Curtin University has awarded four outstanding academics the prestigious title of John Curtin Distinguished Professor.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Terry, said the title was the highest honour the University awarded its academic staff.
“The title of John Curtin Distinguished Professor recognises the sustained contributions our researchers have made to the University and to the wider community,” Professor Terry said.
“It was introduced in 2005 and has since been awarded to 23 exceptional staff members.”
This year’s recipients are Professors Kliti Grice, Yong Hong Wu and Tony Lucey from Curtin’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Professor Martin Hagger, from the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Professor Kliti Grice Faculty of Science and Engineering, is an internationally renowned organic geochemist. Her work examines the evolution and extinction of life, how life relates to our natural resources on Earth, where it came from, how it could end, and how completely rare it might be. In 2013, Professor Grice was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Geochemical Society and European Association of Organic Geochemistry.
Professor Yong Hong Wu, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has made many important fundamental contributions in the areas of applied differential equations and computational mathematics and has published more than 200 research articles in prestigious international journals. He ranked in the top 339 in the world in Thomson Reuters’ Web of Knowledge’s 2014 January list of Scientist Rankings in Mathematics by Citations.
Professor Tony Lucey, Head of School, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, is internationally recognised for his fundamental research in fluid-structure interaction and its applications in engineering and biomechanics. Professor Lucey is currently a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts and in 2007 he was listed by Engineers Australia as one of ‘Australia’s top 100 most influential Engineers’.
Professor Martin Hagger, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, applies motivational theories to understand, intervene and improve health behaviours such as physical activity, a healthy diet, smoking cessation, alcohol reduction, managing drugs in sport, and medication adherence. He is Director of the Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine Research Group at Curtin and is editor-in-chief of Health Psychology Review and Stress and Health.
“I congratulate our new John Curtin Distinguished Professors for their significant academic achievements and leadership at Curtin and look forward to working with them in the future,” Professor Terry said.
Academics holding the title of John Curtin Distinguished Professor each receive an individually hand-crafted lapel pin, which is the work of local designer and Curtin alumna, Ms Barbara Cotter.
