Book now at ienrol research to access Flinders’ researcher training and development opportunities.

Upcoming workshops and information sessions include:
   Finding Journals - Flinders Library
   Search Translation Masterclass - Flinders Library
   Text Analytics for beginners - Parts 1 & 2
   Systematic reviews methodology - Flinders Library
plus RDS Connect, one-on-one virtual meetings that you can book to meet and work directly with our RDS teams.

Click on the links below to view the course details.

Finding journals - Flinders Library - Tuesday 19 May 2020

Connect with researcher training and development - one-on-one virtual meeting - Wednesday 20 May 2020

Connect with ARC Grants - one-on-one virtual meeting - Wednesday 20 May 2020

Connect with a researcher - assistance with commissioned-research opportunities - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 21 May 2020

Connect with NHMRC & Health - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 21 May 2020

Connect with IGII [Industry, government, international and internal research funding & research tenders] - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 21 May 2020

Search Translation Masterclass – Flinders Library - Monday 25 May 2020

Connect with ARC Grants - one-on-one virtual meeting - Monday 25 May 2020

Text Analytics for beginners: Part 1 - Introduction, Demonstration & Set up – Flinders Library - Tuesday 26 May 2020

Connect with Defence exports and international security - one-on-one virtual meeting - Tuesday 26 May 2020

Connect with IGII [Industry, government, international and internal research funding & research tenders] - one-on-one virtual meeting - Tuesday 26 May 2020

Systematic reviews methodology – Flinders Library - Wednesday 27 May 2020

Text Analytics for beginners: Part 2 - Participate and Create – Flinders Library - Wednesday 27 May 2020

Connect with researcher training and development - one-on-one virtual meeting - Wednesday 27 May 2020

Connect with a researcher - assistance with commissioned-research opportunities - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 28 May 2020

Connect with NHMRC & Health - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 28 May 2020

Further courses scheduled for later in the month and beyond are available at ienrol research.

To accommodate processing the backlog of new user requests, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has moved the deadline for Ideas Grants Minimum Data to 5.00 pm AEST Friday 15 May 2020.

The NHMRC’s Research Help Centre is experiencing a very high volume of new user account registration requests for Sapphire.

New user account registration requests submitted after 12 noon AEST Wednesday 13 May 2020 will not be processed until the week of Monday 18 May 2020.

For more information, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Join globally renowned Futurist, Andrew Grill and Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, Professor John Spoehr for the May 2020 Brave online event: The Future of the Workplace.

There has been much global discussion about Covid-19 and its effects on life as we once knew it. During the pandemic, our community focus has been on prevention, control, restrictions, safety, social distancing, isolation, and curve-flattening. But what does our society look like beyond Covid-19? And in particular, the workplace?

Many employers have been forced to adapt their business models and approach to employees working arrangements. As we return to work, or in some instances, need to find new work, what are the likely changes we can expect going forward?

Join our online presentation as we talk to internationally renowned futurist, Andrew Grill, and Director of Flinders University’s Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, Professor John Spoehr about the future of work in the digital age, the effects of Covid-19, Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence, and the ways in which this new work paradigm can be leveraged for the greater good. 

To register to attend the livestream on Thursday 21 May 2020, visit the Registration page.

Through its education and research programs, Flinders encourages new ways of thinking, and supports experimentation and daring, with the mission to contribute on an international scale through ‘changing lives and changing the world’. So we invite you to share and collaborate with us on our BRAVE journey. We will impart our knowledge and new discoveries, elevate discussion and inspire debate; all with the view to facilitate the betterment of our society. To find out more about the BRAVE series, please visit the Flinders website.

Be BRAVE, be bold, be at Flinders.

The instrumentation housed within Flinders Microscopy and Microanalysis (FMMA) is supported by a team of Instrument Leaders (academic staff with an extensive background in their chosen techniques) and Instrument Managers (technical staff who conduct training, support users with routine issues and undertake maintenance).

In 2020, FMMA welcomes the addition of new team member, Dr Alexander Sibley.

