Addressing how to make our future more inclusive for people with disabilities has seen Griffith University take the top spot in a new research ranking.

This year, The Australian newspaper’s Research supplement added a new feature, naming the top five universities and research institutions that are best equipped (by their research capacity and recent research achievements) to tackle Australia’s top 10 research challenges, which The Australian selected as being: climate change, renewable energy, quantum technology, indigenous research, healthy ageing, food and agriculture, cybersecurity, disability and rehabilitation, media technology, and medical technology and devices.

Griffith was named in the top five in two areas: quantum technology, and disability and rehabilitation – and is the leader in disability and rehabilitation.

Professor Elizabeth Kendall, Director of Griffith’s Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Beacon, said the ranking validated Griffith’s brilliant work in the sector.

Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen.

“The recognition will help us to achieve our goals, which is to improve inclusive futures, and make inclusive futures for people with disability,” she said.

“We can do that if we’re recognised as a place that can achieve. So I think it’s incredible, I’m so pleased.”

The Australian’s Research supplement also named the top Australian researchers and research institutions in 250 fields of research over eight disciplines, with the aim of highlighting the excellence and relevance of Australia’s research effort.

The selection was made objectively based on the number of citations given by peers to research published in top journals.

Griffith researchers were the top researcher in six fields and Griffith University was the top institution in six fields.

 

Discipline area Field Top researcher in field
Social Sciences Anthropology Professor Michael Petraglia
Social Sciences Criminology, Criminal Law & Policing Professor Kristina Murphy
Chemical & Material Sciences Analytical Chemistry Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen
Chemical & Material Sciences Biochemistry Professor Michael Jennings
Health & Medical Sciences Rheumatology Professor Peter Nash
Engineering & Computer Science Ocean & Marine Engineering Professor Dong-Sheng Jeng

Discipline area Field Top institution in field
Health & Medical Sciences Pregnancy & Childbirth Griffith University
Health & Medical Sciences Nursing Griffith University
Social Sciences Criminology, Criminal Law & Policing Griffith University
Social Sciences Social Work Griffith University
Engineering & Computer Science Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging Griffith University
Engineering & Computer Science Technology Law Griffith University

Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Director of Griffith’s Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, said it was exciting to again be recognised for his research in the microfluidics field.

“This is also a recognition for the field of microfluidics that enables faster and more accurate diagnosis of diseases,” he said.

“Microfluidics technology allows for precise handling of small amount of samples and reagents.

“I’m currently working on advancing this technology beyond the state of the art, integrating microfluidics into flexible wearable and implantable devices. This new research field is called micro elastofluidics.”