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ANU Postgraduate research

Research is at the core of everything we do. It informs the content of our degrees, influences public policy and solves some of our region’s greatest challenges.

ANU postgraduate research

Find a supervisor

Scholarships & Fees

How to apply

Change the conversation

Studying an advanced, research-focused Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree at The Australian National University (ANU) is an opportunity to make a substantial and original contribution to your discipline or area of professional practice.

We’ll automatically consider you for a scholarship when we receive your application.

Research areas

Our research priorities reflect the challenges facing the world today.

ANU researchers are currently exploring a range of disciplines and study areas .

university in the world

QS World University Rankings 2024

Nobel laureates among ANU staff & alumni

in Australia in 13 disciplines

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023

for student-teacher ratio and staff qualifications

Good Universities Guide 2023

Before you apply

Find a potential supervisor and explore our colleges’ research opportunities. Some colleges have different application requirements – so make sure you’re aware of and follow these before you apply.

1. Find a supervisor

Discover potential supervisors. Explore their research and published works and find their contact details.

Search supervisors

2. ANU college research opportunities

Our colleges can provide you with information about research areas, supervisors and groups, as well as who to contact.

NOTE: More than one college can offer supervision in a particular study area.

• ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences
• ANU College of Asia & the Pacific
• ANU College of Business & Economics
• ANU College of Engineering, Computing & Cybernetics
• ANU College of Health & Medicine
• ANU College of Law
• ANU College of Science

3. Explore college application requirements

If you have found a supervisor you would like to work with and the college that offers this supervision, you will need to find out if there are any pre-application steps that your college would like you to take.

Most colleges would like you to find and secure the support of a potential supervisor before you complete your application. For example, the ANU College of Business & Economics has different arrangements for setting up supervision, so please check in with them before applying.

Some colleges will ask you to send a short description of your proposed area of research as an expression of interest and a summary of your academic qualifications, including grades, to them first.

Visit the ANU college research pages for pre-application advice (see the links under 'ANU colleges’ content above).

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Applying to ANU

You can apply at any time of the year – but if you would like to be considered for a scholarship, you will need to send your application within the scholarship’s application deadline.

Scholarship applicants

Your referees should send their reports before your scholarship’s deadline. Give them as much time as possible by completing your ANU application 2–3 weeks earlier than the scholarship’s deadline. We’ll contact your referees when we get your application.

Application requirements

Your application to study at ANU must meet the following requirements.

1. Minimum admission requirements

Explore our minimum admission requirements.

Requirements for admission to a Doctor of Philosophy degree

• An Australian bachelor’s degree with at least second-class honours (Upper first-class honours may be required by some programs) or the international equivalent, or
• Another degree with a significant research/thesis component, or
• A combination of qualifications, research publications and/or professional experience related to your field of study

Requirements for admission to a Master of Philosophy degree

• An Australian bachelor’s degree or higher, with an overall grade of distinction or higher, or the international equivalent, or
• Another equivalent degree, or
• A combination of qualifications, research publications and/or professional experience that are related to your field of study

2. English language requirements

You must meet our English language requirements to be eligible for admission to ANU. While you can apply without having met them, you will need to show that you do when you get a study offer from us.

Unsure whether you can meet the English language requirements? Contact your research school or the Graduate Research Office before you send your application.

Learn more about ANU English language requirements

3. Research proposal

Your draft research proposal only needs to be short. Check in with your potential supervisor to clarify their expectations for this proposal before you send it in with your application.

Your proposal should present your idea or question in your discipline area clearly. Consider it a statement about the basis of the research you’d like to do.

Your research proposal should:

• establish the relevance of your idea
• show gaps in your field – and how your research would address these
• include how you would go about your research project – your approach, methodologies and resources.

You will be able to change the proposal once you have enrolled in your program.

Learn about research proposals

4. Referees

Referee reports are mandatory when applying for admission to a HDR Program. At least 2 referees reports are required to commence assessment of the application. Academic referees, who are able to comment on the applicant’s ability to undertake the program, are preferred, however, professional references can also be used. The University may request additional referee reports during the assessment of the application.

Ensure their contact details are correct; we will email them a report to complete from within the application portal as soon as we have received your application.

If your referee is unable to access our system-generated referee report, they can contact the Admissions team and ask for another version of the form.

Your referees must send their completed reports confidentially and directly to the University rather than to you.

Reference documents:

• Research Application Referee Report (DOCX, 85.97 KB)

5. Supporting documentation

Upload clear, colour copies of your academic transcripts and graduation certificates with your application. You do not need to certify these documents, but they must be original copies. We will verify their authenticity.

If your academic documents were originally given to you in a language other than English, we will need official copies of the document in that language and original translations for verification purposes.

6. Incomplete qualifications

You can apply to ANU before you complete your current degree if you are in your final year. Advise the Graduate Research office your expected completion date via your application and supply a copy of the qualification when we make you an offer.

For more information, refer to ‘Supporting documentation’.

If you have the approval of a college and a potential supervisor, you can apply for admission to ANU. Without this endorsement, though, we might not be able to assess your application.

Choose the program you want to study from the Program & Courses catalogue

On the program’s page, click 'apply’ to open the application portal

Complete your application

Receiving an offer from ANU

After we assess your application, we will contact you via email about the outcome within 6–8 weeks (about 2 months). This could take longer if we're also considering you for a scholarship.

If you do not hear from ANU within two months, contact your research school or email the Graduate Research Office.

• Contact Graduate Research Office

Related links

Mathematical Sciences Institute ANU College of Science

We run a large number of courses that can be taken individually or packaged into streams, majors, minors or specialisations.

Our full list of courses is below, and there are also packages of courses available for students with particular interests or needs:

• First year undergraduate course streams
• Majors, minors & specialisations

Planning a course program can be challenging. It is important that students enroll in the courses most appropriate to their overall goals and abilities, as well as completing their required mathematics prerequisites.

It is strongly recommended that students  contact us  for advice when planning their course program.

