Our own Paige Little was recently awarded a promotion in the 2020 QUT Academic Promotions round to Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Spine Research. This arduous process ensures that promotion is based on evidence of attainment of the relevant academic performance benchmarks and also focusses on how the applicant’s achievements align with the higher academic level and their vision for their future contributions within their academic career. Ultimate approval is bestowed by the QUT Vice Chancellor based on the final recommendations of the Faculty and University Academic Staffing Committees.