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Thousands of concertgoers descended on ANU over the weekend for After Hours, a student-led celebration of Australian music marking the University’s 80th anniversary.

Presented by the ANU Students’ Association (ANUSA) and ANU, the outdoor concert at Chifley Meadows featured Genesis Owusu, Rum Jungle, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Canberra artist Chloe Parché and ANU band Lamb Legz.

“Live music should be the beating heart of any campus and any city," said ANUSA President Charley Ellwood. 

ANU Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rebekah Brown, said the concert was a fitting way to celebrate 80 years and thanked everyone involved.  

“It was wonderful to see so many students out enjoying the evening, joined by alumni and friends from across Canberra. The energy in the crowd was electric, and I loved being part of it."

Enterprise bargaining continues to work through the broader issues and the detail of how provisions would apply in practice. With a number of proposals still under consideration, this week’s update provides an opportunity to share where discussions are up to and provide staff with an update on progress.

So far, discussions have covered 28 clauses, including leave, organisational change, artificial intelligence, work health and safety and workloads. These topics touch on how we work, how change is managed and how staff are supported throughout their employment.

Discussions to date have helped clarify the parties’ positions, identify areas of common ground and focus the work needed to resolve outstanding issues. Work continues between meetings to assess proposals and develop responses, supporting further progress at the bargaining table.

The next bargaining meetings are scheduled for Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October 2026. We will continue to keep staff informed as discussions progress.

More information is available on the

ANU has been selected as a recipient for Google.org’s Impact Challenge: AI for Science initiative, receiving US$2.2 million to crack the code of the biology underpinning resistance to chemotherapy drugs.

Led by Dr Eli Niktab, the research brings together teams from the ANU National Centre for Indigenous Genomics and The John Curtin School of Medical Research. Their AI models will train on Gadi, Australia's national supercomputer at the National Computational Infrastructure NCI.

The project aims to create a molecular atlas of cancer cells that survive chemotherapy, and make the data, AI models and software freely available to researchers.

Researchers from ANU will share $8.1 million to build a sustainable materials workforce, answer fundamental questions in Earth science, further advance computational modelling, and solve real-world exploration challenges.

After months of design, testing and preparation, ANU students soared to victory at the 2026 Australian Universities Rocket Competition.

“The launch was terrifying in the best possible way. It’s over in minutes, but those minutes represent months of work from so many people,” said Hannah Schmidt, ANU Rocketry Chief Engineer

“We were proud of what we’d achieved regardless of the outcome, so realising we were coming home with two awards was a huge bonus.”

Discover how the student-led team brought their competition rocket, Project Tempest, to the launch pad and what comes next.

There’s still time to get involved in Safe Work Month at ANU. Attend a free or join a .

You can also from across the University to support health and safety. Grants of up to $100 are still available for staff team activities promoting health, safety and wellbeing this October. From walks and awards to gardening, morning teas and echidnas, apply now to organise an activity for your area.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as H5 Bird Flu, can have devastating effects on native Australian birdlife and mammals, though the risk to human health is low. To date, there have been no confirmed cases in the ACT, but vigilance is key. 

If you see sick, injured or dead birds on campus:

For sick or injured wildlife on campus, contact the ANU Veterinary Services Team on 02 6125 1130, available 24 hours a day. 

In response to a global cybersecurity issue affecting websites that use the PHP programming language, ANU has temporarily restricted access to the University’s impacted websites that use this technology. Our teams are applying security updates and remediation activities to protect affected systems and reduce risk to the University and our community.

ANU is implementing TrackMyProgram – an integrated program planner, tracker and graduation checker that aims to simplify course planning and academic progress monitoring for students and staff.

A pilot of the new tool is now live for a selected cohort of students who started in 2026 in the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (ALLB) and Bachelor of Philosophy, Neuroscience and Psychology (BPNP) programs, as well as their academic advisers.

Part of the pilot? We’d love to hear your feedback to help shape the wider rollout planned for 2027.

ANU is upgrading its StudyLink application system over the coming weeks. Staff supporting prospective students are asked to make them aware of the upgrade and encourage anyone with an incomplete application to review and submit it before Thursday 29 October.