• MATH1003 - Algebra & Calculus Methods
• MATH1005 - Discrete Mathematical Models
• MATH1013 - Mathematics & Applications 1
• MATH1014 - Mathematics & Applications 2
• MATH1042 - Philosophy of the Cosmos
• MATH1115 - Advanced Mathematics & Applications 1
• MATH1113 - Mathematical Foundations for Actuarial Studies
• MATH1116 - Advanced Mathematics & Applications 2
• MATH2222 - Introduction to Mathematical Thinking: Problem Solving and Proofs
• MATH2305 - Applied Mathematics 1
• MATH2320 - Advanced Analysis 1: Metric Spaces & Applications
• MATH2242 - Introduction to Geometry: Curves and Surfaces
• MATH2301 - Games, Graphs & Machines
• MATH2306 - Applied Mathematics II
• MATH2307 - Bioinformatics & Biological Modelling
• MATH2322 - Advanced Algebra 1: Groups, Rings & Advanced Linear Algebra
• MATH3029 - Probability Theory with Applications
• MATH3062 - Fractal Geometry & Chaotic Dynamics
• MATH3320 - Analysis 2: Topology, Lebesgue Integration & Hilbert Spaces
• MATH3342 - Differential Geometry
• MATH3345 - Advanced Algebra 2: Field extensions and Galois Theory
• MATH3349 - Special Topics in Mathematics
• MATH3353 - Topics in Bioinformatics
• MATH3511 - Scientific Computing
• MATH3015 - Mathematics of Finance
• MATH3104 - Advanced Applied Algebra 1: Groups, Rings & Advanced Linear Algebra
• MATH3133 - Environmental Mathematics
• MATH3228 - Advanced Complex Analysis
• MATH3301 - Number Theory & Cryptography
• MATH3325 - Functional Analysis, Spectral Theory & Applications
• MATH3354 - Advanced Topics in Algebra:  Algebraic Curves
• MATH3501 - Scientific & Industrial Modelling
• MATH3512 - Matrix Computations (run in odd years i.e. 2015, 2017, 2019 etc)
• MATH3514 - Numerical Optimisation (run in even years i.e. 2014, 2016, 2018 etc.)
• MATH3351 - Special Topics in Mathematical Physics: Lie Algebras, Representation Theory and Applications (Peter Bouwknegt)

Honours courses are available to 2 nd  and 3 rd  year undergraduate students. Please view the list of courses under the Honours tab and check the course page for requisite information or contact the course convener to discuss enrolment options.

Special Topics

Topics classes vary each semester. There will be a meeting to announce the semester's special topics held at 10:00am on the first Monday of the semester. 

This meeting will take place in person on Monday, February 19th, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in Seminar Room 1.33 of Hanna Neumann Building 145.

For a list of this semester's topics and to access the meeting timing and details for the Special Topics meeting, please  click here .

A list of past topics may be found  here .

Note for Engineering and Actuarial students

Mathematics & its Applications 1 & 2 form part of the Engineering program. Mathematical Foundations for Statistics forms part of the Actuarial program. Those who have the appropriate background in mathematics are encouraged to enroll in Mathematics & Applications 1 & 2 (Honours).

• MATH4201 - Topics in Computational Maths Honours
• MATH4343 - Foundations of Mathematics
• MATH4349 - Special Topics in Mathematics
• MATH6109 - Probability Theory with Applications
• MATH6116 - Fractal Geometry & Chaotic Dynamics
• MATH6205 - Differential Geometry
• MATH6212 - Analysis 2: Topology, Lebesgue Integration & Hilbert Spaces
• MATH6215 - Algebra 2: Field Extensions & Galois Theory
• MATH4202 - Theory of Partial Differential Equations (Honours)
• MATH4204 - Algebraic Topology (Honours)
• MATH6102 - Environmental Modelling & Integrated Assessment
• MATH6103 - Scientific & Industrial Modelling
• MATH6112 - Matrix Computations (run in odd years i.e. 2015, 2017, 2019 etc)
• MATH6114 - Number Theory & Cryptography
• MATH6115 - Mathematical Finance
• MATH6119 - Numerical Optimisation (run in even years i.e. 2014, 2016, 2018 etc.)
• MATH6211 - Topics in Mathematical Physics: Lie Algebras, Representation Theory, and Applications (Peter Bouwknegt)
• MATH6213 - Complex Analysis
• MATH6214 - Advanced Functional Analysis, Spectral Theory & Applications
• MATH6216 - Advanced Topics in Algebra:  Algebraic Curves

For a list of this semester's topics please  click here

Special topic courses are offered subject to staff availability and student demand. They are generally advanced fourth year courses with third year courses as prerequisites.

• MATH6110 - Analysis 1: Metric Spaces & Applications
• MATH6111 - Scientific Computing
• MATH8343 - Foundations of Mathematics
• MATH6209 - Special Topics in Mathematics
• MATH6222 - Introduction to Mathematical Thinking: Problem Solving and Proofs
• MATH6405 - Ordinary Differential Equations and Advanced Vector Calculus
• MATH8702 - Mathematics Reading Course
• MATH6100 - Bioinformatics & Biological Modelling
• MATH6118 - Algebra 1: Groups, Rings & Advanced Linear Algebra
• MATH6204 - Algebraic Topology
• MATH6211 - Special Topics in Mathematical Physics: Lie Algebras and Representation Theory, and Applications (Peter Bouwknegt)
• MATH6216 - Advanced Topics in Algebra: Algebraic Curves
• MATH6406 - Partial Differential Equations, Fourier Analysis and Complex Analysis

Topics classes vary each semester. There will be a meeting to announce the semester's special topics held at 10:00am on the first Monday of the semester.

This meeting will take place in person on Monday, February 19th, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in Seminar Room 1.33 of Hanna Neumann Building 145.

• Honours in Mathematics general information
• Honours in Mathematics
• Master degrees
• Doctor of Philosophy
• MSI 'Kick-start' Postdoctoral Fellowship
• First year streams
• MATH 3349, MATH 4349, MATH 6209 - Special Topics in Mathematics
• Majors, minors & specialisations
• Previous reading courses & special topics courses
• Choosing a first-year maths course
• Bridging course
• Student projects
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• Scholarships & prizes
• ANU-ITER Research Training Scheme
• Research stories
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• MDSC: Mathematical Data Science Centre
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• Event series
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• The International Associated Laboratory (LIA) 'Fundamental Mathematics' (FuMa) - National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS)
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• Future students enquiries
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• Student support

PhD in Finance

The PhD program in Finance at the Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Statistics (RSFAS) equips graduates with the necessary skills to conduct research in the field of finance. The program will challenge PhD candidates to identify and solve important questions in the finance world, and will help them to develop a keen analytical mind essential for navigating the fast-changing financial marketplace and corporate sector.

While the program is focused on developing candidates for an academic career, many of the skills it provides are readily transferable to various positions in government and industry. Some examples are researchers or associates within the banking and financial sector, including investment banking, in roles such as investment or quantitative analysis, mergers and acquisitions analysis and business analysis; and researchers and policy advisers at institutions including central banks, bank regulators, international organisations such as the World Bank, IMF, OECD and ADB, and government departments such as Treasury and Finance.

