Six internationally recognised marine scientists who are researching South Australia’s toxic algal bloom are set to lose their jobs at Flinders University, the ABC understands.
Some of the team have been analysing dead marine creatures that have washed up on the state’s beaches to investigate the bloom’s impact on fish and marine mammals.
They are among 30 positions that would be targeted in a proposed restructure at the university.
Associate Professor Jochen Kaempf said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” when he was told his position would be axed, along with other high-ranking professors, including experts in coastal erosion and whale and dolphin research.
“The skills that you lose is understanding algae blooms, mass strandings of whales and marine heatwave impacts,” said Professor Kaempf, who has published 10 academic papers in the past two years.
Professor Kaempf is an oceanographer who discovered the Great Southern Australian Coastal Upwelling System, a nutrient source that attracts marine species like sardines, bluefin tuna and whales to South Australia.
Oceanographer and associate professor at Flinders University Jochen Kaempf. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)
His most recent academic paper, which predicted how the algal bloom would spread, has been accepted for publication.
“I was the first to say that based on scientific methods that the algae bloom will actually not disappear,” Professor Kaempf said.
Flinders University confirmed about 30 academic positions could be made redundant if the proposal was implemented, but said the creation of new positions would lead to an overall increase in academic staff from 132 to 143.
The university is also consulting on a proposal to dismantle its College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) and integrate disciplines into other colleges.
“Under these proposals, there would be an increase in the number of academic staff positions, representing strategic investment in the future of teaching and research,” a Flinders University spokesperson said.
“All current and advertised courses will continue and so students can expect no change to their study plans.”
It said its “commitment to supporting the algal bloom response is unwavering”.
“More than 20 Flinders scientists are working to strengthen the state’s ability to respond to the algal bloom, and the university will continue this critical work,” the spokesperson said.
Students share concerns
Staff and students at the university have raised concerns about the marine biology and environmental science programs.
A marine biology student, who did not want her name published, told the ABC she believed it would directly impact her post-graduate studies.
“Some of the key staff that I was looking to for supervision might not be around, so it really affects my journey going forward, and what I want to do is probably not there,” she said.
“We have an algae bloom situation going on and some of these staff are pretty pivotal to that.
“Given that situation, you probably want people here that know and have the skills to teach other people what they need to know about the situation.”
An image from the Flinders University website showing the campus grounds in Adelaide’s southern suburbs. Date unknown. (Flinders University)
An email sent to students, and seen by ABC News, said there may be some changes to staff but no courses would be changed.
It said some roles would be redesigned to, “better align teaching and research with areas of strength and national need” and that the changes would include expansion in fields such as artificial intelligence, maritime defence and cyber security.
Staff say 70 PhD students will be affected
The student said she thought the university had misjudged the interest in natural sciences.
“I think once they actually get rid of them, they’re really going to struggle to replace them with the next cohort of students,” she said.
Flinders staff have told ABC News 70 PhD students were told they would lose access to their supervisors.
National Tertiary Education Union Flinders branch president Professor Cathy Abbott said the university had “softened the blow” by announcing 11 new positions.
She said targeted staff were only eligible to apply for a handful of the new roles and that there had been growing concerns about job cuts.
Professor Abbott said there would be fewer staff to teach marine sciences.
“I think at the moment with the algal bloom these are the people that will be most useful for the state and for the university,” Professor Abbott said.
“In our college I think people were feeling quite secure, we’ve doubled our research income in the last five years.”
She said students come to Flinders from throughout the country to study with leading experts in marine sciences.
“I think at the moment with the algal bloom these are the people that will be most useful for the state and for the university,” Professor Abbott said.
Humanities students also worried
Drama student Georgia Watts travels 45 minutes each day to be part of the student community at the Bedford Park campus.
Ms Watts said it was the intersection of students from different subject areas that created “the uni experience”.
“I think dismantling that, and getting rid of the connection we get to have just by being in a similar location, could be very harmful,” she said.
Georgia Watts studies drama at Flinders University in Adelaide. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)
Ms Watts said she would be studying drama in the city next year if the changes went ahead.
“It makes that networking which is already hard, that step harder,” she said.
In 2021, the Morrison government brought in the Job-Ready Graduates package, a so-called carrot and stick approach, to entice students into areas like maths and science, while charging thousands more for degrees like the humanities and law.
Flinders University said its proposal aimed to address the challenges following those changes, and give humanities subjects greater strategic relevance.
The consultation document said there would be no cuts to academic or technical service positions or reduction in funding to each discipline.
But the NTEU said staff were concerned that job cuts would follow, once the college was dismantled.
“There’s a lot of nervousness that this is just the first blow,” Professor Abbott said.
She said staff were also concerned that dismantling the college would harm the university’s reputation and make it harder to attract students.
In a statement a Flinders University spokesperson said no decisions had been made on either proposal.
“We will carefully consider all feedback arising from the consultation to make informed decisions that deliver the best possible outcomes for students and staff overall,” the statement said.
“Any changes would be phased to ensure continuity for students.”
A final structure proposal is expected to be released in October.