Arts Research Bulletin
Tuesday 30 June 2009
Note from the Associate Dean Research
Dear Colleagues,
A brief message from the British Library. I would like to draw attention to 3 areas of current focus, all aimed at assisting project development.
First, those considering Linkage applications in the next round will have been contacted by Katherine to set up appointments so that we can discuss progress and consider ways in which the ARO may be of assistance. If you have somehow slipped through the net, or have only recently considered such a project, please contact Katherine de Zilwa.
Secondly, if you are considering a ARC Discovery application for the next round and would like the opportunity to discuss your project (no matter how preliminary your plans are at the moment), please contact Katherine and we will set up a meeting with colleagues who may provide helpful input. Thirdly, the Faculty has funds available to facilitate the development of cross-faculty grant applications and I would be happy to discuss any such projects with those interested.
Best wishes,
Pauline
Professor Pauline Nestor
Associate Dean Arts Research
External Research Grants
Grant Successes:
ARC Linkage (LP09 - Round 2) -
The most recently announced round of ARC Linkage funding proved to be the
most successful yet for the Arts Faculty, with researchers attracting $1.36
million in funding. Congratulations to the following Linkage awardees:
Professor Andrew Benjamin & Dr Jane Griffiths - 'Staging Sappho:
investigating new methodologies in Classical Performance Reception'
Professor Jenny Hocking - 'Gough Whitlam: A Living Democracy'
Associate Professor David Wright Neville & Dr Pete Lentini -
'Radicalisation, Counter Radicalisation, and De Radicalisation: Developing
a New Understanding of Terrorism in the Australian Context'
Other granting bodies:
Congratulations to Dr. Shannon Faulkhead (Research Fellow, CAIS) and the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation who have been awarded $28,000 by The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to research Koori archiving: Community and records working together.
Congratulations to Dr. John Bradley (CAIS), and Dr. Liam Brady (UWA) and Li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Ranger Unit who received 25,000 to investigate Yanyuwa Rock-Art Sites, Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, Northern Territory.
Updates:
ARC Australian Laureate Fellowships Scheme
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, on 22nd June 2009 announced that 15 world-leading scholars would be awarded Australian Laureate Fellowships worth around $2.7 million each. The Faculty of Arts submitted two applications in the first round (2008 for funding commencing in 2009), however unfortunately neither was successful. Highly esteemed researchers who play a significant, sustained leadership and mentoring role in building Australia's internationally competitive research capacity are considered for the Laureate Fellowship scheme. If you are interested in applying for a Laureate Fellowship, it is imperative that you contact Deepa Balakrishnan well before the specified ARC deadlines, as each application requires a considerable amount of strategic planning and consideration prior to submission.
An overview of the Laureate Fellowship application process:
Selection:
Laureate applications were submitted in December 2008 and results announced
in June 2009. All proposals were reviewed by the ARC Selection Advisory
Committee (SAC). The SAC was informed and advised by assessments provided
by readers who had relevant expertise. Those readers were members of the
ARC College of Experts, Australian Readers and International Readers. The
SAC:
- reviewed each proposal;
- ranked each proposal relative to others on the basis of the proposal and
- the assessor reports; and
- prepared funding recommendations, including recommended budgets.
The selection criteria were:
- Investigator (40%);
- Project/Program of research activity (40%)
- Mentoring/Capacity Building (20%)
Role of the Administering Organisation:
It is a requirement of the Australian Laureate Fellowships Funding Rules for the Administering Organisation to provide a salary of Level E professorial appointment (or equivalent) to the successful candidate, with the ARC providing the salary supplement of $100 000 per annum plus 28% on-costs.
The Administering Organisations of the fifteen proposals approved for funding in 2009 were:
- Deakin University (1)
- The Australian National University (2)
- The University of Adelaide (1)
- The University of Newcastle (1)
- The University of New South Wales (2)
- The University of Queensland (2)
- The University of Sydney (3)
- The University of Western Australia (2)
- University of Wollongong (1)
ARC Discipline Clusters
The following table summarises the distribution of proposals within disciplines.
| ARC Discipline Grouping * | Commencing in 2009-10 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of considered proposals | % of considered proposals | No. of approved proposals | % of approved proposals | |
| BSB | 35 | 23.6% | 5 | 33.3% |
| EE | 15 | 10.1% | 3 | 20% |
| HCA | 16 | 10.8% | 1 | 6.7% |
| MIC | 25 | 16.9% | 1 | 6.7% |
| PCG | 34 | 23% | 3 | 20% |
| SBE | 23 | 15.5% | 2 | 13.3% |
| Total | 148 | 100% | 15 | 100% |
*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCG = Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Please visit the ARC website for further information about the ARC Laureate Fellowship Scheme.