CRICOS #: 048345A

Duration: 2 to 4 years full time (4 to 8 years part time)

Before you submit an application for entry to the program, you should:

• ensure you meet the admission requirements outlined below
• identify potential supervisors – that is, one or two finance academics at ANU who conduct research in your area of interest.

You can find information on researchers and their research areas in the  ANU researchers database  and on the  RSFAS Finance faculty  page.

While other ANU schools may recommend contacting potential supervisors before submitting an application,  this is not required  for entry into RSFAS’s PhD programs. Instead, you only need to list the name(s) of potential supervisors in your online application form.

Potential supervisors cannot guarantee entry into the PhD program. Admission will depend on the strength of your application relative to others in the pool.

After you’ve completed the steps above, you can proceed with an  online application .

Application deadlines

The first semester of the ANU academic year starts in February, and the second semester starts in July. While all applications for first semester entry must be submitted  before 31 October,  international applicants wishing to be considered for an  ANU scholarship  should submit their applications  before   31 August .

To be considered for a scholarship, your application must be accompanied by all the supporting documents listed below, including the referee reports. Request for referee reports are triggered and sent to your nominated referees at the time of submission of program application. It is thus important that you submit your application in advance (2-3 weeks) to allow time for your referees to provide their reports prior to the scholarship deadline.

If you’re currently completing an academic degree and haven’t yet received your final results and transcript, you should still submit all available documents before the deadline, and forward remaining results once you receive them. We won’t make a final decision on your application until we’ve received all the required documents.

The admission requirements for the PhD program in Finance reflect the advanced knowledge that candidates will need to undertake the coursework component of the degree, and the research experience and skills needed to successfully undertake and complete the research thesis.

The minimum qualification requirement for admission to the PhD program in Finance is:

• an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent) with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours Division A in finance, actuarial studies, economics, business, commerce, or a subject area with a substantial quantitative content, or
• another qualification (e.g. a Master degree) with a substantial research thesis component that the RSFAS HDR (higher degree by research) committee is satisfied is equivalent or superior to a degree mentioned in (a), or
• a combination of qualifications and professional experience that the RSFAS HDR committee is satisfied is equivalent or superior to a degree mentioned in (a).

Admission to the PhD program in Finance is competitive and we can only admit a limited number of applicants each year. Meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee you a place in the program.

If you don’t have sufficient research experience for entry into the PhD program, you might consider applying to the MPhil program . If you’d like to consider this pathway, contact the RSFAS HDR convenor for more information.

English language requirements

All applicants must satisfy the University’s  English language admission requirements . An international applicant who is not a native English speaker may satisfy these requirements by submitting evidence of an  IELTS  overall score of at least 6.5, and with no component less than 6.0, or a paper-based  TOEFL  score of at least 570, with at least 4.5 in the essay component.

Application and supporting documentation

You must submit your application online via the  ANU Application Manager .

In addition to the standard information required in the online application, you must submit the following supporting documents as part of your application:

• a one-page statement of purpose outlining your motivation to undertake a PhD in Finance at ANU
• a research proposal – see details below, as well as these guidelines on how to  prepare a persuasive research proposal
• copies of written research work, e.g. honours or Master thesis, research project, or published works
• either  GRE General Test  or  GMAT  results completed within the last five years – some applicants are exempted from this requirement (see below for further information)
• official  TOEFL  or  IELTS  results (where applicable) to demonstrate that you satisfy the University’s  English language requirements .

Research proposal

The online application requires you to submit a research proposal. The proposal should set out an original research idea, provide an introduction or background to your research idea, clearly set out the research objectives, and explain why the research is important and the contribution it will make to the finance discipline. Among other things, you will need to demonstrate an understanding of the key literature in your chosen topic area. As a guide, you should aim for between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including a list of key references.

If you don’t have a prior degree in finance, your research proposal should present a puzzling and interesting real-world phenomenon in finance that could lead to an important research topic. You should aim to convince the RSFAS HDR committee that your proposal is relevant and interesting.

The RSFAS HDR committee uses the research proposal as an indicator to assess the quality and originality of your ideas and your skills in critical thinking. Note that the research proposal does not restrict you to this field of study should you be admitted to the PhD program.

GRE or GMAT requirement

You must submit either your  GRE General Test  or  GMAT  results as part of your application. You’re exempt from this requirement if you’ve already completed an ANU Master of Finance or ANU degree with honours in Finance. You’re also exempt if you’ve completed a Finance degree with honours from another Australian university, but we encourage you to provide GRE or GMAT results to improve your chances of admission and scholarship support.

Offers of admission

The RSFAS HDR committee will review all complete applications submitted by the relevant deadline.

If your application is short-listed, you may be required to attend an interview (face to face or online).

We may send you an offer of admission if you satisfy the eligibility criteria and your area of interest matches those of RSFAS academics with supervisory capacity. However, since admission is competitive and supervisory capacity is limited, we won’t send any offers of admission until  after the relevant application deadline , irrespective of the date when you submit your application.

The PhD in program in Finance consists of two components –  coursework  and  research .

Candidates undertake the research component after successfully completing the required coursework.

Assumed knowledge and pre-PhD preparation

While not a formal requirement for entry, you should be aware that the PhD coursework requirements outlined below assume knowledge equivalent to later-year undergraduate and graduate diploma–level studies in economics, finance and quantitative methods. The following is an indicative list of ANU subjects that make up the basic assumed knowledge:

• ECON8025  Advanced Microeconomic Analysis
• ECON8026  Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis
• EMET8005  Economic Models and Introductory Econometrics
• FINM8006  Advanced Investments
• FINM8004  Advanced Corporate Finance

PhD coursework component

In the coursework component, PhD candidates undertake a comprehensive set of courses designed to provide training in the theory and methods necessary to conduct high-quality finance research. These courses are academically rigorous and will be examined. Candidates take up to 18 months to complete the coursework (10 subjects plus a pre-PhD mathematics refresher course, if required). Upon successful completion of the coursework, PhD candidates will progress to the research component. The standard coursework structure for the PhD is as follows:

Pre-PhD summer course (if required):

• ECON8007 Mathematical Techniques for Advanced Economic Analysis

Year 1, Semester 1:

• ECON8011  Microeconomic Theory
• ECON8022  Macroeconomic Theory
• EMET8014  Advanced Econometrics I

Year 1, Semester 2:

• FINM8018  Doctoral Studies in Asset Pricing
• FINM8019  Doctoral Studies in Corporate Finance – Theory

Year 2, Semester 1:

• FINM8020  Doctoral Studies in Asset Pricing 2
• FINM8021  Doctoral Studies in Corporate Finance – Empirical

Three electives taken in the first year, consisting of:

• EMET8008  Advanced Econometrics II
• EMET8001  Applied Micro-Econometrics
• STAT8002  Applied Time Series Analysis or  EMET8010  Applied Macro and Financial Econometrics
• ECON8021  Topics in Microeconomic Theory
• ECON8001  Topics in Macroeconomics
• FINM7003  Continuous Time Finance
• ECON8013  Optimisation for Economics and Financial Economics
• ECON8014  Computational Methods in Economics
• ECON8038  Industrial Organisation
• ECON8053  Game Theory
• ECON8076  Topics in Game Theory
• ECON8080  Advanced Behavioral Economics

Other electives may be possible beyond those listed above. Note that not all courses are offered in all years.

