Australian university looks worldwide to recruit top researchers

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) based in Sydney has launched a global campaign to recruit more than 100 top researchers.

The move is part of the university's 3 billion Australian dollar (around 2.22 billion U.S. dollars) plan to become a global top 50 university by 2025.

Up to 130 researches will be hired, as well as opening 500 places for PhD candidates.

Staff numbers will increase by an estimated 8 percent between now and 2025.

UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs said it was the next step for the university that has achieved so much in its comparatively young 67 years.

"This global recruitment drive will secure the research leaders of today and tomorrow and marks the first exciting step in the implementation of our 2025 strategy to position UNSW as Australia's global university, ranked in the world's top 50," Jacobs said.

"People are central to achieving our vision and the recruitment of world-class staff across all faculties and levels will drive the transformational change needed to take UNSW, already a great university, to the next level," he added.

A program will also be set up to allow staff to work outside the university in the private or public sector. Endit