Alexander completed his PhD in 2019 at Flinders University. His research involved the creation of thin organosilane films on metal oxide surface through both chemical and plasma deposition. A focus of this work was microspectroscopic analysis of these films with surface sensitive analytical techniques. 

He joins the team as Instrument Manager for the PHI 710 Scanning Auger Nanoprobe, FEI Inspect 50 Secondary Electron Microscope and Bruker D8 Advance Eco X-Ray Diffractometer. Alex maintains and operates these instruments offering training for new facility users, and measurements/analysis for clients.

Please contact him or the rest of the FMMA team at microscopy@flinders.edu.au. 

The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA) is Australia’s main source of data for the scientific study of the social attitudes, beliefs and opinions of Australians, how they change over time, and how they compare with other societies. The survey is used to help researchers better understand how Australians think and feel about their lives.

It produces important information about the changing views and attitudes of Australians as we move through the 21st century. The final complied AuSSA 2018 "Religion" data is available to the public on the Australian Data Archive website.

AuSSA is also the Australian component of the International Social Survey Project (ISSP). The ISSP is a cross-national collaboration on surveys covering important topics. Each year, survey researchers in some 40 countries each do a national survey using the same questions. The ISSP focuses on a special topic each year, repeating that topic from time to time.

The topic for 2018 was Religion. This is the fourth time this has been the topic of the survey, having previously been the theme for the survey in 1991, 1998 and 2008. The AuSSA also allows us to compare Australia with countries all over the world.

The aims of the survey are to discover: the range of Australians’ views on topics that are important to all of us; how these views differ for people in different circumstances; how they have changed over the past quarter century; and how they compare with people in other countries.

The data from questions in sections B,C,D and E are currently embargoed until July 2021.

For more information on the AuSSA 2018 survey background, visit the Australian Consortium of Social and Political Research Inc (ACSPRI) website. Researchers from Flinders are able to submit questions for future surveys, as Flinders is a member of ACSPRI.

Fourth year arts PhD, Verity Laughton, recently completed a four-month internship through the APR Intern program with the Legatus Group researching regional creative industries in South Australia.

The Legatus Group, a peak regional local government organisation, were interested in understanding regional creative industries and developed an internship project to research current activities, trends and potential resourcing requirements.

CEO of the Legatus Group, Mr Simon Millcock said "The Legatus Group have been actively seeking to create closer linkages with universities and have seen the PhD internship program as an integral step in creating benefits for both students and our councils / communities". Simon also indicated that the significant experience and knowledge brought by Verity to the project was very attractive and contributed to the internship’s success as a starting point for further actions by councils and communities. Further, the project has assisted local creatives to start to develop their own collaborations and local and regional support networks. 

Verity was also positive about the outcomes of the internship and has identified a number of benefits, including an opportunity to increase her understanding of creativity and creative industries while also expanding her skills in social science research methods.  It has also helped her reflect on potential future pathways and collaborators, Verity said. However, completing the internship while both extending her knowledge and finalising her PhD was a challenge and Verity acknowledges the support of her academic mentor, Dr Tully Barnett, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and industry supervisor, Simon as instrumental in achieving the goals of the project. 

Managing the potential workload challenges for PhDs undertaking an internship was also acknowledged by Tully, who indicated that regular communication was another critical factor to ensuring a successful outcome. However, from her perspective the benefits far outweighed the inputs, both for the PhD candidate and the academic mentor. As a mentor she appreciated the opportunity to develop her thinking around creative industries in regional locations, how to communicate research effectively for industry, and to extend her (and the University’s) network, which may lead to future collaborative opportunities. She also highlighted the importance of internships as a way of "navigating the transition from a PhD to the next phase of career" for doctoral candidates.

While much of the research was undertaken before the COVID-19 restrictions came into place, Verity made her final presentation virtually. APR Intern have indicated that PhD internships will continue, many virtually, and is working with PhDs, organisational partners and universities to ensure the health and safety of all those involved. Internships are available across a range of industries and are generally between three and five months in length. They can be particularly beneficial to PhD students nearing the end of their research and considering the next step in their careers.

