Nicholas Fisk, University of New South Wales

Nicholas Fisk, University of New South Wales

deputy vice-chancellor of research

As deputy vice-chancellor for research at the University of New South Wales, Nicholas Fisk provides strategic leadership and support to the vice-chancellor and president in the generation of external research income and improving UNSW’s overall research performance, and in attracting and retaining outstanding academic staff, research-only staff, and higher degree research students to UNSW.

With him in a key leadership role at UNSW, the university has ranked first among Australian universities contributing to scientific research in the natural sciences, rising from last year’s third place in the 2020 Nature Index, which tracks academic institutions’ contributions to research papers published in the world’s top scientific journals in 2019. UNSW topped 41 other Australian universities in the list and climbed three spots to 86th globally. When it comes to research output, the university ranked 10th. The Nature Index bases the rankings in four broad subject areas. UNSW ranked first in Australia and 90th in the world for Chemistry; second in the country for both Physical Sciences and Earth & Environmental Sciences; and 5th among Australian universities and 31st globally in Life Sciences.