In Semester 1 of the second year, PhD candidates are also required to attend Special Topics in Finance seminars. This is an advanced reading seminar series led by faculty and senior PhD candidates aimed at providing candidates with exposure to up-to-date research. This seminar series culminates in a draft proposal that will form the basis of the candidate’s thesis proposal review (see below).

PhD research component

Following the successful completion of coursework, PhD candidates undertake specialised research training and independent research. Research training begins in the second year with advanced-level seminars, where participants delve deeply into key current research papers. At the same time, PhD candidates will commence research in their chosen topic. The year culminates with the defence of the first research proposal or paper, known as the thesis proposal review (see below).

Research supervisory panel

When a PhD candidate is admitted to the program, a provisional supervisor is appointed. The provisional supervisor has the responsibility of overseeing the candidate’s progress until a supervisory panel is chosen.

The Special Topics in Finance seminar series held during Semester 1 of the second year of candidature will help facilitate the finalisation of PhD supervisory panels. The role of the supervisory panel is to assist, advise, and provide support and encouragement to the candidate for a timely and successful completion of the research thesis.

RSFAS finance seminar program

The RSFAS finance seminar program consists of regular seminars presented by national and international researchers. PhD candidates are expected to attend and actively participate in the seminars throughout their candidature.

Research integrity training

Within three to six months of enrolment, all PhD candidates must complete the  Research Integrity Training  and pass the exam. Completion of this course and exam is a compulsory milestone for all PhD candidates.

Thesis proposal review

The thesis proposal review is a major milestone towards the end of the second year. The purpose of the review is to assess the originality, significance, adequacy and achievability of the candidate’s thesis plan.

PhD candidates are required to submit a draft thesis proposal following completion of the Special Topics in Finance seminar series towards the end of Semester 1 in the second year of their candidature. The proposal includes a description of the research to be undertaken in the thesis, and a summary of the thesis structure and time plan. Candidates are required to give a presentation to the RSFAS faculty and submit a paper to their supervisory panel.

Successful completion of the thesis proposal review (as determined by the Delegated Authority following consultation with the HDR convenor and supervisory panel) is required to continue in the PhD program.

Annual progress reviews

It is University policy that each candidate’s progress be reviewed periodically. In each year of their program, PhD candidates are required to submit an  annual plan and report  as a basis for periodic progress review. This document provides details on work completed by the candidate since the previous review, current progress, and any problems that may impact their research. It also outlines the coursework and research the candidate intends to undertake in the following 12 months.

Oral presentation

In their final year, candidates are required to give a final  oral presentation  on their research, usually three months before submitting their thesis.

Read more about  research candidate milestones .

Thesis submission and examination

The culmination of the PhD in Finance is a written thesis which, upon completion, is submitted for examination. The thesis is assessed by examiners who are experts in the relevant field.

For more information on the process, visit our page on  submitting a thesis .

For information about scholarships available to HDR candidates, visit our page on  scholarships and fees .

Read details of some of our alumni’s recent  job placements .

See our list of current  Finance PhD students .

Outstanding scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society

Over 90 exceptional researchers from across the world have this year been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society , the UK’s national academy of sciences.

Recognised for their invaluable contributions to science, the elected Fellows are leaders in their fields. They include the Nobel laureate, Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier; an Emmy winner, Dr Andrew Fitzgibbon (for his contributions to the 3D camera tracker software “boujou”); and the former Chief Medical Advisor to the US President, Professor Anthony Fauci.

Drawn from across academia, industry and wider society, the new intake spans disciplines as varied as pioneering treatments for Huntington’s Disease, developing the first algorithm for video streaming, generating new insights into memory formation, and studying the origins and evolution of our universe.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said:

“I am pleased to welcome such an outstanding group into the Fellowship of the Royal Society.

“This new cohort have already made significant contributions to our understanding of the world around us and continue to push the boundaries of possibility in academic research and industry.

“From visualising the sharp rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution to leading the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, their diverse range of expertise is furthering human understanding and helping to address some of our greatest challenges.

“It is an honour to have them join the Fellowship.”

Statistics about this year’s intake of Fellows:

• 30% of this year’s intake of Fellows, Foreign Members and Honorary Fellows are women
• New Fellows have been elected from 23 UK institutions, including The University of Nottingham, British Antarctic Survey, University of Strathclyde and the Natural History Museum
• They have been elected from countries including Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico and Singapore

The full list of the newly elected Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society is, in alphabetical order:

New Fellows

Professor Simon Aldridge FRS Professor of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford

Professor Sir John Aston Kt FRS Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life at Statistical Laboratory, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge

Professor Frances Balkwill OBE FMedSci FRS Professor of Cancer Biology, Centre for Tumour Microenvironment, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London

Dr David Bentley OBE FMedSci FRS Former Vice President and Chief Scientist, Illumina Inc

Dr David Bentley FRS Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and Co-Director, RNA Bioscience Initiative, Anschutz Medical School, University of Colorado Denver, USA

Professor Donna Blackmond FRS John C. Martin Endowed Chair in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, USA

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore FBA FMedSci FRS Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge

Professor Helen Blau FRS Donald E and Delia B Baxter Foundation Professor and Director, Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA

Professor Martin Blunt FREng FRS Professor of Flow in Porous Media, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London

Professor Daniel Bradley FRS Professor of Population Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Professor Emmanuel Breuillard FRS Professor of Pure Mathematics, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford

Sir Philip Campbell FRS Editor Emeritus, Nature

Professor Brian Cantor CBE FREng FRS Visiting Professor, Department of Materials, University of Oxford and Professor and Senior Advisor, Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Brunel University London

Professor Kenneth Carslaw FRS Professor of Atmospheric Science, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds

Dr Andrew Carter FRS Programme Leader, Structural Studies Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Professor Patrick Chinnery FMedSci FRS Professor of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge

Professor Yanick Crow FMedSci FRS Professor and Programme Leader, MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh and Institute Imagine, Université Paris, France

Professor Barry Dickson FRS Professorial Research Fellow, Queensland Brain Institute, Australia

