New global benchmarks confirm Curtin’s world-class research

Curtin University has achieved ratings at or above the world standard in 95 per cent of the research fields assessed, according to the latest evaluation of Australia’s research against international benchmarks.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) administers the Excellence in Research for Australia, which assesses the quality of research being undertaken by Australia’s higher education sector.

Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Chris Moran said Curtin’s results confirmed the world-class status of the University’s research.

“Curtin’s performance in the latest Excellence in Research for Australia is yet another independent measure of the quality of the University’s research, marking its continued upward trajectory on the world stage,” Professor Moran said.

“The amount of research being carried out by Curtin researchers has grown from about 14,000 research outputs in 2015 to more than 19,000 in 2018, with significant growth in all categories of research funding being secured by the University.”

Curtin’s proven strength areas of astronomy and space sciences, numerical and computational mathematics, geology and geochemistry as well as chemical sciences were confirmed in the latest results with ratings well above the world standard.

Professor Moran said many of Curtin’s new and emerging fields of research debuted in the latest Excellence in Research for Australia results, reflecting the University’s continued progression.

“Curtin’s research fields of oceanography, environmental engineering, inorganic chemistry, medicinal and biomolecular chemistry, cardiovascular medicine and haematology, oncology and carcinogenesis, macromolecular and material chemistry and genetics made their ranking debut at or above the world standard,” Professor Moran said.

“These results are testament to the world-class quality of Curtin research and demonstrate the University’s commitment to making a real difference to people’s lives through evidence-based research locally, nationally and internationally.”

In the overall classification of Curtin’s medical and health sciences research, which includes the Curtin Medical School, formally opened in 2017, the University was ranked above the world standard.

Within this classification, Curtin’s research was considered above the world average for the established areas of psychology, nursing, human movement and sports sciences, and pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences. Curtin’s nutrition and dietetics continued to receive the highest recognition with a ranking well above the world standard.

Curtin’s research across communication and media studies, performing arts and creative writing, as well as cultural studies, was at or above the world standard.

The University also recorded world-class research performances across a wide range of finance and economic areas, including applied economics, banking, finance and investment, business and management, marketing, tourism, and policy and administration.

In the latest results, 63 of Curtin’s research disciplines were assessed, compared to 50 in 2015.

Through the Excellence in Research for Australia, the ARC is tasked with comparing Australia’s university research effort against international benchmarks, creating incentives to improve the quality of research and identifying emerging research areas and opportunities for further development.

For more information about the latest round of the Excellence in Research for Australia, visit here.