Rockhampton's Dreamtime Cultural Centre was an appropriate venue for CQU researchers dreaming of an accelerated research career, last Friday.

About 50 of them attended a luncheon function led by Dr Mandy Thomas, the Australian Research Council's (ARC) Executive Director, Discovery Projects.

Dr Thomas was quite happy to provide insider tips and guidance about how research project applicants can maximise their funding chances and enhance their own profile.

She also answered questions from the floor and encouraged the CQU audience members to advance their careers.

CQU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Jennelle Kyd was on hand to chair the event, with the help of staff from the Office of Research.

Dr Thomas, a leading anthropologist is the ARC's Executive Director for the Humanities and Creative Arts, and Executive Director of the Discovery Projects Funding Program.

Her extensive multi-disciplinary experience has involved research, consultancies and publications in Indigenous Australian, multicultural Australian, and Asian studies. More specifically, Dr Thomas has conducted research into: Indigenous languages; Asian migration to Australia; Asian and Middle Eastern youth in urban Australia; youth cultures, and social and political change in Vietnam; cultural traffic in the Asian region; and Asian-Australian art. Dr Thomas is a Fellow of the Australian Anthropological Society.

As a female researcher in the humanities and social sciences Dr Thomas is well versed in the challenges facing researchers in the humanities trying to secure external research funding, and in particular the challenges faced by early career researchers.

Photo (above from left): Jayantha Epaarachchi, Amoakoh Gyasi-Agyei, Jenny McDougall and Dr Mandy Thomas.

Photo (below from left): Dr Mandy Thomas, Yvonne Toft, Sue Rice and Teresa Moore.