ANU Future Research Leaders Program

The Australian National Unviersity is running a ANU Future Research Leaders Program, in collaboration with the Group of Eight Universities (Go8). This consists of on-line modules, Skills Workshops and Master Classes. Today's masterclass is "My academic and leadership journey" by Professor Ian Young, ANU Vice-Chancellor.

The on-line modules are:

0. Researchers Guide to ANU
1. Research Strategy and Planning
2. Commencement and Collaboration
3. Building a Responsible Research Culture
4. Intellectual Property and Commercialisation
5. Financial, Resource and Risk Management
6. Effective Research Grant Execution
7. Managing and Leading People
8. Project Closeout

The modules are delivered using the web and do not require any special software. I dipped into the first module "Researchers Guide to ANU" which provides an introduction to the details of how research is funded in Australia and how to get published. It was developed by Professor Shelda Debowski, at University of Western Australia.

The first topic, how research is funded, would be useful to researchers making the transition from another country as well as those just starting out. The module could do with having a small section on teaching and supervision to the module, as an essential part of the job of any researcher is passing on their knowledge to others. Also the topic of Data Citation needs to be covered, as this now counts towards academic status, as well as papers.

The module could do with some updating, as for example, it lists Professor Ian Chubb as the VC and does not mention the ANU's latest Nobel Prize winner.