UNSW

Many people only ever see coral reefs through documentaries or textbooks, but for UNSW students, Heron Island is a living laboratory where they can study reef systems, ocean processes and climate change in real time.

As marine heatwaves threaten coral reefs worldwide, a growing number of future problem solvers are witnessing the impacts on the Great Barrier Reef firsthand while also discovering new career pathways in climate science, technology and environmental problem-solving.

Reef in crisis becomes a classroom for future problem solvers As marine heatwaves, fuelled by global warming, threaten coral reefs, UNSW students are seeing the impacts firsthand – while also discovering new career pathways in climate science, technology and environmental problem-solving.

With Australia’s flu season now underway, vaccination remains the most effective prevention for severe illness – particularly for young children, pregnant women, older adults and those with underlying health conditions.

UNSW Medicine & Health researcher, Professor Holly Seale, says that for some culturally and linguistically diverse communities, the risk of ending up in hospital due to a vaccine-preventable disease is higher – and the issue is not as simple as being vaccine hesitant.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/gap-widens-as-vaccination-rates-slip?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Three years ago, UNSW researchers introduced 10 platypuses to Sydney’s Royal National Park. The number of platypuses in the park has now doubled, with 20 individuals recorded.

Researchers from the Platypus Conservation Initiative have just completed a third translocation, releasing four new platypuses into the Hacking River. The team also captured a new subadult male hatched in the park during the most recent breeding season, providing further evidence that the reintroduced population is reproducing.

💬 “...This is no longer just a reintroduction – it is a recovering population”

Read the full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/platypus-population-expands-to-20-in-royal-national-park-latest-survey?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Health Translation Hub still glowing, even on rainy days ☔️

📸 Prof. Dane McCamey

💬 “From quantum technologies and sustainable infrastructure to refugee wellbeing and climate resilience, these projects highlight the breadth of UNSW’s research strengths and our commitment to translating innovation into practical outcomes that benefit Australia’s economy, communities and future prosperity.”

16 UNSW-led projects have been awarded more than $9.1 million from the Australian Research Council to advance collaborative research.

Awarded through the ARC Linkage Projects scheme, the 16 projects span UNSW's Faculties of Engineering, Science, and Arts, Design & Architecture, and align with Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/backing-australias-priorities-unsw-projects-awarded-9m-in-arc-grants?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

A preliminary investigation of licensed retailers in Melbourne has confirmed that illicit bottles of vodka are being sold – often at a cheaper price point than competitor products – in breach of food safety, liquor and tax regulations.

A new study from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW and the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University showed the bottles contained plastic contaminants and methanol, which, when ingested at sufficient levels, can be toxic.

The researchers say their findings demonstrate an urgent need to establish how prevalent illicit alcohol products are in Australia – and move towards a proactive policy approach to the safety of alcohol products.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/contaminated-illicit-alcohol-sold-at-licensed-bottle-shops-new-study?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

💬 “Youth mental health in Australia has been falling for years. This is the first clear sign in the data that the trend is turning around.”

A new UNSW-led analysis across 24 years of Australian household survey data has found adolescents experienced the steepest mental health decline between 2019 and 2021, with only a partial recovery by 2024. The mental health of older Australians remained comparatively stable throughout the same period.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/first-signs-of-recovery-emerge-in-australias-youth-mental-health-crisis?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

We set a goal that by 2027, 25% of our incoming domestic students would come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Gateway partner schools. Today, we reached that goal, a year ahead of schedule.

This equity target is designed to reduce barriers so more young Australians can receive a world-class university education.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/gateway-to-success-unsw-celebrates-student-equity-milestone?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

💬 "We have become very good at treating primary breast cancer, but late relapses remain a major challenge."

Researchers from UNSW and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have shown that rogue breast cancer cells can reprogramme themselves to divide at a remarkably slow pace, allowing them to form microscopic tumours that silently tick away in distant organs, evading detection for decades.

