5,000th ANU thesis digitised

Theses provide deep insights and are the culmination of many years of deep research. ANU students have produced extraordinarily valuable insights in their theses. The ANU Library is currently digitising the theses of ANU students to make them available to researchers across the world through the University’s Open Research repository.

We are thrilled to announce an important milestone, with the digitisation of the 5,000^th thesis!

Dr Ian Brunskill, whose thesis was first published in 1979 as part of his degree of Doctor of Philosophy is the 5,000^th thesis made available at the University. Ian’s thesis ‘Optical studies of off-centre ions in strontium oxide’ is now available digitally, in the Open Access theses collection.

Ian was pleasantly surprised to hear about the digitisation of his thesis. After completing his PhD in solid state physics at the Research School of Physical Sciences in 1979, Ian moved to Geneva and worked at the Department of Applied Chemistry at the University of Geneva. Whilst in Geneva, Ian married another ANU Alumni, Marian, whom he met in 1977 in the car park opposite the John Curtin School of Medical Research.

Following his return to Australia, Ian spent over 30 years as a Defence scientist in Canberra, with a focus on military operations research and analysis. During this long career, Ian achieved many noteworthy accomplishments, including representing Defence at a number of international forums, receiving the Morry Frost Award for Military Operations Research in 2008 and being posted to the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, Canada between 1988 and 1990. He retired in 2014, but took up a one-year Defence Science and Technology Organisation Senior Fellowship in 2015.

Reaching the 5,000^th thesis digitised milestone is significant, as it represents the ANU Library’s continued commitment to digitisation and providing access to our world-class research. 

Professor Imelda Whelehan, Dean, Higher Degree Research, congratulates Dr Brunskill on his achievements. 

“The ANU theses continue to make a significant impact to modern research. Over 457,000 downloads were made of ANU theses last year, contributing to new research and industry developments. 83% were downloaded by researchers outside Australia. By making the University’s unique and original research in a freely available, open access collection, except where restrictions apply, we boost research knowledge.”

You can find the digital theses, and search and browse to find a wealth of research, in the ANU Library theses collection.