Leading music researcher takes on new role

One of Australia’s leading music researchers, Professor Philip Hayward, has taken up a newly created position as Director of Research Training at Southern Cross University.

Professor Hayward was previously the head of the Departments of Media and of Contemporary Music Studies at Macquarie University. He is an internationally recognised researcher and author, with a specific focus on contemporary and Pacific music and of island cultures in general.

His new role in the Division of Research will cover the delivery and supervision of higher degrees and broader areas of research training.

“One of the strategic objectives of Southern Cross University is to become the most research intensive regional university. I wouldn’t have made the decision to come to Southern Cross University if it didn’t have that goal,” Professor Hayward said.

“I am going to be working to develop a greater involvement of the University’s research culture with the community and region, an aspect I see as essential to consolidating the University within its locale.

“I would like to see the research activities of the University really plug into the region. There are a whole set of pressures on the region – social, economic, environmental - and one way we can get good local solutions is through links to research and international practice.”

Professor Hayward’s own research interests have focused on music, dance and cultural heritage issues in the western Pacific. He holds two Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grants covering the areas of the Melanesian music industry and Australian feature film soundtracks.

He has also recently been awarded an ARC Linkage Grant, worth $620,000, for a collaborative project on ‘Sustainable futures for music cultures: towards an ecology of musical diversity’. This is the second largest performing and creative arts research grant in the history of the Australian Research Council.

Professor Hayward is looking forward to developing integrated research across all disciplines, and is equally interested in developing research in the Sciences and Commerce, as in Humanities. He has close links with research institutions in East Asia, Western Europe and North America and will be looking to enhance SCU’s international profile as a centre of quality research.

Professor Hayward said he was also very much looking forward to working in this region after spending the last five years commuting from the Northern Rivers.

“I have lived here for five years and have been commuting to Sydney. I’m very interested and involved in rainforest restoration and this is an outstanding area of biodiversity and natural resources,” he said.

Professor Neal Ryan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) said he was excited to have someone with such an outstanding track record in research take on this important role.

“We are thrilled to welcome Philip to the University community and look forward to the continued growth of our research activities,” Professor Ryan said.

Photo: Professor Philip Hayward is SCU's new Director of Research Training. High resolution photo available on request.