The Australian Research Council’s College of Experts is a group of 269 highly respected and experienced academics chosen through a competitive peer review process to help guide the ARC in its investment in Australian research. 

Two Macquarie University academics, Professor Tiffany Jones and Professor Fei Guo, were admitted to the College of Experts in 2023, joining the eight Macquarie researchers who remain on the College: 

• Professor Michael Gillings  
• Associate Professor Yijiao Jiang 
• Professor Annabelle McIver 
• Professor Ingird Piller 
• Professor Alison Rodger 
• Dr Kompal Sinha 
• Professor Daniela Traini 
• Professor Yuling Wang 

We spoke with Professor Jones about her appointment and why it is important for her to ‘give back’ to her peers through her College term. 

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What is your area of research and what drew you to this field? 

I study the sociology of education with an emphasis on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer issues. I am interested in how identities, learning and knowledge are framed in socio-political power dynamics in education systems and how this impacts wellbeing. I am a member of the LGBTIQ+ community and have both studied and taught in schools. I have seen a lot of systemic issues in education, here and internationally, to explore and address. 

Why did you decide to apply for a College of Experts role? 

There is a point of circularity in an academic career where one has some duty to provide back some of the more difficult services to one’s discipline, colleagues and supporting organisations. It was a logical next step to serve on the ARC College of Experts after my research was funded by the ARC several times. Just like academics should peer review or edit for journals we publish in or help PhD students enter fields we’ve studied in, in academia, leadership is really about serving others and paying it forwards.  

What responsibilities does the role bring, for those who are not familiar with the workings of the College? 

College members complete training on grant application rules, schemes, component scoring and diversity considerations. We read hundreds of research grant applications (sometimes 100 pages long); all their assessor reports (sometimes they can have five); and all their rejoinders responding to assessors. We contribute to scoring and ranking these applications and meet with other College of Experts members over several months – both in informal one-on-ones and in formal groups –    to review considerations. 

There are lots of deadlines, difficult decisions and debates. Incredible research will go unfunded each time, so the aim is to help ensure the most outstanding mix of projects are funded towards, supporting a justifiably timely, deep and wide benefit. 

How are you hoping to influence the research landscape in your discipline? 

My disciplines are facing times of great upheaval. I am looking to help support innovative research that will lead us to achieve beneficial impacts and harm minimisation within changing contexts. Within this task I am bringing a sensitivity to diversity in researchers, impacts and benefits.