Six UNSW Sydney projects chosen as finalists for Australia’s leading science awards.
Studying the impact of the 2019-2020 bushfires, developing mentorship programs to foster a new generation of leaders in cancer research and pioneering work to treat widespread genetic disorders are among six UNSW Sydney projects nominated for the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, Australia’s most high-profile science awards.
Presented annually by the Australian Museum, 14 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are awarded across four categories including research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.
UNSW researchers have been named as finalists for their outstanding achievements in the fields of research and innovation, leadership, and science engagement.
Winners will be announced at an Award Ceremony on Wednesday 31 August 2022.
The UNSW finalists are:
Professor Maria Kavallaris AM, Children’s Cancer Institute and UNSW Medicine & Health
University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers
Prof. Kavallaris is internationally renowned for her leadership, research and advocacy in the treatment of childhood cancer.
She is a Director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine at UNSW and Head of the Translational Cancer Nanomedicine at the Children’s Cancer Institute. She has made important discoveries in relation to the mechanisms of clinical drug resistance and tumour aggressiveness in childhood cancer.
“I’m incredibly inspired by the early career researchers I’ve been privileged enough to mentor over the last 25 years – they are passionate, innovative and committed to paying it forward,” Prof. Kavallaris said.
“Ensuring the next wave of researchers are given opportunities to remain committed to this research is incredibly important to me.
“Through a creative program of mentorship programs I’ve established, we’ve been able to foster a new generation of research leaders in cancer research and nanomedicine.”
Professor Raina MacIntyre, the Kirby Institute at UNSW
Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science and Innovation
Prof. MacIntyre is Head of the Biosecurity Program at the Kirby Institute at UNSW. She is a world-leading researcher on respiratory protective devices, pandemics, smallpox, and emerging infectious diseases.
She leads a NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in airborne threats to health and an automated, artificial intelligence-powered open source rapid epidemic intelligence observatory (EPIWATCH), which detects early signals of serious epidemics globally.
Prof. MacIntyre served as UNSW Head of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine from 2008-2018; expanding the School from 400 to over 1200 students and developing an international reputation for research and teaching excellence. Over the past two years, she has been one of the most sought-after pandemic expert commentators on COVID-19 in the media.
“Leadership in science is about being true to your original ideas and pursuing them in the face of obstacles and striving to be yourself rather than coveting what someone else is doing. It is also about mentoring and building the next generation of diverse researchers and providing them opportunities for growth,” Prof. MacIntyre said.
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, UNSW Science
Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science
Prof. Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor renowned for pioneering the transformation of waste for use as a new generation of ‘green’ materials and products.
As the Founder and Director of UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT), she has developed new ‘microrecycling science’ technologies, that re-form problematic waste not usually subject to conventional recycling, into new products and manufacturing materials.
A career priority of Prof. Sahajwalla’s has been to communicate the science of sustainability to broad community audiences. She was named as the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year, as well as a finalist for 2022 NSW Women of the Year (Woman of Excellence). She speaks to numerous webinars, conferences and events, is a highly sought-after
