Dr Kate Umbers, from the School of Science, has been awarded a prestigious, and highly competitive, Australian Research Council (ARC) Mid-Career Industry Fellowship. Dr Umbers secured $1,043,792 in funding for her project ‘The plight of the bogong moth: a model for conservation in Australia’ which aims to direct conservation actions for the bogong moth, an endangered species of profound cultural, ecological, and economic national importance.
The Industry Fellowship scheme helps drive research collaboration, translation, and commercialisation outcomes across a range of industry settings. The Key Partner with Dr Umbers on this project is Invertebrates Australia a young Australian environmental charity, and they are joined by Zoos Victoria, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (USA) and Lund University (Sweden). Dr Umbers welcomed the funding.
“I’m delighted to receive the Mid-Career Industry Research Fellowship with which my collaborators and I will create a ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Bogong Moth Observatory to understand the moth’s distribution and migratory flyways. I hope this project will improve the conservation outcomes for bogong moths, for the Australian alpine region, and for Australian insects, as well as create new opportunities for First Nations Australians to reconnect with country,” said Dr Umbers.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research, Enterprise and International) Professor Deborah Sweeney congratulated Dr Umbers on her outstanding success.
“Dr Umbers success reflects Western’s dedication to being a partner of choice for industry, government, and communities, and reiterates the importance that these collaborations play in driving innovation and entrepreneurship for impactful economic, social, and environmental change. I congratulate Dr Umbers – an emerging leader in her field – on her success and research excellence,” said Professor Sweeney.
Only 25 ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships have been awarded across the country. Dr Umbers success represents a 20 per cent success rate for Western Sydney University, well above the 8 per cent national average.
The Mid-Career Industry Fellowships scheme will help solve industry-defined challenges using the expertise and skills of researchers from both universities and industry. The aim of the scheme is to support mid-career researchers from both universities and industry to translate and transfer their research skills and knowledge into real world applications to deliver significant, actionable outcomes for industry partners, end-users, and the Australian community.
Details of this grant can be found on the ARC website at (Opens in a new window).
