In Summary

  • Swinburne has achieved an exceptional outcome in the Excellence in Research for Australia 2018 (ERA) assessment
  • The ERA benchmarks Australian university research against world standards
  • Swinburne received an ERA 5 rating (well above world standard) in Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Engineering, and Psychology & Cognitive Sciences

Swinburne has achieved an exceptional outcome in the Excellence in Research for Australia 2018 (ERA) assessment, including significant improvements across a range of disciplines compared to the previous round. 

ERA is a comprehensive research assessment exercise undertaken by the Australian Research Council on behalf of the Australian Government to evaluate the quality of research conducted at Australian universities against international benchmarks.

This year, Swinburne maintained an ERA 5 rating (well above world standard) in the broad field of Physical Sciences, and for the first time achieved ERA 5 ratings in three additional broad fields – Mathematical Sciences, Engineering, and Psychology & Cognitive Sciences.

“Swinburne has continued to develop as a research-intensive university that is recognised nationally and internationally for research excellence and impact,” says Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development) Professor Aleksandar Subic.

“In fact, Swinburne is now recognised for producing world-leading research in 12 narrow discipline areas and 4 broad fields of research.

“It is especially pleasing to see ERA 5 ratings achieved for the first time in Mathematics, and in the broader range of Chemistry, Engineering and Health disciplines compared to the previous assessment rounds.”

Well above world standard research

Swinburne achieved ERA 5 ratings in the following narrow discipline fields of research:

•           Applied Mathematics
•           Astronomical and Space Sciences
•           Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics
•           Optical Physics
•           Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry
•           Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural)
•           Electrical and Electronic Engineering
•           Neurosciences
•           Nursing
•           Medical Physiology
•           Public Health and Health Services
•           Psychology

Above world standard research

Additional disciplines classified as ‘above world standard’ (ERA 4):

•           Quantum Physics
•           Analytical Chemistry
•           Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry
•           Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
•           Microbiology
•           Biomedical Engineering
•           Information and Computing Sciences
•           Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing
•           Computer Software
•           Distributed Computing
•           Civil Engineering
•           Materials Engineering
•           Mechanical Engineering
•           Technology
•           Nanotechnology
•           Communications Technologies
•           Medical and Health Sciences
•           Urban and Regional Planning
•           Film, Television and Digital Media
•           Communication and Media Studies

Swinburne research was ranked at or above world standard (ERA 3 and above) in:

•           16 of 17 broad fields of research (compared to 12 of 18 in 2015)
•           39 of 40 specific fields of research (compared to 28 of 34 in 2015)

“These outstanding outcomes achieved across the university reflect the substantial improvement in quality and capacity of our research supported by the investment in high quality researchers, research infrastructure and comprehensive support made under Swinburne’s Research & Innovation 2020 Strategy,” Professor Subic says.