Changes to the way the Federal Government funds research in Australian universities has brought about a restructure in research and graduate training at Charles Sturt University and the creation of a new Pro-Vice-Chancellor’s position.

Professor Paul Burnett, who leaves a Head of School position in Teacher Education on CSU’s Bathurst Campus, will take up the top research job on 5 February, heading a restructured Centre for Research and Graduate Training.

Providing a coordinated program of service and support for research students and staff, facilitating the expansion of the graduate student program and developing consulting opportunities are among the main priorities for Professor Burnett as he begins his appointment.

"The main aim of CSU’s research policy is to enhance the University’s research profile and build on the research culture," he said.

"One of the most important factors in the success of this plan is to provide a culture where graduate students and their supervisors are supported and encouraged to complete their higher degrees."

Professor Burnett, who published a paper in 1999 on the use of a collaborative cohort model of supervision as a mechanism to address the attrition of post graduate research students, sees improvement in graduate research training and the creation of a "community of scholars" as key factors in improving research standards.

"The changes being introduced by the Government will mean there will be penalties for attrition and low completion rates of graduate students and while CSU along with other regional universities will have some protection in the interim, the next three years are critical in establishing a solid foundation for growth in this area," he said.

A primary teacher and a counselling psychologist, Professor Burnett’s academic career has a combination of interests in education, psychology, and psychiatry. His research has included an ongoing program focused on the enhancement of children's self-concepts and self-esteem, the outcomes of counselling and studies in the psychiatric field such as bereavement, HIV, suicide and terminal illness.

He is widely published in these areas and has gained national and international media on a variety of issues. Professor Burnett will continue his own research including a CSU funded project on the use of praise in the primary classroom and involvement in a National Health and Medical Research Council funded study with the University of Queensland's Psychiatry Department, into the desire to hasten death in the terminally ill.