that is conducted for our people, by our people."

For International Women's Day in March, Times Higher Education analysed data from their 2023 World University Rankings.

The publication found that only 48 of the 200 highest ranked global higher education institutions are led by women - a figure that has nearly doubled over the past five years.

In Australia, only two universities in the top 200 were led by female vice-chancellors.

Monash University's VC and former G08 chair Professor Margaret Gardner ranked in ninth place globally.

Appointed to the top job in 2014, Professor Gardner previously held the positions of vice-chancellor and president of RMIT University.

She has previously been Chair of Universities Australia and Museum Victoria.

University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry, who was appointed in 2020, ranked in tenth position.

Professor Terry began her academic career at the University of Queensland during the 90s where she studied psychology, before moving up ranks to become Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2012.

Professor Terry was also Curtin University’s Vice-Chancellor in 2014.

Her passion for tertiary education led her to join Universities Australia as a board member in 2015 before serving as its chair in 2019 for a two-year term. 

In 2015, she was made an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia for her distinguished service to education in the tertiary sector.

While the Times Higher Education ranking noted an increase in women leading universities, half of the universities included in the top 200 were run by men.

Out of the 27 countries included in the ranking, 12 had no women leading higher education institutions.

Globally, the United States had the highest numbers of women leading universities, with 16 institutions out of 58 led by women.

In the UK, eight of the 28 universities in the top 200 were led by women, including Oxford University which ranked first worldwide.

France has the highest percentage of elite universities run by women, with three of the higher education institutions employing women in the top job.

Of the top 200 universities, 10 per cent of female-led institutions were run by women of colour.

Over the past two decades, women have made up more than 50 per cent of the Australian tertiary workforce, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistic.

The number of women in academic leadership positions in Australia has doubled over the last decades, from 15.5 per cent in 2001 to 37 per cent in 2021.

By comparison, women in professional leadership positions grew from 36.7 per cent to 52.8 per cent over the past 20 years.

A Monash researcher was in first place in 31 of the research fields and the university as a whole was the top research institution in 51 fields – over one-fifth of the total.

Major strengths for Monash were the health and medical sciences discipline, where the university led in 24 fields of research, and the business, economics and management discipline where it led in nine fields.

The second most successful university for individual achievement was UNSW whose researchers led in 24 fields of research. UNSW, as an institution, led in 23 fields.

However the University of Queensland beat UNSW in institutional achievement, leading in 32 fields. Its individual researchers were just behind their fellows at UNSW, leading in 23 fields.

The results are in The Australian’s Research 2023 magazine published yesterday. It is the fifth consecutive year that The Australian has listed the top 250 researchers and research institutions, using a data driven approach which is based on the number of citations researchers have received for their publications over the past five years in top academic journals.

The Australian’s partner, talent discovery and research analytics firm League of Scholars, utilised a database of over 77,000 Australian researchers, using big data techniques to examine individual researcher’s performance and thus construct the list.

One of the strengths of the list is its granular examination of research achievement which highlights the work of scholars who would otherwise be likely to be overlooked. In particular, we found researchers outside the big research universities who make major contributions.

One unsung hero is the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Paul Salmon, who is again Australia’s top researcher in the field of quality and reliability, part of the discipline of engineering and computer science.

The Research 2023 magazine also lists the universities and businesses which are best at collaborating with each other on research.

The retired politician, who previously served under the previous Morrison government, will act as an advisor to guide brain and mental health research, treatment and education. 

Hunt said the new position will allow him to continue to work in the mental health space. 

“Mental health is a long standing deep, personal passion,” he said.

“It stems from the family experiences I had growing up where my mother struggled with bipolar.”

Hunt said there is scope to focus on suicide prevention, eating disorder treatment, age-based mental health and Indigenous mental health.

One in two Australian adults experience mental health related issues during their lives, according to the health department.

In 2019, suicide was the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 49 across the nation.

During 2022, 53 per cent of Australians said they needed support to manage their mental health. 

Monash University Chancellor Simon McKeon said Hunt’s previous political career will bring “value to the institute”. 

“Hunt is a passionate advocate for mental health and his vast expertise in healthcare policy,” McKeon said.

Since its launch in 2019, the institute has received more than $80 million in research funding and conducted 129 projects. 

The institute's most recent project established new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.