The Australian National University has scooped the pool of Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowships, winning nearly $12 million and four out of 17 ARC Laureate Fellowships - more than any other Australian university.
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Canberra born-and-bred ecologist Professor David Lindenmayer will receive around $2 million to bring on a team of young up-and-coming ecologists to join him in his ground-breaking work in surrogate ecology using particular species or landscapes as an indicator of whats happening more widely.
Professors Sue O'Connor and Tessa Morris-Suzuki, as well as Eelco Rohling from the University of Southampton who will move to the ANU to take up his research, also received fellowships which were announced yesterday by Federal Science and Research Minister Chris Evans as a $47 million boost to Australian research.
ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young said the results were "cause for celebration across campus".
''Today's results build on a culture of research excellence that is based firmly in the university's commitment to attracting and nurturing world-class staff.''
''I heartily congratulate all the ARC Laureate Fellows announced today, but especially the four researchers who will conduct their work at ANU,'' Professor Young said.
Professor Sue O'Connor, a world expert in archaeological research, was also named the 2012 Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow. This Fellowship is awarded to a highly-ranked female from the humanities, arts and social sciences, and carries with it an ambassadorial role to promote women in research.
Her recent work discovering the world's oldest evidence of deep-sea fishing rewrote the history books about how hunter gatherer societies in the Southern hemisphere functioned more than 40,000 years ago. Her project will look at ''Understanding modern human dispersal, adaptation and behaviour en route to Australia''.
Professor Morris-Suzuki is widely recognised as a leading expert on recent and modern Japanese history, as well as conflict and resolution on the Korean peninsula and migration issues across the region. Her project will aim to develop a new framework for observing emerging forms of political activity in the region.
Professor Eelco Rohling's research project ''Sea Level Change and Climate Sensitivity'' will look at past sea-level and ice-volume change and how rapidly sea levels might adjust through climate change.
Professor Lindenmayer, whose family moved to Canberra when he was nine, studied at Canberra High School and Hawker College before undertaking a science degree, PhD and Doctor of Science at the ANU.
Crediting long family trips into the Australian wilderness and his father's passion for birdwatching for sparking his interest in ecology, Professor Lindenmayer said he was stunned to receive the fellowship.
He would use the money to bring on several talented post-doctoral students to join him in his research, saying, ''One of my big goals in life is to help build the careers of bright young people, nurture other young scientists, and keep our best talent in Australia.''
He is considered a preeminent voice in conservation and biodiversity research with his work on surrogates leading to more effective management and monitoring of environments and biodiversity both in Australian and worldwide.
