recrach

Research

During the five year period from 2007 to 2011, Charles Sturt University staff will conduct strategic and applied research of an international standard. Key drivers for our research activities are quality and excellence with an emphasis on the creation of new knowledge for the advancement of fields of study and the enhancement of the society in general. All academic staff at CSU are expected to make a contribution to the creation of new knowledge in their relevant discipline area.
The University will focus strategically on our areas of research strength. These areas are listed in the University’s Strategic Plan as agricultural sustainability (including agricultural innovations, land, water and society, and wine and grape science), applied philosophy and public ethics, public and contextual theology, complex systems, and professional practice. In addition to supporting these areas of competitive edge and strategic advantage, the University will continue to foster a strong research culture and will identify and resource emerging research groupings that demonstrate potential to grow into areas of future research strength. The University’s research strengths predominantly address issues associated with an environmentally sustainable Australia.
The University’s approach to research development over the 2007 – 2011 period will focus on clearly identifying significant problems or issues that are best addressed by the scholarly and intellectual endeavours of disciplinary and transdisciplinary teams and on implementing the best structures and resourcing strategies to facilitate high-quality outcomes and answers for these problems and issues. Trandisciplinary, integrative research aims to transcend disciplinary boundaries and creates research solutions that are derived from an integrated perspective. This approach will provide the opportunity for research teams to collaborate with industry and other agencies to seek significant program funding from government and research funding agencies and from other sources to address these important problems. The development of global alliances and key national and local partnerships with other researchers and agencies that are focussed on addressing the same or similar problem or issue will be strongly encouraged and supported. Charles Sturt University is committed to providing high-quality research training and supervision for its higher degree research students. During the 2007-11 period we want to attract high-calibre students to study in our areas of existing or potential research strengths and strategies to facilitate this objective will be implemented. These students will form an important part of the transdisciplinary teams working to solve the clearly identified significant problems and/or issues.
As the University Strategy for 2011-2015 is developed, CSU will continue to achieve international recognition for its research addressing key challenges faced by the regions and the global society. Ethical and theological issues and water, ecological and agricultural problems will be addressed from a holistic perspective, ensuring an understanding of the impact of competing perspectives on all stakeholders. The application of disciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to investigating complex problems in animals, psychology, health, business, communication and education will continue to generate innovative solutions for practitioners and advanced the specific disciplines informing CSU’s undergraduate and postgraduate courses. New courses will continue to emerge that prepare students for participation in an increasingly complex and globalised world.
CSU’s emphasis on strategic and problem-based research will continue to produce outcomes published in high-quality academic publications. The impact of the research outcomes will be evidenced through advances in the disciplines, the changing practices of those implementing the solutions, and improvements in the quality of life, economic viability, agricultural production and the environment of the national and international constituencies CSU serves.