At the end of 2023, Professor Brian Schmidt stepped down from his position as Vice Chancellor at ANU, in order to return to research in astrophysics.

As he moves on to this new phase, we at SAGE wish to congratulate him on his many achievements as Vice Chancellor and his work as a leader in the higher education sector. We wish him great satisfaction in returning to academia.

Professor Schmidt’s dedication to gender equity in higher education saw him play a pivotal role in establishing SAGE. In 2013, seeing a desperate need for greater inclusion of women, he worked with Professor Nalini Joshi to bring the Athena Swan framework to Australia, becoming a sponsor, co-founder and co-Chair of the SAGE Pilot Steering Committee.

The success of the fledgling project was due in large part to his foresight, commitment, and generous personal support – but most importantly, to his vision.

As the pilot launched, he wrote, “Perhaps one day future generations won’t even think twice when women and men are represented equally at the most senior levels of science.” This hope continues to drive the work we do together across the SAGE Network.

We offer heartfelt thanks to Professor Schmidt for his leadership.