The ANU School of History has performed stunningly well in this year’s round of ARC Discovery grants announced 25 October for funding to begin 2011. Academic staff of the School won all five of the ARC grants for which applications were submitted this year—a 100% success rate. The five grants awarded (to Dr. Gregory Barton, Dr. Shino Konishi, Professor Ann McGrath, Dr. Maria Nugent, and Dr. Carolyn Strange) were the largest number won this year by any school or department of History in the nation. Dr. Maria Nugent was remarkably successful, winning her solo Discovery grant, a joint grant with Dr Shino Konishi (and Dr Tiffany Shellam a graduate of the School), and another joint grant with Professor Howard Morphy of the RSHA. These new wins add to the School of History’s ARC grants currently held by six academic staff.

This year’s newly funded projects are:

Dr. Gregory Barton: ‘Saving the World the First Time: Global Climate Theory and Desiccation   1765-1960’ (which includes a postdoctoral fellowship)

Drs. Shino Konishi and Maria Nugent: ‘Exploring the Middle Ground: New Histories of Cross-Cultural Encounters in Australian Maritime and Land Exploration’ (with School of History graduate Dr. Tiffany Shellam of Deakin University)

Professor Ann McGrath: ‘The TwoLakes Project: A Research History of Lakes Mungo and Gregory’

Dr. Maria Nugent: ‘The queen gave us the land: Aboriginal people's histories and memories of Queen Victoria’

Dr. Carolyn Strange: ‘Family, Violence and Honour: The Walworth Murder’

Congratulations!