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UWA Business School
Timothy Ballard has always wanted to know why people behave in irrational ways. That's why the 2010 BHP Billiton Postgraduate Research Scholarship winner is investigating workplace behaviour by undertaking a PhD at the UWA Business School.

Tim completed his honours in psychological science at the University of Queensland, and is now investigating the decision-making processes of individuals in safety critical workplace environments. In particular, he is interested in the effects of fatigue, stress, workloads and time pressure.

Meanwhile, Connie Wu, winner of a 2010 BHP Billiton Honours Scholarship, is using her law degree to complement an economic analysis of the Trade Practices Act, competition policy, infrastructure access, and access pricing.

Each year, BHP Billiton offers prestigious scholarships to Honours, Masters, or Postgraduate Research students at the UWA Business School. Scholarship recipients are judged on their academic achievements, referees, track record and quality of their proposed research project.

‘The generous support of BHP Billiton greatly enhances the student experience that we offer,' said Professor Tracey Horton, Dean of the Business School. ‘We are able to provide our students with direct links to industry, in addition to offering financial support to outstanding students.'

Tim's research will have practical implications for the mining industry. ‘After identifying factors that influence an individual's decision-making process, and perhaps threaten their ability to make safe decisions on the job, it will then be possible to develop training programs that help individuals make safer decisions, while still maintaining a high level of productivity,' he says.

Tim was attracted to UWA because of its quality academics and research supervisors. ‘The organisational behaviour research group within the UWA Business School is one of the strongest of its kind in Australia and even the world.' That's why, says Tim, the BHP Billiton Scholarship ‘is fantastic with regard to the funding, networking opportunities and professional support that it provides.'

While in Perth, the boy from Brisbane is happily enjoying the beaches - and even taking kite surfing lessons. It is a welcome break from the hard work of building his career in the research field.

Connie hopes to use her scholarship to fund an overseas volunteer placement. ‘It'll be an excellent way to travel and explore new horizons.'

The Law/Economics student has already gained practical experience, working as Secretary of the UWA Oxfam club, undertaking a five week internship with the South West Aboriginal Land Sea Council (SWALSC), and spending several years working as an Army Cadet Officer with the Australian Army Cadet Corp.

After completing her studies, Connie aims to work for some of the top federal government agencies.

BHP Billiton is a Principal Corporate Partner of the UWA Business School, having donated $5 million to the School over the past five years. Ian Ashby, president and CEO of BHP Billiton Iron Ore, praises the strength of the relationship: ‘We at BHP Billiton believe in investing in education - to build the intellectual and economic capacity of Western Australia - through supporting students, faculty and research. ‘

BHP Billiton became the world's largest mining company in 2001 when it was created through the merging of BHP and Billiton. It now employs over 40,000 staff in 25 countries. In the 2009 financial year, it generated revenue of over US$52 billion.

BHP Billiton benefits from the quality of UWA research, outstanding talent of graduates, and links to academia for future projects.

Media Contacts

Heather Merritt
Director, External Relations
UWA Business School
T: +618 6488 8171
E: [email protected]

Larissa Taylor
Senior Development Officer
UWA Business School
T: +618 6488 5864
E: [email protected]

Verity Chia
Communications Officer
UWA Business School
E: [email protected]