The University of Queensland (UQ) is in the top 100 universities worldwide, measured through a number of major independent university rankings: the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings and, Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities. UQ is also the largest university in Queensland.
The University’s global research positioning was highlighted by the election of five UQ scientists to the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) – one-quarter of the 20 new Fellows and the most from any institution in the country.
The five new Fellows joined an existing group of 19 UQ scientists admitted to the AAS as Fellows since 1988, bringing the total number of UQ academics who are members of one of Australia’s four prestigious learned academies to 95.
The University’s outstanding 200,000-plus alumni include a Nobel laureate, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, an Academy Award winner, and leaders in government, law, science, public service and the arts. The University celebrates its alumni as its greatest assets. Their achievements make the University great – and, in return, the University will work hard to strengthen its reputation.
UQ is one of only three Australian members of the global Universities 21, a founding member of the Group of Eight(Go8) universities, and a member of Universities Australia.
UQ has a strong focus on teaching excellence, winning more Australian Teaching and Learning Council Awards for Teaching Excellence than any other in the country and attracting the majority of Queensland’s highest academic achievers, as well as top interstate and overseas students.
In 2012, the University had more than 46,000 students including 11,000 international students from 134 nations. It has one of Australia’s largest PhD enrolments, with more than 12,600 postgraduate students, and celebrated its 10,000th PhD graduation last year.
The UQ Advantage provides students with opportunities, choices and support that will enable them to achieve their individual aspirations, to become leaders in their chosen fields and to positively impact on the society in which they live. In addition to flexibility in program choice, student benefits include the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of extracurricular activities during their studies. There are study abroad opportunities and access to more than 100 clubs and societies, as well as sports and cultural facilities.
The UQ Graduate School offers significant support to research higher degree students through a broad range of scholarships and research travel awards, dedicated office spaces, skills training and professional development opportunities. The University introduced the UQ Career Advantage PhD program– another first nationally – designed to accelerate PhD students’ career development and enhance their employability.
Evidence indicates that the University’s research excels in both quality and impact. According to the Excellence in Innovation for Australia trial, many research projects at UQ have delivered outstanding economic, social and environmental benefits. The projects assessed were:
- Cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil®
- Triple Parenting Program
- Change in pesticide regulation due to dioxin contamination research
- The development of titanium fabrication technology for aerospace materials
- Improved imaging for MRI systems
- GroundProbe Slope Stability Radar, used on mine sites.
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology;
- Global Change Institute;
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience;
- Institute for Social Science Research;
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation;
- Queensland Brain Institute;
- Sustainable Minerals Institute; and
- UQ Diamantina Institute.
UQ also has more specialised fields of research “well above world standard” than any other Australian university, according to the Excellence in Research for Australia(ERA) assessment.
UQ topped the country for Australian Research Council early career research and overall funding.
With four major campuses, located at St Lucia and Herston in Brisbane, and Ipswich and Gatton in South-East Queensland, the University has invested substantially in construction and development, helping create great environments in which to study and research. UQ is committed to developing state-of-the-art learning spaces that are in step with industry demands and expectations.
UQ has established eight research institutes, many with a multidisciplinary focus.
UQ is also a partner in the Translational Research Institute(TRI) – an Australian-first that represents the future in biomedical research. TRI has the capacity to discover, produce, test and manufacture new treatments and vaccines in one location.
UQ attracts more than $80m in research funding from industry and ranks first among Australian universities for license income, value of equity holdings and invention disclosures, new Australian patents and active start-up companies. The University is also grateful to the many alumni and community members who donate towards teaching and research initiatives.
UniQuest, established by UQ in 1984, is one of Australia’s leading research commercialisation companies. UniQuest’s innovation portfolio includes Australia’s first blockbuster vaccine Gardasil®, Australia’s largest biotech IPO (QRxPharma Ltd), the internationally acclaimed Triple P Positive Parenting Program, and UQ’s superconductor technology, used in two-thirds of the world’s MRI machines.