Professor Jo Dunkley OBE FRS Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences, Departments of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, USA

Professor Aled Edwards FRS Temerty Nexus Chair in Health Innovation and Technology, Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Canada

Professor Paul Elliott CBE FMedSci FRS Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine, Imperial College London

Dr Alan Evans FRS Distinguished James McGill Professor of Neurology, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald FMedSci FRS Professor of Cancer Prevention and Director, Early Cancer Institute, University of Cambridge

Dr Andrew Fitzgibbon FREng FRS Engineering Fellow, Graphcore Ltd

Professor Michael Garrett FRS Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics and Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (JBCA), Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester

Professor Toby Gee FRS Professor, Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London

Professor Nigel Goldenfeld FRS Chancellor's Distinguished Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, USA

Professor Anjali Goswami FRS Research Leader in Evolutionary Biology, Natural History Museum, London and President of the Linnean Society of London

Professor Maria Harrison FRS William H. Crocker Professor, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and Adjunct Professor, Cornell University, USA

Professor Richard Hartley FRS Emeritus Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics, The Australian National University, Australia

Professor Laura Herz FRS Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford

Professor David Hodell FRS Woodwardian Professor of Geology and Director, Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge and fellow of Clare College

Professor Saskia Hogenhout FRS Group Leader, John Innes Centre

Sir Peter Horby Kt FMedSci FRS Moh Family Foundation Professor of Emerging Infections and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine and Director, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford

Professor Richard Jardine FREng FRS Professor of Geomechanics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, Imperial College Proconsul and Visiting Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Professor Heidi Johansen Berg FRS Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford

Mr Simon Knowles FRS CTO and EVP engineering, Graphcore

Professor David Komander FRS Head, Ubiquitin Signalling Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and Professor, Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Australia

Professor Daniela Kühn FRS Mason Professor of Mathematics, School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham

Professor Eric Lauga FRS Professor of Applied Mathematics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge

Professor Chwee Lim FRS NUS Society Chair Professor, Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore and NUS Society Chair Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore

Professor Duncan Lorimer FRS Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, USA

Professor Douglas MacFarlane FRS Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Australia

Professor Barbara Maher FRS Professor Emerita of Environmental Magnetism, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University

Professor George Malliaras FRS Prince Philip Professor of Technology, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

Professor Ivan Marusic FRS Pro Vice-Chancellor and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia

Professor Tamsin Mather FRS Professor of Earth Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

Professor Stephen McGrath FRS Discovery Leader in Sustainable Soils and Crops, Rothamsted Research

Professor Patricia Monaghan FRS Regius Professor of Zoology, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow

Professor Graham Moore FRS Director, The John Innes Centre

Professor Francis Nimmo FRS Professor of Planetary Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, USA

Professor Sarah Otto FRS Professor, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada

Professor Adrian Owen OBE FRS Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Professor Lloyd Peck FRS Science Leader, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge

Professor José Penadés FRS Professor of Microbiology, Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard FMedSci FRS Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford

Professor Oscar Randal-Williams FRS Sadleirian Professor of Pure Mathematics, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge

Professor Keith Ridgway CBE FREng FRS Senior Executive – Manufacturing, University of Strathclyde

Professor Tom Rodden FRS Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Interactive Computing, School of Computer Science, Nottingham University

Professor Stuart Rowan FRS Barry L MacLean Professor of Molecular Engineering, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, USA and Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA

Mr Simon Segars FRS Former CEO, Arm Holdings PLC. Board member Dolby Labs Inc, Vodafone Group PLC, Edge Impulse Inc, and Board Chair, Silicon Quantum Computing Pty

Professor Yang Shi FRS Professor of Epigenetics and Member, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford

Professor Lorraine Symington FRS Harold S Ginsberg Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, USA

Professor Sarah Tabrizi FMedSci FRS Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neurogenetics, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London

Professor Patrick Unwin FRS Professor of Chemistry and Head, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick

Professor Mihaela van der Schaar FRS John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Medicine, Departments of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Engineering and Medicine, University of Cambridge

Professor Bart Vanhaesebroeck FRS Professor of Cell Signalling, Research Department of Oncology, Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London

Professor Glynn Winskel FRS Professor of Computer and Information Science, University of Strathclyde

Professor William Wisden FMedSci FRS Chair of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London

Professor Xiaodong Zhang FRS Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London and The Francis Crick Institute

New Honorary Fellows

Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah FRS Silver Professor of Philosophy and Law, New York University, USA

Lord Anthony Hughes PC FRS Former Judge, UK Supreme Court

New Foreign Members

Professor Yakir Aharonov ForMemRS Distinguished Professor of Theoretical Physics, Institute for Quantum Studies and Faculty of Physics, Schmid College of Science, Chapman University, USA and Professor Emeritus, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Dr Adriaan Bax ForMemRS NIH Distinguished Investigator and Chief of the Section of Biophysical NMR Spectroscopy, National Institutes of Health, USA

Professor Rene Bernards ForMemRS Professor of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Molecuar Carcinogenesis, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands

Professor Emily A. Carter ForMemRS Associate Laboratory Director and Gerhard R Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University, USA

Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier ForMemRS Scientific and Managing Director, Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Germany

Professor Patrick Cramer ForMemRS President, Max Planck Society and Director, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Germany

Professor Ingrid Daubechies ForMemRS James B Duke Professor, Department of Mathematics and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, USA

Professor Anthony Fauci ForMemRS Distinguished University Professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and the McCourt School of Public Policy

Professor Thomas Henzinger ForMemRS Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Professor Ruth Lehmann ForMemRS Director and President, Whitehead Institute and Professor, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr Susana Magallón ForMemRS Senior Research Scientist and Director, Institute of Biology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico

Professor Michael Mann ForMemRS Presidential Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, and Director, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM), University of Pennsylvania, USA

Professor Anthony Movshon ForMemRS University Professor, and Silver Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University and Professor of Ophthalmology and of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Investigator, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA

Professor William Nix ForMemRS Professor Emeritus, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, USA

Professor Kyoko Nozaki ForMemRS Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan

Professor Jian-Wei Pan ForMemRS Professor, Department of Modern Physics and Executive Vice President, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China

Dr Aviv Regev ForMemRS Executive Vice President and Global Head, Genentech Research and Early Development, Genentech/Roche, USA

Professor Ares Rosakis ForMemRS Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, USA

Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert ForMemRS Director, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany

Professor Erin Schuman ForMemRS Director, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany

Professor Mark H. Thiemens ForMemRS Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and John Dove Isaacs Endowed Chair in Natural Philosophy for Physical Sciences, University of California San Diego, USA

Professor Cesar Victora ForMemRS Emeritus Professor and Director, International Center for Equity in Healths, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil

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• Programs and Courses

Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences

A single two year graduate award offered by the ANU College of Science

• Length 2 year full-time
• Minimum 96 Units
• Academic plan NSCMS
• Post Nominal MSc(MathSc)
• CRICOS code 102929B
• Mathematical Sciences
• Dr Anand Deopurkar
• Admission & Fees
• First Year Advice
• Introduction

Employment Opportunities

Career options, learning outcomes, inherent requirements, further information.