While relapse is known to be caused by cancer cells lying dormant in the bone or other organs, this new research provides evidence on a parallel pathway by which stealthy cancer cells develop into secondary tumours – findings which could uncover new approaches to prevent metastasis.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/slowly-ticking-breast-cancer-cells-offer-new-clues-to-late-relapse?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

💬 "Joining UNSW Bengaluru at this defining moment is both a privilege and a profound opportunity to help shape the next generation of globally minded learners and leaders."

UNSW has announced the appointment of Professor Payyazhi Vadakkekara Jayashree as the Rector of UNSW Bengaluru, the India campus set to open in August 2026.

Professor Payyazhi’s appointment brings internationally recognised expertise in transnational education at a defining moment in UNSW Bengaluru’s development.

A recipient of multiple teaching excellence awards, Professor Payyazhi is internationally recognised for her work in Women in Leadership, Strategic Change and Business Transformation.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/payyazhi-vadakkekara-jayashree-appointed-rector-of-unsw-bengaluru?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Campus through our students' eyes 💛

📸 fishy.jfry

💬 “Alongside cash wages, misuse of ABNs has emerged as a core strategy for paying migrants ‘off the books’ and concealing non-compliance.”

A survey of 10,000 migrants, led by academics at UNSW Law & Justice and UTS Faculty of Law, has found Australian businesses systematically underpay migrant workers. Two-thirds of employees were paid less than they were owed under the Fair Work Act, with a quarter underpaid by at least $10 per hour.

The report calculates that international students alone are being short-changed by around $61 million every week, or $3.18 billion per year.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/survey-hidden-system-migrant-worker-exploitation

💬 “Here, close collaboration between scientists and doctors will accelerate research discovery and translate into clinical impact quickly and efficiently, ultimately leading to better outcomes for children with cancer."

The Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre opened yesterday, uniting leading researchers, clinicians and educators from Children’s Cancer Institute, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and UNSW in a new era of bedside-to-bench-to-bedside treatment.

The Centre spans Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick and the adjacent UNSW Health Translation Hub, where researchers, clinicians and educators work collaboratively to accelerate treatment discoveries from labs to nearby hospital beds of cancer patients.

Families will benefit from light-filled, private inpatient bedrooms equipped with an ensuite and carer bed, more play and recreational spaces, a kitchen to prepare meals, an outdoor terrace and a laundry.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/Australias-first-Childrens-Comprehensive-Cancer-Centre-opens-to-deliver-world-leading-cancer-care

We have partnered with the NSW Government to train, mentor and invest in female and culturally diverse founders across the state.

The $4 million Diversity Pre-Accelerator Program was launched by the Minns Government last week, with UNSW Founders appointed to support at least 20 women and culturally diverse health innovators across Greater Western Sydney and regional NSW.

The program will focus on foundational skills-building, tailored coaching and practical ways to scale up business ideas.

Full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/05/unsw-to-fast-track-female-founders-in-new-4m-nsw-government-program

💬 “The universe is a lot more complex than we can directly see, and there could be a lot more of these real-life Tatooines out there.”

A team of UNSW astronomers have piloted a new method to find planets – and in the process, found 27 potential real-life 'Tatooine' planets that orbit two stars instead of one.

The closest potential planet is about 650 light years away from Earth, and the furthest about 18,000 away.

Read the full story 🔗 https://news.unsw.edu.au/en/almost-30-real-life-tatooine-planet-candidates-discovered?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

How's the serenity? 💛

📸 fishy.jfry

💬 "This research shows that Australians care deeply about fairness and believe poverty can be addressed with the right systems in place."

New research by the Australian Council of Social Service and the UNSW-led Poverty and Inequality Partnership has found that concerns about poverty in Australia are rising as cost-of-living pressures hit hard, with most people agreeing that income support payments are not enough to live on.

The research surveyed 2520 people and found that 74% reject the idea that people on JobSeeker deserve to live in poverty, 76% agree that the gap between the wealthy and people experiencing poverty is too great, and 68% agree that incomes at the top are too high.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/04/most-australians-think-income-support-too-low-to-live-on-new-survey-results?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social