Future Fellows at MBS
Nov, 2011
MBS Econometrics Professor Mike Smith and Associate Professor Cordelia Fine have been awarded ARC Future Fellowships worth $1.3 million for research projects expected to generate important insights into challenges faced by business.
The four-year fellowships are awarded by the Australian Research Council to promote research and innovation on areas of national priority.
Professor Smith's project aims to improve and extend copula models, which are transforming the way analysts deal with data in fields as diverse as marketing, finance and transport studies.
"Copula models are relatively new tools that have enormous potential for organisations that collect massive amounts of data," Professor Smith said. "Many organisations have mountains of data they don't know what to do with. This data can be extremely valuable if they have the tools and the ability to exploit it... as companies like Google have shown.
"My research will focus on what is the missing link in many organisations: refining these models and exploring ways they can be used to interpret information-rich data and translate it into meaningful outcomes for business and public policy."
Associate Professor Cordelia Fine will further her research on neuroscientific explanations of sex inequality. Dr Fine is a researcher on the MBS Centre for Ethical Leadership's Gender Equality Program, being conducted in partnership with some of Australia's leading companies.
"The news media love research that supposedly shows evidence for ‘hardwired' sex differences in the brain. But these claims are scientifically premature, and may sustain employment inequalities through self-fulfilling effects on organisational behaviour and policies," Dr Fine says.
"This project will expand our knowledge of the psychological consequences of beliefs and information about differences between male and female brains, and explore the ethical responsibilities of scientists working in this area.
The new Dean of Melbourne Business School, Professor Zeger Degraeve, said the grants underscored Melbourne Business School's commitment to excellence in research.
"Mike Smith's project is one of just three awarded nationally in the area of business, economics and commerce and will shed light on a tool that organisations cannot afford to ignore," Professor Degraeve said.
"Cordelia Fine's work is gaining increasing international prominence, and has very clear utility for organisations grappling with the question of how to better harness the talents of half the population."
The two grants are among 17 worth $12.2 million awarded to MBS's parent institution, the University of Melbourne (grants to MBS faculty are administered by the University). Nationally, 203 Future Fellows have been announced by Federal Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr.
The new Dean of Melbourne Business School, Professor Zeger Degraeve, said the grants underscored Melbourne Business School's commitment to excellence in research."Mike Smith's project is one of just three awarded nationally in the area of business, economics and commerce and will shed light on a tool that organisations cannot afford to ignore," Professor Degraeve said.
"Cordelia Fine's work is gaining increasing international prominence, and has very clear utility for organisations grappling with the question of how to better harness the talents of half the population."
The two grants are among 17 worth $12.2 million awarded to MBS's parent institution, the University of Melbourne (grants to MBS faculty are administered by the University). Nationally, 203 Future Fellows have been announced by Federal Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr.