• Additional Information

Admission Requirements

Credit granted, scholarships.

• Indicative Fees

Program Requirements

• Capstone Course

The Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences requires completion of 96 units which must consist of:

72 units from completion of the coursework component

A minimum of 24 units from completion of 8000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

A minimum of 36 units from completion of courses from the following list:

MATH6100 Bioinformatics and Biological Modelling (6 units)

MATH6102 Environmental Modelling and Integrated Assessment (6 units)

MATH6103 Scientific and Industrial Modelling (6 units)

MATH6109 Probability Theory with Applications (6 units)

MATH6110 Analysis 1: Metric spaces and Applications (6 units)

MATH6111 Scientific Computing (6 units)

MATH6112 Matrix Computations (6 units)

MATH6114 Number Theory and Cryptography (6 units)

MATH6115 Stochastic Analysis with Financial Applications (6 units)

MATH6116 Fractal Geometry Chaotic Dynamics (6 units)

MATH6118 Algebra 1: Groups, Rings and Advanced Linear Algebra (6 units)

MATH6119 Numerical Optimisation (6 units)

MATH6205 Differential Geometry (6 units)

MATH6208 Advanced Mathematical Bioinformatics (6 units)

MATH6212 Analysis 2: Lebesgue Integration and Hilbert Spaces (6 units)

MATH6213 Complex Analysis (6 units)

MATH6214 Advanced Functional Analysis, Spectral Theory and Applications (6 units)

MATH6215 Algebra 2: Field extensions and Galois Theory (6 units)

MATH6222 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking: Problem Solving and Proofs (6 units)

MATH6405 Ordinary Differential Equations and Advanced Vector Calculus (6 units)

MATH6406 Partial Differential Equations, Fourier Analysis and Complex Analysis (6 units)

MATH8202 Theory of Partial Differential Equations (6 units)

MATH8204 Algebraic Topology (6 units)

MATH8343 Foundations of Mathematics (6 units)

12 units from completion of Science and Society Courses from the following list:

ENVS6013 Society and Environmental Change (6 units)

SCOM6007 Science Communication Project Delivery and Design (6 units)

SCOM6012 Science Communication and the Web (6 units)

SCOM6015 Speaking of Science (6 units)

SCOM6016 Science in the Media (6 units)

SCOM6027 Science Politics (6 units)

SCOM6029 Cross Cultural Perspectives in Science Communication (6 units)

SCOM6031 Science, Risk and Ethics (6 units)

SCOM6032 Making Modern Science (6 units)

SCOM6501 Strategies in Science Communication (6 units)

SCOM8014 Communicating Science with the Public (6 units)

SCNC8000 Science Internship (6 units)

A minimum of 12 units from completion of Integrative courses from the following list:

MATH6209 Special Topic in Mathematical Sciences (6 units)

MATH6211 Topics in Mathematical Physics (6 units)

MATH6216  Advanced Topics in Algebra (6 units)

MATH8201 Topics in Computational Mathematics (6 units)

MATH8702  Mathematics Reading Course (6-24 units, which may be completed more than once under different topics)

MATH8705 Mathematics Special Topic (6 units, which may be completed more than once under different topics)

A maximum of 24 units from elective courses offered by ANU

Capstone Courses

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent

• with a minimum GPA of at least 5.0/7.0
• with at least 8 courses in a cognate discipline, which must also have a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0.

The GPA requirement for this program must be met by both the program as a whole, as well as by the 8 courses in a cognate discipline. Where more than 8 cognate courses have been completed by the applicant, ANU will take the best 8 courses when assessing the cognate GPA.

The GPA for a Bachelor program will be calculated from (i) a completed Bachelor degree using all grades and/or (ii) a completed Bachelor degree using all grades other than those from the last semester (or equivalent study period) of the Bachelor degree. The higher of the two calculations will be used as the basis for admission.

Cognate Disciplines: Mathematics, Statistics, Mathematical Economics, Mathematical Finance, Actuarial Studies, Computer Science, Bioinformatics

Ranking and English language proficiency: At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry. In line with the University's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors. Applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes. If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of:

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or
• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Further information: English language admission requirements and post-admission support

Diversity factors: As Australia’s national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe.

Assessment of qualifications: Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework:  www.aqf.edu.au .

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities:  www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications .

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (one semester) of credit.

Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (one year) of credit.

Indicative fees

For more information see: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/costs-fees

For further information on International Tuition Fees see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments/international-tuition-fees

Fee Information

All students are required to pay the  Services and amenities fee  (SA Fee)

The annual indicative fee provides an estimate of the program tuition fees for international students and domestic students (where applicable). The annual indicative fee for a program is based on the standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year (unless the program duration is less than 48 units). Fees for courses vary by discipline meaning that the fees for a program can vary depending on the courses selected. Course fees are reviewed on an annual basis and typically will increase from year to year. The tuition fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and the courses selected and are subject to increase during the period of study.

For further information on Fees and Payment please see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments

ANU offers a wide range of  scholarships  to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the  Scholarships  website.

Upgrade your expertise in mathematical sciences with a Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences from ANU. In this program you can study a variety of courses tailored to your own interests and needs, ranging from pure mathematics to mathematical modelling, computational mathematics and applications of mathematics to many research areas (such as biology, astronomy, physics and environmental sciences), to related disciplines such as statistics, computer science, and econometrics.

Find out more about mathematical studies, the degree structure, the university experience, career opportunities and student stories on  our website.  Get the inside story on what it’s like to be an ANU student by visiting our  student blog.

ANU ranks among the world's very finest universities. Our nearly 100,000 alumni include political, business, government, and academic leaders around the world.

We have graduated remarkable people from every part of our continent, our region and all walks of life.

Roles our graduates hold include Associate, Quantitative Applications Division at Macquarie Group; Lecturer, Sanata Dharma University (Indonesia); and Visiting Assistant Professor of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Kellogg School of Management (USA).

