The University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a global leader in higher education. Across our campuses we convene brilliant minds from different disciplines and sectors to come together to address important questions and tackle grand challenges. In a disrupted world, that capacity has never been more important.

Our vision is to equip our students with a distinctive, future-facing education personalised around their ambitions and needs, enriched by global perspectives and embedded in a richly collaborative research culture. As active citizens and future leaders, our students represent our greatest contribution to the world, and are at the heart of everything we do.

We serve society by engaging with our communities and ensuring education and research are inspired from the outset by need and for the benefit of society, while remaining committed to allowing academic freedom to flourish. In this, we remain true to our purpose and fulfil our mission as a public-spirited organisation, dedicated to the principles of fairness, equality and excellence in everything we do.

We strive for an environment that is inclusive and celebrates diversity.

Beyond our campuses we imagine an Australia that is ambitious, forward thinking and increasing its reputation and influence globally. We are committed to playing a part in achieving this – building on our advantageous location in one of the world’s most exciting cities and across the state of Victoria, in a region rapidly becoming a hub for innovative education, research and collaboration.

Links

Articles

Transport and livestock are both significant contributors to nitrogen pollution. Annalucia/Shutterstock.com

You’ve heard of a carbon footprint – now it’s time to take steps to cut your nitrogen footprint

The University of Melbourne is the first institution in Australia to have its nitrogen footprint calculated – it’s 139 tonnes per year, mainly because of food production, energy use and transport.
Guy Pearce as the Chandleresque private investigator Jack Irish: in the early years of Australian crime fiction, convicts and bushrangers featured prominently. Lachlan Moore

Friday essay: from convicts to contemporary convictions – 200 years of Australian crime fiction

Australia’s rich tradition of crime fiction is little known – early tales told of bushrangers and convicts, one hero was a mining engineer turned amateur detective – but it reveals a range of national myths and fantasies.
Se ha dicho que los impresionistas eran miopes. El Boulevard Montmartre de noche, Camille Pissarro/Wikimedia Commons

¿Eran los impresionistas miopes?

Las enfermedades y trastornos pueden afectar a nuestra forma de ver. ¿Es posible que las pinturas nos den pistas sobre la capacidad visual de los artistas?
Some fanciful plans were imagined for Melbourne back in the day – some included jet cars. C.F. Beauvais in the Argus Weekend Magazine, August 28, 1943/Trove

Drawing inspiration from imaginative planners past

We have forgotten how to be imaginative when planning our cities. Looking back into Melbourne’s planning history, we might be able to find some inspiration to tackle rapid growth in a creative way.
More than 250,000 people took to the streets in a 2016 protest organised by hardline Muslim groups against Jakarta’s Christian mayor. Lauren Farrow/AAP

Is Indonesia retreating from democracy?

Indonesia has long been held up as a model of democratic transition in the Muslim world. This view of the country now needs rethinking.
Living in a country with more gender equality results in better sleep for both men and women. Flikr

Why couples sleep better in more gender‑equal societies

While women’s sleep is affected by children, men’s sleep is affected by work and finance stress. Couples living in more gender equal countries have improved sleep quality.
It’s been 50 years since the find of burnt bones in ancient soil, eroded from deep in shoreline dune in NSW. Jim Bowler

Time to honour a historical legend: 50 years since the discovery of Mungo Lady

It’s been half a century since Jim Bowler discovered Mungo Lady, which changed the course of Australian history. But now he says the find has fallen off the national radar, leaving a legacy of shame.
With some foul-mouthed words to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator David Leyonhjelm has turned a debate about the safety of women into a sleazy political sideshow. AAP/Mick Tsikas/Sam Mooy

Sexist abuse has a long history in Australian politics – and takes us all to a dark place

Many female politicians have had to endure sexist abuse, from Cheryl Kernot to Julia Gillard to Sarah Hanson-Young. And it is not a matter that should simply be brushed aside.
The existence of wormholes is not forbidden by our current theories of the universe. So we can say that they do exist in theory. Marcella Cheng/The Conversation NY-BD-CC

Curious Kids: How do wormholes work?

A wormhole is like a tunnel connecting two places in space. They would be incredibly useful and are great for science-fiction stories. The problem is we haven’t found any evidence of them existing.
Our cultural discomfort with discussing any sort of loss means women are often met with a wall of silence. Hermes Rivera

The dos and don'ts of supporting women after a miscarriage

Cliched comments like “it wasn’t meant to be” or “don’t worry, you’ll get pregnant” are hurtful and dismissive. Instead, acknowledge their loss, listen and let them grieve.

Authors

More Authors