For more information about APR Intern, available internships and eligibility requirements visit the APR Intern website or contact Megan Prideaux, Partner Engagement and Pathways Officer, Office of Graduate Research. 

Text and data mining enable researchers to deal with immense velocity, voracity, variety and sheer volume of researchable text-based material that is now available.

Join a two-part interactive online workshop series, Tuesday 26 May and Wednesday 27 May 2020, in which Dr Sara King will lead the group through the concepts of Text Analytics for research and show some examples of what Text Analytics looks like, how to access this technology and find out more. 

Dr Sara King is an E-Research analyst at Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet). Dr King brings expertise in high level national collaborative projects across the university, GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums), and government sectors.  

Participants will see live demonstrations and visualisations and get a feel for what can be done with Text and Data Analytics in a variety of ways.

Over two sessions, the small group will progress from introduction and demonstration to participating in an interactive workshop where they will be guided through running and adapting text mining and analytics techniques. Workshops have been designed for participants who are beginners without prior coding or text and data mining experience. No prior knowledge or familiarity with using coding for text and data mining and analytics is required.

Researchers at all levels who are curious about Text and Data analytics but not certain about what is out there or how to get started are encouraged to attend.

Tuesday, 26 May 9-11 am 
Part one: Introduction, demonstration, set up
Book now at iEnrol-Research.

Part one will introduce the concepts of Text Analytics and introduce the tools needed for session two.  Participants are encouraged to enrol in both sessions.

Wednesday, 27 May 9-11 am
Part Two: Set up, participate, create
Book now at iEnrol-Research.

Part two is an interactive workshop and participants will be guided through running and adapting text mining and analytics techniques using a Jupyter Notebook within AARNet’s SWAN environment in CloudStor.

Course materials and set up notes will be provided to those who are enrolled so that they can re-run the lesson in their own time & apply their own learnings and bodies of text to the workshop.

The United States' Department of Defense office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) has recently released Fiscal Year 2020 funding opportunities for a number of Department of Defense (DoD) Programs.

The Flinders internal closing date for each of these opportunities is 10 working days prior to the external closing date. Please contact the Research Grants and Tenders team if you are intending to apply as soon as possible so that they can assist in registering to apply etc.

Please consult the modified Program Announcements available on Grants.gov and contact the Research Grants and Tenders team if you have any questions.

Breast Cancer Research Program

• Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2
• Breakthrough Award Level 3
• Breakthrough Award Level 4
• Era of Hope Scholar Award
• Innovator Award
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award

Gulf War Illness Research Program

• Idea Award
• Research Advancement Award
• Clinical Evaluation Award
• Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award
• Patient-Provider and Health Communications Award
• New Investigator Award

Hearing Restoration Research Program 

• Focused Research Award

Lung Cancer Research Program

• Concept Award
• Idea Development Award
• Investigator-Initiated Translational Research Award
• Career Development Award
• Clinical Translational Research Partnership Award

Melanoma Research Program

• Idea Award
• Mid-Career Accelerator Award
• Team Science Award
• Technology Development Partnership Award
• Translational Research Award
• Translational Research Award – Collaborator Option

Multiple Sclerosis Research Program 

• Clinical Trial Award 
• Exploration – Hypothesis Development Award
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
  

Neurofibromatosis Research Program 

• Clinical Trial Award 
• Exploration – Hypothesis Development Award
• New Investigator Award
• Early Investigator Research Award
• Synergistic Idea Award 
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award

Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s

• Early Investigator Research Award
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
• Synergistic Idea Award

Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program

• Clinical Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award
  

Ovarian Cancer Research Program

• Proteogenomics Research Award

Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program

• Behavioral Health Science Award
  
• Translational Team Science Award
• Virtual Cancer Center Director Award 
• Career Development Award – Fellow Option
• Career Development Award – Virtual Cancer Center Scholar Option

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program

• Clinical Trial Award
• Clinical Trial Award (for Emerging Viral Diseases and Respiratory Health)
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award (for Emerging Viral Diseases and Respiratory Health)
• Technology/Therapeutic Development Award (for Emerging Viral Diseases and Respiratory Health)
  