Incomplete, unsubmitted applications will not be migrated to the new platform. Applicants can start a new application once the upgraded system becomes available on Tuesday 3 November.

Submitted applications, admission decisions, offers, enrolments and future applications will not be affected.

Further information is available on the .

Three are available on Pulse.

These replace existing WHS training and include updated content reflecting legislative changes and recommendations from the Nixon review.

All staff and HDR students are expected to complete the relevant training by the end of 2026.

Questions? Speak with your supervisor or manager or contact whs@anu.edu.au.

Strengthen your leadership capability with two practical 90-minute online workshops facilitated by Paul Donohue, lead facilitator of the University’s Leadership in Practice Program. Designed for supervisors and managers, the sessions cover SMART performance and development goals and a neuroscience-informed approach to constructive feedback.

Apply for the ANU Educational Fellowship Scheme (EFS) by Friday 30 October.

Application forms and resources are available on the webpage. The EFS Committee represents the ANU community and are here to help. Find your representative in the EFS Committee section of the and contact them for guidance and advice.

Current Fellows: Interested in being an EFS reviewer for the current application round? Please register for the on Friday 30 October, 11.30am–1.00pm or email the team at efs@anu.edu.au.

What can you learn about a stranger in just five minutes? This Cyber Security Awareness Month, put your cyber skills to the test and see what you can uncover from the clues someone leaves online.

Complete the challenge by Monday 26 October, 11.59pm, for your chance to win one of 10 prizes, with five prize packs each for ANU students and staff.

Each pack includes a lunch voucher worth approximately $20 and Cyber Sense merch, including a tumbler, USB data blocker, lens cloth and more!

Dr Liz Allen from the ANU School of Demography spoke to about Australia's declining fertility rate and the challenges facing families who want to have more children. Dr Allen argued that many Australians are having fewer children than they would like because housing costs, economic pressures and inadequate social supports are constraining their choices.

Professor Sharon Bessell from the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy spoke to about calls for an official poverty measure in the ACT, highlighting the impacts of poverty on children's wellbeing and opportunities. Associate Professor Amy Dawel from the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology wrote for about the growing number of children and teenagers turning to AI chatbots for advice and emotional support.

During the week, ANU experts also provided commentary on , , and .

Friday 23 October, 3–6pm

Join researchers and innovators at ANU to explore Australian-German research partnerships, funding opportunities and international exchange, with presentations and networking.

Wednesday 28 October, 1–4pm

Join McCusker Institute Semester 2 and Winter Session students to celebrate their creativity, commitment and contributions to social change, and hear their ideas for making things better.

Thursday 29 October, 12–1pm

Join a talk exploring findings from the ANU–ACT Government research partnership and how population data can inform policy on health, education and disadvantage.

Thursday 29 October, 6–8pm

Join the ANU Jazz Orchestra, ANU Orchestra and the Llewellyn Choir for an evening of orchestral and choral music at Llewellyn Hall, featuring Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Finzi’s In Terra Pax.

Something spooky is lurking in the Copland Building… 

Researcher Development’s resident Halloween enthusiast, Lindsay Hogan, has once again transformed an unsuspecting corridor into a spine-chilling spectacle, complete with creepy creatures, ghostly surprises and a few uninvited guests from beyond the grave. 

The Haunted Corridor awaits brave souls until 30 October. Dare to venture inside, snap a selfie and email it to researcherdevelopment@anu.edu.au by 1 November for your chance to win a $200 Westfield gift voucher. 

But beware… on 30 October, from 5–6.30pm, the corridor will truly come alive (or should we say, dead?) for the annual HDR Halloween Party, with games, candy and plenty of terrifying surprises. 

Enter at your own risk. The ghosts are expecting you…  

ANU Security - (02) 6125 2249   

For life threatening emergencies first call 000 (or 0000 if dialling from an internal phone), then call ANU Security.   

Media hotline 24/7 - (02) 6125 7979   

Contact the 24/7 media hotline for media queries regarding the University and its operations, or to track down experts that aren’t listed in our .

Help is available if you need it. The University has a range of information and services that can be accessed by managers and staff.

Whether it's a work-related issue or a personal one, the University encourages you to seek counselling support through the .

If you need to support a student in distress, please refer to  developed by the  team.