Four recently retired Curtin academics have been awarded the title of Emeritus Professor in recognition of their outstanding work and extensive contribution to the University.
Professor Brian Kinsella, Professor Jonathan Majer, and Professor Jie Sun, from Curtin’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Professor Janette Hartz-Karp, from the Faculty of Humanities, were recognised with the title that acknowledges leading academics for their demonstrated distinguished service at their retirement.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry congratulated the recipients, thanking them for their dedication to the University and the wider community through teaching and research.
“These recipients of the Emeritus Professor title have made a significant contribution to their areas of expertise through many decades of tireless work in either research or teaching, or both,” Professor Terry said.
“I congratulate them all for their distinguished careers and thank them for their commitment to outstanding work across a range of fields, including deliberative democracy, corrosion, invertebrate conservation and mathematical programming.”
The new recipients awarded the title of Emeritus Professor include:
Professor Janette Hartz-Karp was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor on her retirement in recognition of her dedication to promoting and carrying out research on deliberative democracy during a long career in public service and more recently at Curtin University.
Professor Brian Kinsella has been highly recognised for his work with students and staff over 20 years in the field of corrosion and received the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) Corrosion Medal, the association’s most prestigious award across Australasia, in November 2016. In March 2017, Professor Kinsella was presented a NACE Fellow Honour Excellence Award by NACE International for sustained contributions made to corrosion control over the years.
Professor Jonathan Majer was appointed as Emeritus Professor for his contributions as Curtin’s former Professor of Invertebrate Conservation. Professor Majer’s mission has been to educate people to appreciate the importance of insects to our wellbeing and survival. Professor Majer developed a continuous 40-year research program with a parallel program in South America and was awarded the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) Mueller Medal in 2006 before serving as President of the Australian Entomological Society from 2006-2008.
Professor Jie Sun is a highly distinguished and well-regarded scholar internationally for his work in operations research and mathematical programming. Professor Sun’s numerous awards and honours include Highly Cited Researchers in Mathematics, 2002 to 2012 by Thompson-Reuters, and Provost’s Chair Professorship at National University of Singapore, 2009 to 2014. He has been most active in professional service serving as an editor and a member of the editorial board of several top journals in optimisation and operations research, and playing a key role in many international conferences and professional organisations.
The title of Emeritus Professor is awarded to a Professor who is within six months of retirement from the University, and has demonstrated a distinguished service to research, learning and teaching.
