Vale Professor Marian Simms

We were saddened to hear news of the passing of Professor Marian Simms during May 2021. Professor Simms was the ARC’s Executive Director for Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences, joining the ARC from Deakin University, as former Head of the School of History, Heritage and Society, from 2011 until the end of 2016.

During her five and a half years as Executive Director with the ARC, Professor Simms made a significant contribution to Australian research, including to national ethics reviews, and undertaking extensive outreach with the research sector to promote and improve ARC’s research workforce policies to support early-career researchers, women researchers, researchers who have had career breaks, and Indigenous researchers.

Following her time at the ARC, Marian Simms worked for the University of Canberra’s Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis on the 50:50 by 2030 initiative, to establish gender equity in leadership and key decision-making roles at all levels of government and public administration throughout Australia and across our region.

Marian is fondly remembered, and we pass on condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.

Image: Professor Marian Simms. Credit: Norman Plant Photography