Message from Head of School
I would like to start with acknowledging the Gadigal people of Eora Nation on whose lands our main office is located and extend this acknowledgement to the lands and waters across Australia and globally where we conduct our research and education. Specifically, it is important to acknowledge the systems of knowledge that impacts our work up to now, through generations up to our former and existing colleagues who continue to shape the globally unique School of Project Management.
It is very exciting to observe the continuously increasing trajectory of project research from the School. Some examples of these research projects, presentations and outputs are reported in this newsletter. We also had several prominent international visitors, and they presented a range of topical research to the School, engaged with our students and staff, while our academics have been invited to present in a range of conferences including keynotes for research communities and industries.
The School also continues its global impact through education with increasing trajectory of student numbers. The enrolments for semester one of 2024 exhibited an increase of 16% to 1,489 students, comprising a slight increase of %0.73 for undergraduate coursework to 554 students and 28% increase in postgraduate coursework to 935 students.
The continuous interest in the research and education of the School is a testimony to the exemplar work of our lecturers, tutors, and professional staff and their impact in student experiences. Most importantly, we are pleased to see a range of activities organised by students through Sydney University Project Management Society (PMSoc), and the School is looking for expansion of its support for these grassroot activities to build Sydney project cohort of alumni and students.
Looking forward to these upward trajectories in the second semester of 2024, with exciting plans and initiatives that represent our focus on engaged project scholarship.
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The University of Sydney has secured its highest ever ranking overall and continues to be rated as a top 20 global university in the 2025 QS World University Rankings. The University surpassed its previous result of 19th to be placed 1 8th globally and 2nd in Australia in the prestigious QS rankings.
Sydney University is home to a very unique School of Project Management, Faculty of Engineering, a highly interdisciplinary school with Scholars who have passion about "Projects" for global grand challenges.
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Academic Staff Academic Staff Academic Staff
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Dr Neda Mohammadi Dr Xinyue Zhang Dr Sujuan Zhang Senior Lecturer Lecturer Lecturer
From Georgia Institute of From Tongji University, From Xiamen University
Techology Delft University University of Hong Kong
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Academic Staff Professional Staff
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Dr Hoonyong Lee Ms Reegan Myers
Lecturer Education Support Officer
From University of Michigan
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Research Seminars
13 February
Prof Mats Alvesson, Lund University: Organizational Sludge.
14 February
Prof Paolo Quottrone, University of Manchester: Magritte was right! Programme management in a turbulent world.
6 March
Prof Amy Javernick-Will, University of Colorado: Enhancing the sustainability and resiliency of infrastructure: Collaboratively strengthening systems (Distinguished Lecture)
19 March 2024
Dr Maria Nogal Macho, TU Delft: Bringing the Social Dimension into Resilience Assessments for Socio-Physical Systems.
16 April 2024
Emeritus Prof Sue McNeil, University of Delaware: Investment decisions for transport infrastructure projects: how do we know if we are making the right decisions?
28 May 2024
Dr Abdolmajid Erfani, Michigan Tech: Bridging the Gap: Data-Driven Equity & Diversity analysis in Project Based Industries A Case Study of AEC Industry.
25 June 2024
Prof Matthew Koschman, University of Colorado: The Philippines Road Home: Developing a communicative approach to participation in housing.
