Last Friday 25 September marked Research Administrator Day – a day celebrated world-wide to recognise the contribution of research administrators.

At Macquarie the day was celebrated, as have many important occasions this year, via socially-distanced ‘bouquets’ – words of thanks and acknowledgement – from the Macquarie researcher community.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research),  Professor Sakkie Pretorius described the day as “a great opportunity to acknowledge the exceptional performance of our professional staff colleagues who work diligently in the Faculties, Research Services, Centrally, the Library, Finance, Legal, IT and HR to keep research projects on course.”

From early career researchers to seasoned leaders, research administrators were recognised as “the wind in my sails”, “literally making things happen when others would be scrambling”, and “universally appreciated (I might even say adored) by academic staff.”

They were credited for their passion and excellence in all aspects of research support from developing long-term research strategies to application editing and post award management, from cultivating relationships with research partners to providing training, and recruiting and supporting our higher degree research candidates.

Professor Pretorius thanked these staff for their “belief in the world-changing research undertaken at Macquarie and the dedication and commitment you all make to this University. We all work together with the aim of getting the best outcome and we should all celebrate our successes and achievements as a team.”

While being a quiet affair in 2020, the words of Macquarie researchers spoke volumes in their appreciation.