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program open to Emerging Viral Diseases and Respiratory Health with a focus on COVID-19

• Clinical Trial Award
• Investigator Initiated Research Award
• Technology/Therapeutic Development Award

Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program

• Applied Research Award
• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award

Prostate Cancer Research Program

• Early Investigator Research Award
• Physician Research Award
• Idea Development Award
• Translational Science Award
• Clinical Trial Award
• Health Disparity Research Award
• Population Science and Research Outcomes Award
• Prostate Cancer Pathology Resource Network Award

Spinal Cord Injury Research Program

• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
• Translational Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award

Tick-Borne Disease Research Program

• Career Development Award
• Idea Development Award

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program

• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
• Idea Development Award

Detailed descriptions of the funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website, the CDMRP website and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP). A listing of all open CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Submission is a two-step process requiring both pre-application submission and full application submission. All pre-applications must be submitted through eBRAP. Full applications from extramural organisations (non-DoD organisations i.e. Flinders University) must be submitted through Grants.gov.

Refer to the General Application Instructions, Section II.A. for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov. For detailed information on the submission process, refer to Section II.D. of the Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity.

For more information on types of funding opportunities offered and application strategies review the CDMRP Webinar Series.

The Australian Academy of Science invites applications from ECRs and HDRs to present at Falling Walls Lab Australia 2020. Candidates should be research active in any field of the natural sciences, including technology, engineering and medicine, as well as social sciences and the humanities.

Twenty applicants will be selected to participate in Falling Walls Lab Australia, each giving a three-minute presentation on their research, business model or initiative based on the concept ‘Which walls will fall next?’ as a result of scientific, technological, economic and sociological breakthroughs.

Dr Sam Elliot, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, was selected as an Australian finalist in 2019 and presented at Finale held at the Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.

Falling Walls Lab is a challenging and inspiring format for emerging bright minds, giving them a unique chance to become the next big success story in innovation. Since 2009, there have been over 80 international Labs from close to 50 countries worldwide with over 1,000 participants. 

Applicants must be 18 years of age or over and have fulfilled at least one of the following formal requirements:

• currently enrolled in university and/or are currently a postdoc
• received a Bachelor’s degree no more than 10 years before the date of application
• received a Master’s degree no more than 7 years before the date of application
• received a PhD no more than 5 years before the date of application.

The deadline for applications is 5 pm (AEST) Monday 6 July 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager, Researcher Training, Development and Communication, before 24 June 2020.

The event will be held on 8 September 2020 and will be a virtual lab.

A jury of distinguished academics and business people will select the winner of Falling Walls Lab Australia and the winner will be automatically admitted to the Falling Walls Lab Finale on 8 November 2020. The format of the finale will depend on social distancing measures in place at the time due to COVID-19, but it is envisaged that the finale will be a virtual Lab.

The Falling Walls Foundation is a non-profit organisation in Berlin, dedicated to the support of science and the humanities. It was established in 2009, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

For more information, visit the Australian Academy of Science website.

Due to COVID-19, the Australian Consortium for Social & Political Research Inc. (ACSPRI) are not able to offer their Winter courses face-to-face at the University of Queensland (22-26 June) and the University of Technology, Sydney (6-10 July).

For those who wish to continue with training, ACSPRI are offering a number of their courses in an Online Winter Program 'live' via Zoom. Courses will run during the week of 22-26 June.

Classes will run across the 5 days in blocks of 'online time' and be restricted to 12 people to maintain the interactivity and applied nature of the courses. All software requirements will be listed on the course page & ACSPRI will contact you in advance to make sure you have what you need. Testing your setup prior to the course with ACSPRI support staff is also on offer. Over the week there will be ample opportunities to interact with your fellow classmates and instructor as well as work on applied exercises. 

The ACSPRI master-classes and workshops have been rescheduled for the 2nd half of the year.

As Flinders University is a member organisation of ACSPRI, Flinders' researchers are eligible for ACSPRI members' rates.

Please follow the links below for more details about each course, including the schedule and course syllabus.

