Research themes of excellence

Our research strengths are currently grouped into three broad areas:

• Humanities and social sciences
• Health and medical research
• Science and technology

Each area is closely aligned with one of the three University Colleges and is underpinned by major research themes that, in many cases, cross interdisciplinary boundaries.

Some themes place our researchers at the cutting edge of their disciplines, and others cover newly emerging fields, but the themes in all areas are a measure of national research strength.

Each of our current research themes has been determined by the significant numbers of:

• research enrolments, completions, publications and income,
• identified major research centres and facilities including Centres of Excellence, Cooperative Research Centres, ARC Special Research Centres, ARC Key Centres and Major National Research Facilities, and
• staff with recognised international standing such as Federation Fellows and Fellows of Learned Academic Academies and Societies.

In the area of advanced materials, for example, there is a Major National Research Facility, the Nanostructural Analysis Network Organisation, and an Australian Research Council Key Centre in Polymer Colloids, as well as five Federation Fellows conducting research on advanced materials.