Areas such as biological sciences and computational science are also becoming increasingly reliant on advanced techniques from the mathematical sciences. The Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences will equip you with quantitative skills applicable to these areas and more.

demonstrate high level knowledge in mathematical sciences;

apply acquired knowledge in mathematical sciences to new problems;

interpret, synthesize and critically analyse published literature of relevance to mathematical sciences;

demonstrate theoretical and/or practical skills relevant to techniques and research methodology in mathematical sciences;

critically analyse data within applications of mathematical sciences to reach independent conclusions;

demonstrate a critical understanding of science in society;

clearly communicate theory and results in both written and oral formats.

Information on inherent requirements is currently not available for this program.

Program advice:

Students have the option of applying to transfer to the Master of Mathematical Sciences (Adv) and undertaking a 24 unit research project if they satisfy the following requirements:

• have met the published admission requirements of the Master of Mathematical Sciences (Adv)
• achieve a minimum 70% weighted average mark in the initial 48 units of coursework
• have the approval of an identified supervisor, and 
• have completed compulsory courses in the Master Mathematical Sciences (Advanced) 

Students considering a transfer to the Masters of Mathematical Sciences (Adv) should read the program requirements early on to ensure they focus on courses most relevant to their potential areas of research.

Students who have completed 48 units and wish to exit the program have the option of transferring to graduate from a Graduate Diploma of Science.

Students who have completed 24 units and wish to exit the program have the option of transferring to graduate from a Graduate Certificate of Science.

Course offered by the College of Science and College of Health and Medicine:

An indicative list of courses offered by the College of Science and the College of Health and Medicine can be found under current students page on the College website  via this link.

Academic Advice

Back to the Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences page

The first step to enrolling in your new program is to seek academic advice in order to discuss the courses you will be studying. This is done by making an appointment to meet with the program convener (details below).

Your academic advice session is a great opportunity to discuss with the convener the direction in which you want your studies to go. The convener will be able to advise you about course selection and content of courses that you will undertake as part of your program. Ideally you should bring along a copy of your academic record/academic transcripts as these will greatly assist your convener when giving you course advice.

To book an appointment you can email: [email protected]

Detailed enrolment information and instructions can be found at   https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/enrolment/enrol-for-the-first-time-as-a-coursework-student

Please follow each step carefully, and do not hesitate to reach out to the College Student Services Team if you need help.

There is additional information available from https://students.science.anu.edu.au/program-admin/new-masters-students

An indicative list of courses offered by the College of Science and College of Health & Medicine can be found here: https://students.science.anu.edu.au/program-admin/courses

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions

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ANU College of Science

New ai tool to help beat brain tumours.

A new AI tool to more quickly and accurately classify brain tumours has been developed by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU).  According to Dr Danh-Tai Hoang from the Biological Data Science Institute , precision in diagnosing and categorising tumours is crucial for effective patient treatment. “The current gold standard for identifying different kinds of brain tumours is DNA methylation-based profiling,” Dr Hoang said.    “DNA methylation acts like a switch to control gene activity, and which genes are turned on or off.   “But the time it takes to do this kind of testing can be a major drawback, often requiring several weeks or more when patients might be relying on quick decisions on therapies.  “There’s also a lack of availability of these tests in nearly all hospitals worldwide.”   To address these challenges, the ANU researchers, in collaboration with experts from the National Cancer Institute in the United States (US), developed DEPLOY, a way to predict DNA methylation and subsequently classify brain tumours into 10 major subtypes.    DEPLOY draws on microscopic pictures of a patient’s tissue called histopathology images.   The model was trained and validated on large datasets of approximately 4,000 patients from across the US and Europe.   “Remarkably, DEPLOY achieved an unprecedented accuracy of 95 per cent,” Dr Hoang said.  “Furthermore, when given a subset of 309 particularly difficult to classify samples, DEPLOY was able to provide a diagnosis that was more clinically relevant than what was initially provided by pathologists.  “This shows the potential future role of DEPLOY as a complementary tool, adding to a pathologist’s initial diagnosis, or even prompting re-evaluation in the case of disparities.”  The researchers believe DEPLOY could eventually be used to help classify other types of cancer as well.   The research has been published in Nature Medicine.

This article was first published by ANU Reporter .

Bachelor of Science

Explore the possibilities of science from astronomy to zoology and everything in between with our most flexible science degree. Tailor a program to your unique interests while giving you the broad critical-thinking and problem-solving skills needed for the workforce.

Tiny devices promise improved cancer detection

New miniature devices could be developed into safe, high-resolution imaging technology to help doctors identify potentially deadly cancers and treat them early.

AI changing the way scientists carry out experiments

There's plenty of speculation about what artificial intelligence, will look like in the future, but researchers from ANU are already harnessing its power.

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Alarmed by Climate Change, Astronomers Train Their Sights on Earth

A growing number of researchers in the field are using their expertise to fight the climate crisis.

By Katrina Miller and Delger Erdenesanaa

On the morning of Jan. 18, 2003, Penny Sackett, then director of the Australian National University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory outside Canberra, received a concerning email from a student at the facility. Bush fires that had been on the horizon the day before were now rapidly approaching. The astronomers on site were considering evacuating, the student wrote.

That afternoon, from her home some miles away, Dr. Sackett watched burning embers fall from a smoky sky and worried. Later, she learned that her colleagues had escaped just in time: As the fire raced up the mountain, they fled down the other side carrying discs full of research data.

All but one of Mount Stromlo’s eight telescopes were destroyed that day, along with millions of dollars in equipment that engineers had been building for observatories around the world. The fires also destroyed 500 homes across greater Canberra, and killed four people.

The incident was an early warning for astronomy: Wildfires, exacerbated by climate change , were becoming a problem for their field. Since then, several other observatories have been damaged or threatened by fires and other extreme weather, and changing atmospheric conditions have made ground-based astronomical research more challenging.

Such incidents have drawn attention to Earth’s plight, and a growing number of astronomers are rallying to fight climate change. In 2019, professionals and students founded a global organization called Astronomers for Planet Earth . Astrobites, a journal run by graduate students in the field, held its third annual Earth Week in April. Also last month, a group of astronomers released “ Climate Change for Astronomers: Causes, consequences and communication ,” a collection of articles detailing the researchers’ personal experiences with the climate crisis, its impact on their work and how they might use their scientific authority to make a difference.

Other astronomers are raising awareness in the classroom, incorporating Earth’s climate into their research, or have left science altogether and become full-time activists.

Dr. Sackett went on to serve as Australia’s chief scientist from 2008 to 2011, and made climate change a major focus of her office. “Between the 2003 fires and when I became chief scientist, it was clear that things were getting worse and it was going to impact every facet of society,” she said. Today, Dr. Sackett has a consulting business and advises government agencies, companies and nonprofit groups on climate issues.