Winter Online (22-26 June)

Foundations of Qualitative Methodologies, Data Collection and Analysis

An introductory 3 day course for people with limited or no experience in Qualitative Methods, combining lectures and practical workshops. Introduces you to the theoretical underpinnings, methodologies and techniques of data collection & analysis, including:

• interviewing,
• focus groups,
• coding,
• data analysis
• and presentation.

Fundamentals of Statistics

A solid foundation in basic statistical concepts and procedures. Emphasises statistical techniques applicable to the social sciences. Largely non-mathematical, concentrating on concepts rather than mathematical theory. Gain competency in SPSS (no previous experience needed).

Introduction to Social Network Research and Analysis

A course designed for social researchers using qualitative and mixed methods. Building from basic SNA, the course reviews the possibilities for working with rich network data from interview or online sources. Looking at a series of Network Research Designs, you will consider:

• the best ways to code and manage raw data;
• the most efficient formats for importing such data into visualisation and analysis software;
• appropriate measures and statistics for reporting findings.

Applied Statistical Procedures

An intermediate, applied course covering a range of the most commonly used statistical procedures, taught from an applied prospective, with questions encouraged. A good foundation for progression to the more detailed courses (Regression, Factor Analysis & SEM). The Statistical package used will be SPSS, with no prior knowledge of SPSS required.

Data Analysis in R

A course for applied data analysts, looking at public policy, social sciences and industry. Learn to use R for statistical analysis including means, confidence intervals and linear regression in R. Create publication standard graphs of your results. No prior experience with R, or any sophisticated quantitative methods are required for this course.

Data Analysis Using Stata

Stata for beginners, introducing you to survey research, data management, analysis and graphics. Appropriate for people familiar with Stata who want to extend their capabilities. You are encouraged to bring your own data for analysis.

Qualitative Research: Design, Analysis and Representation

Focusing on issues of design and positioning, analysis and representation of qualitative research. This course is for researchers, practitioners and academics who have conducted at least one qualitative study, and are familiar with the process and context of qualitative research. You will cover:

• Epistemological and Methodological foundations;
• Design frameworks;
• Data Analysis and representation;
• Issues of representation, quality, validity and trustworthiness;
• Constructing effective arguments.

Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis

This is an introductory course, providing an overview of the statistical theory, applications & capabilities of LDA, aiming to develop a readiness for using LDA software, and the requisite knowledge for applying LDA methods and models in an intelligent way.

• focussing on linear mixed effects models and generalised linear mixed effects models;
• Using Stata, a full set of exercises and solutions will be provided (no prior experience in Stata necessary);
• Developed in consultation with the National Centre for Longitudinal Data, Dept of Social Services, and as such, participants will apply and have access to a number of datasets through the Australian Data Archive (ADA).

Applied Structural Equation Modelling

An applied introduction to a range of basic structural equation models and the use of the AMOS and/or Mplus software to estimate the model parameters. This course will cover:

• Introduction, revision and the fundamentals of SEM;
• The eight steps of SEM;
• Basic SEM models;
• Problems in SEM;
• An introduction to advanced SEM models.

*N.B. Although the instructor will teach and use both packages throughout the course, students are free to use either both packages or they may choose to just work with one of the packages.

2020 Master-classes and Workshops

Big Data Analysis for Social Scientists: 20-21 July, with Professor Robert Ackland.

An Introduction to Mixed Methods Research Design: 23-24 July, with Dr Nicola McNeil.

Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using Stata: 21-22 August, with Dr Joanna Dipnall.

NVivo Essentials: 27-28 August, with Dr Anuja Cabraal

Collecting, Managing and Analysing Qualitative Interview Data: 7-8 September with Professor Carol Grbich

Foundations of R for Research: 11-12 September, with Dr Joanna Dipnall.

Systematic Literature Reviews using NVivo: 19 August, with Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen.

Questionnaire Design: 8-9 October, with Dr Gordon Emmerson.

Qualitative Research: Doing Constructionist Data Analysis: 5-6 November, with Professor David Silverman.

The Who, the What and the How of Moderating Focus Groups: TBC, with Bianca Plunkett.