Celebrating a year of inspirational achievement
The Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) came together in December 2025 to honour the remarkable achievements of its staff and students at the annual Monash BDI Celebration and Awards for Outstanding Achievement ceremony.
The event opened with a reflection on the year’s key achievements, developments and strategic priorities. Professor Chris Thompson, Director of Education, shared an overview of the standout moments from the education portfolio. He highlighted updates across major course offerings, the introduction of new units and degrees, and celebrated the accomplishments of both students and staff. He also showcased a range of initiatives designed to enrich the student experience, enhance support for the current cohort, and help future students explore the study and career pathways available in biomedical science.
Monash BDI Director, Professor John Carroll, followed with a presentation on the institute’s research performance throughout 2025. He outlined notable fellowships, awards, high-impact publications, major grants and other significant research milestones. The session also spotlighted the institute’s commercial successes, key collaborations and partnerships, and the ways Monash BDI continues to engage with and contribute to the wider community.
With more than 60 nominations across all categories, the Awards for Outstanding Achievement highlighted the talent at the BDI. Each Award category was judged by a selection committee, and recognises the achievements of members of the institute who have gone above and beyond each year.
Professor Dena Lyras, Monash BDI Deputy Director, presented the Awards and said that the recipients exemplify the institute’s mission to push boundaries in discovery science, education, translation and community impact. Collectively, the recipients’ work enriches the global scientific community, elevates the student experience, and strengthens the culture of collaboration that defines the BDI.
In addition to the BDI Awards for Outstanding Achievement, the Christina Lackmann Honours Medal was presented to the top ranked Honours student undertaking a research project. Named in honour of Christina Lackmann, a talented and very high-achieving Biomedical Science student at Monash who tragically passed away in 2021, it recognises a student with outstanding potential in research.The recipient of the award receives a commemorative medal, a certificate and an award of $1,000. The recipient for 2025 was Thomas Welling, from the Department of Physiology, with his thesis Unravelling the impact of prostate cancer therapies on cardiovascular health.
For those who weren’t able to attend the presentation, download the slides here (Monash login required).
Congratulations to all nominees and winners for an extraordinary year of achievement.
Industry Partnership and Commercialisation Award
Associate Professor Ruby Law
For leading the development of Plg‑Extensa, a long‑acting recombinant plasminogen biologic, and advancing it to technology readiness level 5 through strong partnerships, funding success, and strategic commercial planning. A/Prof Law also contributes significantly to industry awareness and commercial literacy within the BDI.
Clinical Engagement and Translation Award
Dr Edmond Kwan (Absent)
Honoured for his leadership in clinical translation through a landmark Nature Medicine publication - the first ctDNA biomarker analysis of Lutetium PSMA radioligand therapy in a prospective clinical trial. His work has shaped global treatment approaches and earned international recognition, including the Nizar M. Tannir Endowed Merit Award.Through his collaborative approach and commitment to patient-centred research, Dr Kwan exemplifies Monash BDI’s mission to translate discovery into meaningful clinical impact.
Award for Fostering a Safe and Supportive Environment
Associate Professor Anne Fletcher
For championing wellbeing, equity and HDR support, and driving improvements in supervisory transparency and HDR management.
Ivan Esteban Oyarce Pino
Recognised for transforming OHS culture using creative weekly communications (“You're not doing it right”), encouraging safer, more collaborative practices.
Award for Enabling Success of Others
Dr Scott Clarke and Frances Broomhead
Celebrated for empowering the entire BDI teaching community through exceptional academic support, educational innovation, course transformation, professional development and quality assurance - impacting thousands of students.
Science Communication and Public Engagement Award
Dr Georgina Stephens
Recognised for her world‑first, donor‑centred reform of anatomy education. Her co‑designed, values‑based consent framework - shaping ethics training and informing legislation - set a new global standard for body donation programs.
Innovation in Learning and Teaching Award
Dr Yasith Mathangasinghe
For transforming the first‑year Anatomy program at the Gippsland Rural Campus through gamified hybrid escape rooms, interactive 3D resources, simulated ward rounds and ultrasound‑based teaching. His innovations have improved student performance and been adopted internationally.