Travis Rector, an astronomer at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and a founder of Astronomers for Planet Earth who edited “Climate Change for Astronomers,” said that “people are often surprised to learn that astronomers are engaged in climate change work.” He added, “But there’s a very strong overlap between the science of astrophysics and the science of climate change. We understand, more than anyone else, that Earth is our only home.”

A Cosmic Perspective

The modern scientific understanding of greenhouse gases is built in part on studies of Venus, a planet choked with heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas. At more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit, Venus is hot enough to melt lead — as well as the few probes that have managed to land on its surface.

By comparing Earth’s atmosphere to others, Raissa Estrela, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has come to appreciate her own planet even more, she said. Dr. Estrela characterizes the atmospheres of exoplanets using techniques that she also uses to map plastics and other pollutants on Earth.

“We have this beautiful diversity of life that took us more than 2.5 billion years to reach,” she said. Now, over just a few hundred years, humans have altered Earth’s hard-won atmosphere and endangered its unique biodiversity.

“That’s very selfish,” she added. “I feel like I have the responsibility as an astronomer, and as an inhabitant of this planet, to take care of it.” Dr. Estrela emphasized that she was expressing her own views and that they did not necessarily represent those of NASA or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Other astronomers voiced a similar sense of responsibility. A forthcoming poll by the American Astronomical Society found that 98 percent of respondents were concerned about climate change, according to Dr. Rector, who helped run the poll. Nearly as many respondents, he added, felt they needed to do something about it.

Anna Cabré, an independent oceanographer, moved away from her original career as a cosmologist in part because the work was too abstract. “There’s not a lot of touching reality,” Dr. Cabré said.

She has since used her expertise in mathematics and programming to study how global warming could affect marine animals and the ocean’s circulation patterns, and to design an interactive map to assist with international climate negotiations.

“It’s this theory of hope by doing,” she said. “I’m doing my little part.”

Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, began his career searching for gravitational waves in the universe.

“I started feeling a lot of anxiety that I wasn’t committing my talents to doing something to stop global heating,” said Dr. Kalmus, who stressed that he spoke for only himself, not his employer. After a few years of research in astrophysics, he pivoted to studying the physics of clouds and, later, to using climate models to examine the risks of extreme heat. (Dr. Kalmus has also become an outspoken climate activist who has been arrested for his protest tactics .)

“I’m still kind of angry that, because of policymakers not doing enough to stop global heating, I felt compelled to leave astrophysics and become the climate scientist,” he said.

Rising Risks

Telescopes must be built in places that are high, dry and removed from cities’ light pollution, and they have often ended up in fire-prone places like mountaintops and forests. So it came as no surprise, in 2013, when a fire reached Australia’s Siding Spring Observatory, a sister facility to Mount Stromlo that’s located in a national park in New South Wales.

By then, astronomers had learned some lessons. Employees had maintained the grounds at Siding Spring to keep vegetation away from telescope domes. Flames destroyed some infrastructure, but most of the observatory was spared.

“Bushfires are a normal part of Australia’s life,” said Céline d’Orgeville, director of the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Center, a state-of-the-art facility that opened at Mount Stromlo three years after the 2003 disaster. “But in recent years, it’s been clear that the frequency and the severity of the fires has increased significantly.”

In 2022, a wildfire destroyed multiple buildings at Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona. And fires aren’t the only danger: In 2020, the giant Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico collapsed, in part because of repeated stress from hurricanes, according to a 2022 forensic investigation commissioned by the National Science Foundation.

“People have become acutely aware that they actually have to account for climate change when they’re going to choose new sites,” Ms. d’Orgeville said.

Global warming has also had subtler effects on astronomy. Telescopes aim to collect as much light as possible for detailed views of the night sky. But this sensitive work is easily disrupted by atmospheric turbulence, the irregular movement of air, which increases as temperatures rise.

In 2020, a team of scientists analyzed long-term weather data at Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, and found that climate-related research complications were increasing.

“It was the first time we did such a thing, and at first, my colleagues were not super happy about it,” said Faustine Cantalloube, an exoplanet researcher at France’s National Center for Scientific Research who led this study. Some astrophysicists, she said, worried that the results would suggest Paranal was not a good site for astronomical observations.

She added that more news coverage and public awareness of climate change in recent years has made it easier for researchers in her field to discuss climate-related issues. “It’s really changed,” Dr. Cantalloube said. “And I think it’s the whole society, actually, that changed.”

Taking Action

To help preserve their ability to study the stars, astronomers are working to reduce their field’s carbon footprint. A study in 2022 estimated that the observatories, satellites and the other physical infrastructure that astronomy relies on release 1.2 million metric tons of carbon-equivalent greenhouse gases annually, roughly what would be released by the electricity use of 230,000 American homes in a year.

The National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, or NOIRLab, which runs Kitt Peak and other observatories across the Americas, recently estimated that its facilities and activities emit 12,500 tons of carbon-equivalent emissions each year, or about as much as 2,500 American homes.

In Australia, the power cost of supercomputing, which astronomers use to run simulations and crunch data, is the largest contributor to the field’s emissions . And a study published in April found that the total amount of air travel by researchers to astronomy conferences in 2019 was more than the distance between Earth and the sun.

In 2022, the American Astronomical Society announced a new task force charged with reducing the field’s carbon footprint by 50 percent over the next decade. Its efforts include improving options for attending conferences virtually and observing through telescopes remotely, changes that began to happen organically during the coronavirus pandemic.

Employees at NOIRLab have also crafted a plan to cut their travel in half by 2027. The money saved from those reductions would be used to invest in more efficient infrastructure, like double-paned windows. In Chile, NOIRLab plans to install a system of solar batteries that would charge up during the day and power the entirety of the Gemini South telescope, and about 60 percent of the Rubin Observatory, at night.

“The sun provides so much free energy,” said Robert Nikutta, an astronomer involved in NOIRLab’s sustainability analysis. “We just have to capture it.”

A decade ago, Bernadette Rodgers, former head of science operations at NOIRLab’s Gemini South, made a significant change of her own: She stepped down from her post and moved to Oregon, where she directs a youth climate activism group called SustainUS.

Dr. Rodgers conceded that some scientists consider it irresponsible to involve themselves in political matters, but she argued that climate change was not political. “The physical world doesn’t listen to politicians,” she said. “It follows its own laws.”

That human-caused emissions are disrupting Earth’s carbon cycle “is established science,” Dr. Rodgers added. “There’s no risk to scientific credibility to state that emphatically.”

Katrina Miller is a science reporting fellow for The Times. She recently earned her Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Chicago. More about Katrina Miller

Delger Erdenesanaa is a reporter covering climate and the environment and a member of the 2023-24 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers. More about Delger Erdenesanaa

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