ECU is leading in the field of Drama and Theatre arts in multiple categories
ECU continued its success in The Australian's Research Magazine rankings with several researchers and schools recognised as leaders in their field of research in the prestigious 2026 edition.
The rankings are compiled through a statistical analysis carried out by The Australian and its collaborator, research analytics firm League of Scholars.
ECU's top performers
Among the top performers in their fields:
- Professor Stefan Iglauer in the field of Oil, Petroleum, and Natural Gas
- Professor Mostafa Rasoolimanesh in the field of Tourism and Hospitality
- Professor Jianxin Li for his research on Databases and Information Systems
- Associate Professor Laurie Hughes for his work in the field of Engineering and Computer Science (general)
- Dr Luke Hopper in the field of Drama and Theatre Arts
- Dr Lorraine Marshalsey for her research in Visual Arts
As an institution, ECU is seen as a leader in the fields of Educational Administration and Drama and Theatre Arts. Maintaining ECU's reputation in these core areas of teaching and research.
Leading Australian research frontiers
Through an innovative approach, again in collaboration with League of Scholars, 10 emerging research trends have been identified in Australian research fields across over 60,000 research papers published in the world in the past year.
Among those, ECU is represented by the Director of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), Professor Denise Jackson, in the School of Business and Law.
Professor Jackson's commentary paper explores the challenges and opportunities faced by the higher education sector in advancing work-integrated learning (WIL) in Australia. It is considered the leading paper in the emerging field of higher education and skills.
"For students, WIL enables them to develop skills and confidence through practical experience, socialises them into what is expected of graduates entering the workforce, and helps them to understand practice and opportunities in different professions and industries, and what might be suitable for them."
"For institutions such as ECU, WIL helps to prepare students for future work and career, particularly those with less opportunity to connect with industry," Professor Jackson said.
About the 2026 Research Magazine
The Australian's Research Magazine has presented a comprehensive picture of Australia's best research since 2018.
The lists name the top 250 performers in their field and is created using an impact score that considers the quality and quantity of research.
Every Australian researcher and university is assigned an impact score in all 250 fields of research. This score is equal to the number of citations for papers published (by the individual or the institution) in the top 20 journals of each field in the past five years.
For the full rankings and more information, see The 2026 Research magazine showcases the benefits of research.
