What’s New at The University of Queensland

Founded in the year 1909, The University of Queensland (UQ) is amongst the only three Australia members in the Global Universitas 2021 and has been constantly lauded as one of the top universities in Australia and the world as per the QS and Times Higher Education Rankings. Globally acclaimed for academic and research excellence, the university’s greatest claim to fame is its ground-breaking research and formulation of the technology for the Cervical Cancer Vaccine, world-leading MRI technology and the latest one is UQ is one of the three organisations chosen by Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop a vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus. UQ’s contributions have been prominent in the fields of Healthy Living, Future Technology, Achieving Resilient Environments and Livelihoods, to name a few. Located in Brisbane which is the third-largest city in Australia, UQ is also one of the six sandstone universities in the country. This blog brings you the latest happenings and news at The University of Queensland as well as the recent research studies and contributions carried out by the university on a global level.

Scaling Up the Global Ranks in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021

In the internationally coveted Times Higher Education Rankings 2021, The University of Queensland rose forward to getting the 62nd position amongst a total of 1400 universities in the world. UQ also maintained its 4th rank amongst the top universities in Australia. The university consistently worked on enhancing its performance in terms of four main parameters, i.e. teaching, research, industry income and international outlook. What’s even more amazing is that UQ has continuously maintained its position amongst the top 70 universities globally for the last 9 years.

46th in the world as per QS World University Rankings 2021

With the most number of teaching and education awards than any other academic institution in the country, UQ also ranks at #46 in the world as per the QS World University Rankings 2021 and was also accoladed as the Top Research Institute in Australia and 31st internationally by CWTS Leiden Rankings 2020. The university is also the only one in the country to have a minimum of four subjects coming under the global top 10 as per the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) 2020.

Now, let’s explore the latest highlights to know more about what’s new at the University of Queensland!

Food and Agriculture

With a wide range of programs offered in Agricultural and Food Sciences, UQ also engages and promotes novel research in these areas. Let’s take a look at some of the remarkable achievements in Food and Agricultural research carried by the University of Queensland:

• In a research published in Molecular Plants (July 2020), Professor Robert Henry, the Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, highlighted the need for new technologies in cropping and food production and automated food processing facilities which would ensure sufficient and safe food supply in case of future pandemics.
• The University of Queensland in association with BioHerbicides has developed a herbicide capsule which can effectively tackle the growth of unwanted environmental weeds in Australia like the Chinese Elm (January 2019).
• In July 2020, a research team led by Professor Luke Guddat of The University of Queensland has been successful in unravelling the structure of the acetohydroxyacid synthase enzyme, which had been an age-old mystery to scientists across the globe for the last 50 years. This enzyme will be extremely useful in the development of treatments for infections and advanced herbicides.
• A research study in August 2020 carried out by UQ Genomics Expert Professor Ben Hayes and his team analysed the temperament in the beef cattle using genome sequencing. They skillfully provided evidence for the similar genetic control of temperament between humans and cattle. Such research analysis provides a leeway for further study in this field which is likely to increase, owing to the transmission bacterias from animals.

Arts and Society

The University of Queensland offers around 78 programs in the field of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. With its quintessential focus on research, the university attracts scores of international students for its uniquely designed programs. Let’s glance at what’s new at The University of Queensland in terms of the study of Arts and Society:

• Professor Jolanda Jetten, a psychologist at The University of Queensland claims in her book Together Apart (May 2020): The Psychology of COVID-19 co-authored by various international experts that the knowledge of human psychology and behaviour can work as the most effective means of combating the spread of Covid-19 apart from a cure or vaccine.
• Dr Andrew Clarke and Associate Professor Cameron Parsell of The University of Queensland have found in a study (July 2020) on the initiative (by a non-profit organisation Micah Projects) to facilitate access to long-term housing as a potential solution for rough sleeping in Australia.
• In May 2020, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Dentistry of The University of Queensland, Dr. Pingping Han found that saliva testing can be used to effectively diagnose and monitor the spread of Covid-19.
• In October 2019, The University of Queensland University had conducted a global analysis on mental health by collecting data from 275,000 adolescents and found that 1 in 5 teenagers experience anxious or suicidal thoughts. This is the first study which precisely evaluates such a large population of adolescents and their mental health.

