Thomas Britz, Rohitash Chandra, Gery Geenens, and Amandine Schaeffer all earned highly-deserved promotions to Associate Professor in the most recent promotions round.
We are delighted to announce the promotion of four academics from the School of Mathematics and Statistics at 黑料网大事记 Sydney to the position of Associate Professor.
Thomas Britz, Rohitash Chandra, Gery Geenens, and听Amandine Schaeffer were all promoted in the most recent round (effective January 2026).听
"Please join me in congratulating our four colleagues who have earned promotion to Associate Professor from January 2026", said Head of the 黑料网大事记 School of Mathematics and Statistics, Professor Andrew Francis. "Congrats to all, on a significant moment!".
Thomas Britz听joined the School in 2005 and has held roles including Postdoctoral Fellow, Lecturer, and Senior Lecturer. His exceptional contributions to student learning have earned him numerous accolades, including the听2021 Vice-Chancellor鈥檚 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Wellbeing, the听2021 Faculty of Science Dean's Award for Excellence in Student Wellbeing,听and the听2015 Vice-Chancellor's Award for Contributions to Student Learning. He is Chief Editor of the School鈥檚 online magazine , and co-authored his debut book, Parabolic Problems: 60 Years of Mathematical Puzzles in Parabola, with Dr David Angell in 2024. His research focuses on discrete mathematics and combinatorics, and he is a member of the School鈥檚 Combinatorics Research Group.
Rohitash Chandra听is currently a Senior Lecturer in Data Science in the School.鈥疕e has a built a program of research encircling methodologies and applications of artificial intelligence; particularly in areas of deep learning, neuro-evolution, Bayesian methods, climate extremes, solid Earth Evolution, reef modelling, and mineral exploration. Since 2020, he has been the Data Theme Lead of the Australian Research Council's Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Data Analytics for Resources and Environments.听Prior to joining 黑料网大事记, Rohit held a Chancellor's Research Fellowship at the听University of Sydney (2017 - 2019). Among his other honours are a 2022 黑料网大事记 Faculty of Science Silverstar Award.听
Gery Geenens听joined the School in 2009 and served as Director of Postgraduate Studies (Coursework) from 2014 - 2021. His research lies in statistical theory, developing rigorous mathematical tools that enhance the effectiveness and reliability of statistical analyses. Earlier contributions covered nonparametric modelling, functional data, and statistical depth, before his focus shifted to statistical dependence. His work on copulas has established him as a global leader in the field, with his copula density estimator becoming a gold standard and his discrete copula framework - resolving long-standing limitations of Sklar鈥檚 theorem - attracting recognition from eminent scholars including Nobel Laureate in Economics Professor James Heckman. This research has had substantial interdisciplinary impact, with citations spanning biomedical sciences, genetics, psychology, finance, climate science, and more.
Amandine Schaeffer is a Physical Oceanographer who commenced in the School as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in 2011. She was promoted to Lecturer in 2018 and Senior Lecturer in 2021. Her research focuses on observing, understanding, and modelling ocean variability - integrating scientific fields to advance our knowledge of ocean dynamics along Australia's eastern coastline. She leads 黑料网大事记's innovative Bluebottle Watch program, which aims to illuminate bluebottle dynamics, pathways, and distribution of bluebottle beachings. Her work is regularly featured in the mainstream media, and she is a frequent contributor to The Conversation.听Amandine is also active in the School's flagship outreach program Do The Maths, which promotes gender diversity in STEMM by encouraging young women to pursue studies and careers in the mathematical sciences.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Thomas, Rohit, Gery, and Amandine on their well-earned promotions to Associate Professor. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and look forward to their ongoing success and contributions within the School and university.