Teaching Excellence Award
Dr Danielle Rhodes & Dr Catherine RyanFor the highly successful Build‑a‑Pathogen project in BMS2052, a team‑based, inquiry‑driven assessment praised for fostering creativity, problem‑solving, and communication across a large student cohort.Expertly scaffolded with personalised supports, including live checkpoints, the project ensured success for a large cohort of over 550 students.
Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning
(two recipients in no particular order)
Dr Jack Mayhew
For AI‑enhanced teaching strategies in BMS2011 that strengthened learning structure, communication skills, and Viva Voce exam preparation, leading to improved outcomes and reduced failure rates. Dr Mayhew’s passion for evidence-based education and his leadership in guiding colleagues to adopt innovative strategies exemplify excellence in teaching and dedication to student success.
BCH2011 Teaching Team – Dr Nathan Croft, Prof Martin Stone, A/Prof Nirma Samarawickrema & Justine Olcorn
Awarded for transformative redesign of the second‑year biochemistry unit, implementing flipped classrooms, active learning, authentic assessments, and high‑engagement workshops.These changes delivered outstanding outcomes: near 100% attendance, consistently high SETU scores, strong student feedback, and improved learning experiences across three years, positioning BCH2011 as a model for innovative, student-centred teaching.
Outstanding Contribution by Professional Services and Support Staff
(two recipients in no particular order)
Dr Tao Zhang & Xiaohan Hu
For exemplary technical leadership in the BDI Organoid Program, supporting multiple research groups and contributing to national and international scientific engagement.
Dr Liz Cutting
For enhancing educator and student experience in the medical course through innovative service models and improved management of the teaching workforce for the anatomy component of the course.
Advancing Research Excellence by Platform Staff
Hariprasad (Hari) Venugopal
Recognised for driving global accessibility in cryo‑electron microscopy and contributing to multiple high‑impact publications, cementing Monash’s leadership in structural biology.
Thesis Awards
BDI Thesis Highly Commended – Dr Sally Byers, Department of Microbiology
Thesis Title: Investigating the biology of the Klebsiella telomere phage, NAR688
For her thesis on Klebsiella phage biology and related first‑author publication in Science Advances.
BDI Thesis Excellence Award – Dr Justin Zhang, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thesis Title: The Role of LCK-Coreceptor Association in T Cell Development, T Cell Function, and T Cell Receptor Repertoire Formation
For his exceptional thesis on T cell receptor biology, rated in the top 5% globally, and associated publications in Science Immunology, Nature Communications, and more.Dr Zhang is now an early career researcher and postdoctoral fellow in the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre working with A/Prof Vivek Naranbhi.
Director’s Highly Commended Publication Awards
(three recipients in no particular order)
Dr Michael Uckelmann and Prof Chen Davidovich
Dynamic PRC1–CBX8 stabilizes a porous structure of chromatin condensates
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 32, 520 (2025)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39815045/
Dr Kyna Conn, Dr Laura Milton and A/Prof Claire Foldi
Psilocybin restrains activity-based anorexia in female rats by enhancing cognitive flexibility: contributions from 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor mechanisms
Molecular Psychiatry 29, 3291 (2024)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02575-9
Long‑Chen Shen and Prof Jiangning Song
Self-iterative multiple-instance learning enables the prediction of CD4+ T cell immunogenic epitopes
Nature Machine Intelligence 7, 1250 (2025)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-025-01073-z
Discovery Award for Best Publication
(two recipients in no particular order)
Prof Mary Herbert & Dr Yuko Takeda
Mitochondrial Donation and Preimplantation Genetic Testing for mtDNA Disease
The New England Journal of Medicine 393, 438 (2025)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40673696/
Dr Charles Bayly‑Jones, Dr Christopher Lupton, Prof Andrew Ellisdon
LYCHOS is a human hybrid of a plant-like PIN transporter and a GPCR
Nature 634, 1238 (2024)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39358511/
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About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University
Committed to making discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.