Business and Economy

Amongst the world’s leading universities in Business and Economy, The University of Queensland caters 71 programs at different levels in these vast areas of study. We have enlisted some major highlights about what’s new at The University of Queensland in Business and Economic Research:

• An association led by The University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia has received a funding of $30 million from the federal government to support sustainability among mining communities after the closure of mines (March 2020).
• A study by Professor Diane Donovan from the School of Mathematics and Physics at The University of Queensland has found that the poor performance in mathematics by school students in Australia can harm the future job prospects and economy of the country.
• The University of Queensland Business School has collaborated with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to tackle the growing business challenges brought forward as a result of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Engineering and Technology

With around 37 varied courses on offer, the Department of Engineering and Computing at UQ has conducted many revolutionary research projects and studies in the field. Let’s look at the recent UQ news highlights on the topic of Engineering and Technology:

• In May 2020, Professor Justin Marshall and Professor Alan Rowan of The University of Queensland were elected as fellows of the Australian Academy of Science acknowledging their excellent scientific endeavours and research contributions.
• The University of Queensland has partnered with Gilmour Space to design and develop a rocket system that will be used to launch satellites into low-Earth orbits by 2022.
• UQ is also undertaking a study to develop new transport technologies which will be useful and safe for people suffering from dementia.

Environment and Sustainability

With an increase in environmental and sustainability concerns globally, The University of Queensland is tirelessly working on finding the best solutions and technologies to address many global environmental issues. Here are some of the new studies carried in the field by researchers at UQ:

• A team of researchers led by UQ’s Dr Elisa Bayraktarov (August 2020) have identified that collaborative projects are the best options for restoring coral reefs after analysing multiple coral reef restoration projects across 5 countries.
• Professor Catherine Lovelock and Professor Jochen Mueller, environmental scientists at The University of Queensland, have been named as Australian Laureate Fellows 2020.
• Through a comparative anatomical study (June 2020) of the skull of a night parrot with those of regular parrots, UQ researchers have also concluded that night parrots do not possess a much superior night vision compared to regular parrots.

Health and Medicine

When it comes to the sphere of Health and Medicine, the exceptional research carried out at UQ has been globally lauded. Here is what’s new at The University of Queensland on the topic of Health and Medicine:

• The University of Queensland is presently working on Phase 1 clinical study to test its Covid-19 vaccine’s safety and immune response on healthy volunteers. In September 2020, the Global biotech company, CSL, also declared that it will supply UQ Covid-19 vaccine to the Australian government once it has been proven successful after proper evaluation.
• In August 2020, a team by Dr Stacey Parker of The University of Queensland led a study to find out the mechanisms through which people cope with work-related stress and the impact of these mechanisms on general wellbeing.
• A study in July 2020, led by researchers of The University of Queensland shows that a number of adolescents and young adults in Australia are in favour of trying cannabis for the first time if it is made legal.

Law

The Law school at The University of Queensland offers 10 programs across varied levels of study in law and a plethora of specialisations such as criminology, international law and much more. Check out some of the prominent highlights in the sphere of Legal research at The University of Queensland:

• The staff and students of the UQ law school have helped in the upgradation of the Death in Custody Project, a national level database containing information on all the published reports of custodial deaths in the country. (July 2020)
• In May 2020, a research team at The University of Queensland, on the basis of their findings regarding the negative effects of solitary confinement on the physical and mental health of prisoners, gave a call for its termination.
• Briana Collins, a law school graduate from The University of Queensland has teamed up with the Queensland Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) along with her mentor, Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor at UQ Law, to make the use of law to fight for climate justice (July 2020).

Energy and Resources

The University of Queensland has been at the forefront of research in the domain of Energy and Resources and has been continuously working on formulating better energy resources and technologies. Let’s look at what’s new at UQ on this topic:

• With the development of the Warwick solar farm, UQ has become the first major university globally to use a 100% renewable source to power the whole university.
• In May 2020, The University of Queensland had announced that they had saved electricity costs of around $74,000 in three months due to installation of the Tesla battery system, the largest behind-the-meter battery in the state.
• The University of Queensland was presented with the Australasian Green Gown Award for its development of the Warwick Solar Farm project. Entering the inaugural 2030 Climate Action category, UQ won the much-coveted award due to the Warwick project’s contributions to sustainability.

Fascinated by the excellent research and projects carried out in the university and want to be a part of it? Reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu and we will guide you through the admission process of your chosen program at UQ! Sign up for a free session with us today!