25 July 2024
A/Prof Laura Florez-Perez, University College London: Data-Driven models for productivity improvement
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Selected Research Publications on Projects in 2024
Baker, M., Ali, M., & Crawford, L. (2024). What do women want? An exploration of workplace attraction and retention factors for women in construction. International Journal of Construction Management, 24(3), 270-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2023.2222987
Farghaly, K., Soman, R., & Whyte, J. (2024). cSite ontology for production control of construction sites. Automation in Construction, 158, 105224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2023.105224
Geraldi, J., Locatelli, G., Dei, G., Söderlund, J., & Clegg, S. (2024). AI for Management and Organization Research: Examples and Reflections from Project Studies. Project Management Journal, https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728241266938
Hackman, D., Pollack, J., & Baker, M. (2024). Individual perceptions of complex projects: A window into project team and stakeholder mental models. International Journal of Project Management, 42 (2024), 102603, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2024.102603
Levitt, R., Pollack, J., & Whyte, J. (2024). Leadership and the dynamics of projects: ray Levitt’s insights on project leadership. Project Leadership and Society, 100131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2024.100131
Liu, L., Clegg, S., & Pollack, J. (2024). The Effect of Public-Private Partnerships on Innovation in Infrastructure Delivery. Project Management Journal, 2024, Vol 55(1) 31-49, https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728231189989
Naderpajouh, N., Zolghadr, A., & Clegg, S. (2024). Organizing coopetitive tensions: Collaborative consumption in project ecologies. International Journal of Project Management, 42(3), 102586, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2024.102586
Sankaran, S., Clegg, S. R., Killen, C. P., Smyth, H., & Scales, J. (2024). Enabling Collaborative Research in Project Management by Creating Gioia Data Structures as a Boundary Object. Project Management Journal, 55(3), 281-296. https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728231212411
Uddin, S., Yan, S., & Lu, H. (2024). Machine Learning and deep learning in project analytics: methods, applications and research trends, Production Planning & Control, Taylor and Francis Online, https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2024.2320790
Unterhitzenberger, C., Naderpajouh, N., Hällgren, M., & Huemann, M. (2024). Temporary organising and crisis. International Journal of Project Management, 42(2), 102576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2024.102576
Yalu, A., and P. Matous. (2024). Which community network structures can support sustainability programs? The case of the Sustainable Cocoa Production Program in Indonesia. Ecology and Society 29(2):16. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-15003-290216
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Selected Research Publications on Projects in 2024
12th February- Semester 1 UG orientation and welcome
14th February- Semester 1 PG orientation and welcome
15th-27th February- Recruitment process for continuing academic roles
19th March- Engineering careers expo 2024
18th April- All staff media training
17th May- SoPM Graduation celebration and awards
24th May- Semester 1 Capstone Project Expo
28th May- 3MT
17th July- Explore Eng!
22nd July- Undergraduate Orientation
24th July- Undergraduate Orientation
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Conscious Team Building
Dr Louis Taborda presented on Conscious Team Building at the Sydney Teaching Symposium in July 2024. Dr Taborda took on the role of Director of the Master of Project Management this year. He shared his approach to team building reflecting experience of our students in different courses. These exercises encourage students to “build their project team” by creating team identity through their name and logo. He credits the idea to the diverse team he led in Beijing. A team member suggested unique team name and logo that created a shared identity, leading them to stay in touch long after the end of the project. We hope to create similar positive team experiences for our students and encourage them to stay in touch as part of our extensive global alumni network.
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Sunbelt Conference 2024
Associate Professor Michele Barnes received the prestigious 2023 Freeman Award at Sunbelt 2024. The Freeman award is given annually to a distinguished scholar who has made significant contributions to the scientific contributions to the scientific study of social structure. Michele's pioneering use of multilevel social-ecological networks has advanced our understanding of environmental challenges and their consequences. Michele also delivered an inspiring keynote on "social-ecological networks and resilience to environmental change," showcasing her work in the field of social networks.
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Graduations 2023 and Capstone Semester One
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Alumni participates in Olympics
Our alumni Noah Havard is participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after being selected for the Men's K4 500M Canoe Sprint.
In 2023, Noah graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Project Management (major in Construction). When asked how he found balancing university and sport he shared that whilst difficult, he found prioritisation and being efficient with his time was key.
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Office UpgradesBuilt environment plays a significant role in our daily practices. Our office at 21 Ross St. plays a pivotal role in our research and education activities. We had office upgrade projects to create a more comfortable space for staff and students. Along with these projects we expect a new online teaching space, more workstation for students, and meeting booths at the school. The continuous improvements are based on the feedbacks from students and staff and aim to better reflect the importance of the work that is performed in the School.
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China Trip 2023
It's been six months since the school delegation including Associate Professor Naderpajouh, Associate Professor Matous, Professor Crawford and Ms Beckey Lim travelled to China with the objective of strengthening ties with our Alumni. The three fully booked events were organised in collaboration with the University Centre in China in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. We were delighted to hear about the success and challenges of our alumni and look forward to further opportunities to hear more about our global network of alumni and how it can have impact beyond graduation.
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