New job at University of Canberra for Belinda Robinson

Former Universities Australia CEO Belinda Robinson has taken a senior role at the University of Canberra.

Belinda Robinson is the new vice-president for university relations and strategy at the University of Canberra.

In today’s Higher Education Daily Brief: top appointment at UC, ThincLab anniversary, literary convention

New role for Robinson

Belinda Robinson is back in a senior higher education role. Her appointment at the University of Canberra as vice-president for university relations and strategy is being announced this morning. Ms Robinson is the former chief executive of Universities Australia, serving in that role from 2011 until earlier this year.

University of Canberra vice-chancellor Deep Saini said Ms Robinson was “one of the most experienced and respected experts in the higher education sector in Australia” and her appointment was a significant coup for his institution. “We can’t wait to see the impact she has at the University of Canberra,” he said.

Ms Robinson said the opportunity to help shape the future of a young university made the role attractive to her. “My appetite to see universities succeed is never sated. Education is a powerful tool and universities have a crucial role to play in shaping our future society,” she said. Her three year appointment starts on July 9 and won’t take her far away from her favourite Canberra mountain bike tracks.

ThincLab is one year old

The University of Adelaide’s business incubator ThincLab is one year old and has already assisted 66 start-ups says pro vice-chancellor (entrepreneurship) Noel Lindsay. According to the university, stand outs among the start-ups are the Solar River Project, which will be building South Australia’s largest solar energy installation, Life Whisperer which aims to improve the selection of viable embryos for IVF implantation with an AI-driven image analysis system, Inovor Technologies whose nanosatellite was launched by NASA in 2017 and Lift Cancer Care which will offer fully co-ordinated, multidisciplinary support care for cancer patients at a single health centre. “The university has been delighted with just how rapidly ThincLab has grown. We have remarkable talent and creativity in our state, and the appetite for creating new start-ups is quite amazing,” says deputy vice-chancellor (Research) Mike Brooks.

Solar start-up

One of the ThincLab start-ups, the Solar River Project, is set to generate its first power by the end of next year from its site near Robertstown, 130km north of Adelaide. The first stage will have a 220 megawatt array of photo voltaic solar cells linked to a 120 megawatt hour lithium ion battery. The second stage, with a minimum of 200 megawatts of generation and a 150 megawatt hour battery is planned to commence construction in 2020. The site will also include a nature reserve for research into, and protection of, flora and fauna.

Author’s gather

Scholars and authors will gather at the Australian National University today for the five day Literary Studies Convention which will examine and celebrate literature and its role in society. Australian author Charlotte Wood — whose novel The Natural Way of Things won the 2016 Stella Prize and was the joint fiction winner in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards that year — will deliver the keynote address tonight at 6pm in the Shine Dome.