Universities focus on science and maths

ADOPTING a cross-disciplinary approach to research, the University of Melbourne has created Australia's first physical biosciences program.

ADOPTING a cross-disciplinary approach to research, the University of Melbourne has created Australia's first physical biosciences program.

It has $6 million funding over five years, will be based in the university's school of physics and will use the Australian Synchrotron to facilitate research. A Thomas Baker professor of biosciences will be appointed to lead the program, named for the Baker Foundation, which is contributing $2.5million of the funding.

The professor will be responsible for marshalling researchers from diverse disciplines with the aim of bringing the strengths of physics to bear on bioscience problems.

Former head of the school of physics and Australian Research Council professorial fellow Geoffrey Taylor said that although biological sciences began by seeking to understand phenomena at a descriptive level, its modern needs had led to the embrace the techniques and knowledge of physical sciences.

"As you get close to the drivers of biological processes you get closer to the molecular and atomic interactions - that's clearly physics - and you need to understand chemical reactions," Professor Taylor said.

The University of Newcastle also is in expansion mode, starting with the recruitment of maths stars Jon Borwein (visiting professor) and Natashia Boland (professor).

"They're the nucleus around which we're going to build this new maths initiative," said John O'Connor, head of the school of mathematical and physical sciences.

The idea is to hire five more staff, sharpen the focus on applied maths (including computer-assisted work and operations research), attract more students and seek more industry collaboration, leaving the school stronger by two staff following the departure a year ago of Iain Raeburn's maths team for the University of Wollongong.

Extra federal money promised for maths seems to be reaching Professor O'Connor's school, rather than being swallowed up by central administration, as has been happening elsewhere in the sector.

An extra $1 million in income "certainly made it easier to argue for this ramp up (of the maths program)," Professor O'Connor said.