Grant Opportunities:
Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH)
Publication Subsidies 2009
MRO Closing Date: 21/07/2009
One of the aims of the Australian Academy of the Humanities is to advance knowledge of the Humanities by encouraging and supporting scholarship, and the pursuit of excellence, in the broad-ranging fields of the Humanities. In accordance with this aim, the AAH includes in its activities the Publication Subsidy Scheme to provide modest financial support of up to AU$3,000 for the publication of scholarly works of high quality in the Humanities.
Further information, including application procedure can be found on the AAH website (http://www.humanities.org.au/Grants/PubSubs/PubSubs.htm)
Faculty Research
Updates
Higher Degree by Research Student Poster Exhibition and 3-minute thesis competition
The HDR poster exhibition celebrates the depth, breadth and overall contribution students make to research activities and output at Monash.
All current HDR students are invited to submit a poster showcasing their research for the University¿s ResearchMatters exhibition. This is a great opportunity to profile your work whether or not you have experience in preparing posters.
Students who submit a poster will also be invited to nominate for the 3-minute thesis competition. This involves explaining your research in 3 minutes to an audience of research peers.
Important: you can submit a poster to the exhibition only or submit a poster for the exhibition and nominate for 3-minute thesis.
http://www.monash.edu.au/researchmatters/
Arts Researcher - Dr Jacqui Broad
Adjunct Research Associate, School of Philosophy & Bioethics
What are you currently researching?
My current research is in the area of the history of women's philosophy. In the past I have studied common themes in women's metaphysical and political writings of the early modern era, but now I am narrowing my focus to just one individual - the English feminist Mary Astell (1666-1731). I am examining the role of virtue ethics in her philosophy and preparing a critical edition of her longest work for the Other Voice in Early Modern Europe series.
Where has your research taken you?
My research usually takes me to England, but I have also visited the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands to examine rare books and manuscripts by early modern women and to meet other academics.
One of the most memorable moments was when I was a PhD student on a six-month research trip to England. When I was at Oxford, I would look at manuscripts in the Duke Humfrey's at the Bodleian Library (their oldest reading room and Hogwarts Library in the Harry Potter films), and as a young researcher, I was rather intimidated by the all-male librarians there - they were formidable early modern experts, and always terribly serious and stern-faced. But one day Nelson Mandela came to the library to receive an honorary doctorate from the university. When he entered the Bodleian quadrangle, there was a tremendous kerfuffle within the reading room - everyone left their texts and gathered around the windows. The librarians were the most animated out of all of us - they hoisted themselves up on the ancient window sills to get a better view and they giggled and tittered like nervous schoolgirls; they were very excited. I was never afraid of them after that.
What facet of Monash University contributes most to your research?
As someone that works from home, the Library's electronic databases are absolutely essential to my research. I am especially reliant on Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online, two databases that contain numerous primary texts by women.
What have you enjoyed the most about undertaking research in your subject area?
Simone de Beauvoir once said that women 'have no past, no history, no religion of their own'. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my work is undermining that rather negative view. I try to show that women do have a history of philosophy, that they did develop their own independent religious, political and philosophical ideas, and that they write about women's concerns and influence other women writers. This is the subject of my latest book (with Monash colleague Karen Green), A History of Women's Political Thought in Europe, 1400-1700 (CUP, 2009)
What has been the greatest challenge?
For me, the greatest challenge has been getting funding to do more research.
Contact Us
Bulletin Coordinator:
Katherine De Zilwa
Arts Research Office
Level 2 West
Building 11
Monash University
Clayton Campus
Phone: 990 58547
Email: Katherine.DeZilwa@arts.monash.edu.au