Why Monash is one of the 15 ‘fast moving’ research universities

Monash University interim deputy vice-chancellor (research) Mike Ryan explains why his institution is one of the 15 ‘fast moving’ research universities.

Monash University interim deputy vice-chancellor (research) Mike Ryan.

Monash is a large university, with more students than any other, but it’s also the youngest of Australia’s research intensive universities in the Group of Eight (founded in 1958) and retains the agility of youth, says interim deputy vice-chancellor (research) Mike Ryan.

“It has a wonderfully strong innovative culture, a can-do culture,” he says, adding that this makes Monash a magnet for many researchers.

“We have the breadth and depth within the institution. It’s not just a smattering of research stars. We’ve basically got a whole galaxy of them. They work well together, publish well together.”

Medical research is the university’s main game – about 60 per cent of all its research – and its broad strength is mainly in STEM fields. It supports its STEM researchers with state-of-the-art research infrastructure available across the university; for example, the equipment in the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication.

“We have a lot of these types of facilities that are centralised, really well run, with core professional staff who can really do the job well,” Ryan says. “That means that people can come in and just get their experiments running. The students can be well-trained.”

Another strength is Monash’s growing global profile and overseas research links.

“We have incredible collaborations with international researchers. We know that publishing with co-authors from the top 50, 100 institutions helps amplify the impact of the research we do,” Ryan says.

He says that Monash is also achieving strong results for industry and the community from its research, and wants to do more.

“We’re thinking about the culture that we have as an institution and how we engage with communities. And many of our researchers do that incredibly well,” Ryan says.

Monash is also looking to develop the next generation of research leaders. Its research talent accelerator asks up-and-comers what they need to expand their reach. “Some have identified that they need to get in front of government or they want to develop policy. And so we’re matching them with mentors, As a cohort they are growing really well.”