2023 Annual Report

January

Swinburne welcomed the first of several Founders in Residence

Rachael Barritt became the first of several entrepreneurs to join Swinburne to help build ventures based on our expertise. Swinburne Founders are working on green steel, sustainable aviation, advanced materials, and digital manufacturing ventures.

February

Swinburne was awarded more than $1.1 million in funding for three industry-linked projects as part of the latest round of ARC Linkage Projects

The projects will look at using recycled glass to make roads and  pavements more sustainable, improving Australia’s 5G network, and implementing new technologies to improve quality of life in aged care facilities.

$5.2 million green energy research hub at Swinburne announced

Created in partnership with global tech leader Siemens, the Siemens Swinburne Energy Transition Hub will drive collaboration between researchers and industry. The hub will feature a future energy grid laboratory with some of the most advanced digital energy technology from Siemens.

March

Swinburne partnered with CWX Technologies to create digital twins 

Swinburne’s Factory of the Future was the latest space to enter the metaverse. CWX will create 3D digital twins of the production systems in Swinburne to improve manufacturing efficiency and introduce Industry 4.0 technologies to SMEs across Australia.

$5.2 million green energy research hub at Swinburne announced

Pioneering astrophysicist and Director of Swinburne-based OzGrav Professor Matthew Bailes won the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy, known as the Nobel of the East. He shared the USD$1.2 million award with Professor Duncan Lorimer and Professor Maura McLaughlin.

Swinburne formed a new partnership with French university École Spéciale des Travaux Publics, and Bouygues Construction Australia 

This partnership is providing French engineering students with valuable exposure to important Australian infrastructure projects.

April

Swinburne and Adobe signed another three-year partnership, elevating student and staff Adobe access to the Creative Cloud Pro Edition 

The partnership continues to focus on embracing innovation, boosting digital literacy and employability skills for students, while embedding and uplifting tech across all study areas. Swinburne became Australia’s first Adobe Creative Campus in 2019.

A new partnership between Swinburne’s AIR Hub and APR. Intern was announced, in collaboration with the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute and Defence Science Institute

The partnership is providing new research opportunities for the Australian aerospace sector.

May

Swinburne appointed Distinguished Professor Saeid Nahavandi as our inaugural Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Chief of Defence Innovation

This appointment opens up new opportunities for research in artificial intelligence and cyber security, autonomous vehicles, smart materials, quantum sensing, space technology and more. The appointment comes at a pivotal time in Australia’s national defence strategy.

Swinburne’s Industry Engagement team won a UIIN Excellence Award

The team was named winner of the Strategic Partnerships award at the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) Excellence Awards, in Budapest, Hungary. The award recognises outstanding contributions within the higher education sector, through the novel and outstanding engagement of Swinburne’s strategic partners.

Swinburne appointed a new Director of the National Centre for Reconciliation Practice

Adam Mooney, a leader in reconciliation, inclusion and gender equity, was appointed to help drive the strategic direction of reconciliation at Swinburne and our Reconciliation Action Plan.

June

Swinburne scored the second highest student experience ratings in Victoria

Swinburne ranked eighth in Australia and second in Victoria for the entire education experience for undergraduate students. The annual Student Experience Survey is Australia’s only comprehensive survey of current higher education students.

Swinburne appointed a new Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer

Higher education leader Professor Simon Ridings was appointed Swinburne’s Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer. The role provides strategic leadership and oversight of Swinburne’s schools and drives Swinburne’s Higher Education and Vocational Education strategies.

July

Swinburne welcomed Australian Universities Accord plans to transform the tertiary sector

The interim report identified several key areas for further exploration that were canvassed in Swinburne’s submission to the Accords in April 2023. The interim report quoted Swinburne’s submission on the importance of lifting the quality and availability of work integrated learning, an area in which Swinburne is a sector leader.

Swinburne was awarded $5 million to lead an ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing

The Hub is one of five new ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs across the country. The new Hub will grow and accelerate Australia’s digital manufacturing transformation, by devising new technology and pathways for commercialisation and industry adoption.

Swinburne students co-created next gen_campus

Hundreds of students contributed to the design of Swinburne’s next gen_campus. Student feedback is at the core of next gen_campus with nine transformative projects rolling out across all Swinburne campuses in coming years.

Swinburne continued to climb in the Young University Rankings

Swinburne climbed seven places to 43 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings 2023, up from 50th position last year. The result strengthens Swinburne’s standing as one of the world’s top 50 young universities.

August

Swinburne VET students won gold at WorldSkills

Three Swinburne VET students won first place in the 2023 WorldSkills Australia National Championships and will go on to compete at the International WorldSkills Games in Lyon, France next year. Nellie Holder won the Graphic Design competition, Thomas Balint won Landscape Construction, and Will Vestergaard won Mechatronics and received the Tjerk Dusseldorp Best in Nation medal.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Pascale Quester was reappointed for a second term

The Swinburne Council approved the reappointment of Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pascale Quester, for a second five-year term. Professor Quester, who commenced at Swinburne in August 2020, will continue as Vice-Chancellor until 2030.

Swinburne celebrated our annual Pride Week, supporting our LGBTQIA+ community

This year’s theme was Queer Intersections, honouring and celebrating the many facets of modern queer identities and lived experiences.

Professor Laura-Anne Bull was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, Experience and Employability

Respected education leader Professor Bull was appointed to lead student experience, work-integrated learning and employability at Swinburne.

New $5.2m Ngarrgu Tindebeek supercomputer launched

The supercomputer has a processing capacity millions of times beyond that of regular computers, enabling groundbreaking research into space, the brain and complex ecosystems on Earth.

Swinburne researchers celebrated ARC early career funding success

Three Swinburne researchers received Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards from the Australian Research Council to understand galaxy formation and evolution, devise search algorithms for big data, and discover the origins and implications of cosmic explosions.

September

5-star ratings for Swinburne in Good Universities Guide 2024

Swinburne achieved several new 5-star ratings in multiple categories in this year’s Good Universities Guide. The university scored 5-star ratings in Overall Educational Experience, Teaching Quality and Student Support. Swinburne is also rated number one in Australia for Student Support in Education, number one in Victoria for full-time employment of Business graduates and is in the country’s top three universities for Student to Teacher Ratio.

Swinburne and Breakthrough Victoria created $18 million investment partnership to support Swinburne spinouts

Swinburne Ventures and Breakthrough Victoria partner to make $18m of early stage investment available to Swinburne spinouts to commercialise life-changing inventions.

Swinburne continued to rise in the global rankings to top 250

Swinburne climbed up the Times Higher Education rankings 100 places from the university’s 2023 ranking, further cementing our place in the top 1 per cent of universities worldwide. Swinburne’s dominance in research was also recognised, placing 102 in the world for Research Quality.

Swinburne teams win at iAwards 2023

Swinburne won the Government and Public Sector Solution award for a project delivering Internet of Things sensors and 5G connectivity to waste collection trucks. The 5G garbage trucks solution was supported by $1.18 million in funding from the Federal Government’s Australian 5G Innovation Initiative and was a collaboration with Optus and Brimbank City Council.

October

Swinburne lecturer awarded Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year

Swinburne Architectural Engineering lecturer Daniel Prohasky was named Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year at the Engineers Australia Excellence Awards. He was nominated for his contribution to innovative engineering practice through translating his visionary concepts into sustainable, inclusive, and ethical local manufacturing projects Curvecrete and Milkdrop.

Swinburne recognised some of its most impressive alumni at the annual Alumni Impact Awards

Huong Dang won the George and Ethel Swinburne Social Impact Award, Jesse Leeworthy received the Innovative Planet Impact Award and Jaclyn Benstead took home the Technology Innovation Impact Award. The awards recognise exceptional alumni from around the world who are making a significant impact in their fields.

Construction commenced on Swinburne’s transformative next gen_campus project

Swinburne’s next gen_campus transformation officially got under way, with construction beginning on Indigenous Learning Circles at our three campuses. These spaces will pay tribute to the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the campuses are located, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

Swinburne helped Pasifika youths develop life skills and thrive

Up to 100 Pasifika students graduated from Swinburne’s Discovery Sprint program, named Sa’ili le ala (meaning ‘discovery path’), to kickstart their careers in in-demand industries such as media, design, animation and film.

Swinburne’s AIR Hub achieves hydrogen flight

The Swinburne AIR Hub successfully completed the first flight of an Australian-developed hydrogen fuel cell electric-powered VTOL drone. The AIR Hub’s innovative drone is being developed as part of the Hydrogen to the Skies project.

November

Swinburne and W. M. Keck Observatory formed an historic scientific partnership

Swinburne became the first organisation outside the United States to join the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii as a scientific partner. The new partnership doubles the number of observing nights for Swinburne researchers and will provide Swinburne with a vote in setting science and technology priorities for the Observatory.

Swinburne and CSIRO launched a state-of-the-art renewable hydrogen refuelling station

The $2.5 million refuelling station, purpose-built for enabling hydrogen research, uses green hydrogen produced with electricity from renewable sources. The station, part of Swinburne’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2), showcases the real-world application of hydrogen and will be used to demonstrate hydrogen’s utility for transport.

Swinburne awarded more than $6.1 million for ARC Discovery Projects

The 12 Swinburne-led Discovery projects span financial abuse, modular buildings, quantum time crystals and quantum polaritons, 3D printing concrete and 4D origami structures, micro-optics, cell attachment to artificial bones and cell signalling, AI tools for software development, and bubble clouds in waves.

Two Swinburne researchers named field leaders in The Australian’s Research Magazine 2024

Distinguished Professor David Moss was named as a field leader in Optics and Photonics and Adjunct Professor John Dixon was named as a field leader in Obesity.

Seven Swinburne academics across five fields were named on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list

The researchers appear across multiple fields, including computer science, space science, engineering and social sciences and are ranked in the top one per cent by citations for their field.

Swinburne Distinguished Professor received Engineers Australia’s highest honour

Swinburne’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research Quality), Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han, was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia for his exceptional contributions to the engineering profession and the Australian community.

December

Swinburne and Oracle announced partnership to enhance student employability

This collaboration places an emphasis on offering students authentic industry experiences through learning content and skills that enhance their employability. Students will obtain digital badges that they can display on professional platforms, including LinkedIn and other social media profiles.

Order of Australia Foundation scholarship awarded to Swinburne student Chelsea Allen 

The coveted scholarships are awarded to students who are exceptional in their study field, have given back extensively to the community and will benefit from financial support and mentorship.

Swinburne academic wins prestigious NHMRC 2023 Investigator Grant

Distinguished Professor Richard Osborne received the $2.95 million grant to boost health literacy, targeting non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Swinburne named as host of an historic new partnership between France and Australia - FACET: the French-Australian Centre for Energy Transition 

The French and Australian governments announced an historic new partnership to tackle climate change, launching FACET, co-led by CEA, Université Grenoble- Alpes and Swinburne. FACET will strengthen Australia and France’s bilateral relationship.