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Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal for Science 2025

The Mollie Holman Medal was established in 1998 and is named after the late pioneering physiologist, Emeritus Professor Mollie Holman AO, in honour of her significant contributions to science and education. Each year, a maximum of 10 medals are awarded to doctoral students, who have fulfilled their degree requirements and presented their faculty’s best thesis of the year.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence was established to recognise and reward outstanding doctoral and research master’s thesis excellence. Each year, a maximum of five commendations are awarded to doctoral and/or research masters students, who have fulfilled their degree requirements and presented as outstanding contributors to research by their faculty.

All students nominated for the Mollie Holman Medal are also nominated for the Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence.

The winner(s) and nominees are:

Thesis title: Exploring sparse and hereditary graph classes via products and tree-decompositions
Robert completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor David Wood. Robert's PhD thesis develops novel techniques to understand the structure of graphs in both the sparse and dense regimes. These techniques allow one to decompose complex graphs into simpler parts. His work advances our understanding of the global structure of graphs.
Thesis title: Metazoan reproduction: knowledge gaps and syntheses
Sam completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor Dustin Marshall. His thesis re-examined several classic perspectives of reproductive biology in order to find insights into the role of reproduction in life-history evolution. Sam found that we have an incomplete understanding of metazoan reproduction. He also developed a framework that quantifies a reproductive energy pathway that changes the calculus of animal life-histories.
Thesis title: Vibrational spectroscopic approaches for disease and metabolic diagnosis
Thulya completed her joint PhD with Monash University and the University of Bath under the supervision of Dr Bayden Wood. She has made significant contributions to the field of diagnostics through her interdisciplinary research, which seamlessly integrates microfluidics, spectroscopy, and machine learning. Her work focuses on developing innovative diagnostic tests for blood- and waterborne pathogens, particularly targeting malaria parasites and bacteria. To date, she has published five papers as the first author and seven as a co-author, demonstrating her ability to lead impactful research initiatives.
Thesis title: Aspects of particle cosmology through the lens of gravitational waves
Matthew completed his PhD under Professor Csaba Balazs, exploring how gravitational waves can reveal the early universe and uncover high-energy phenomena beyond Earth’s reach. His thesis shows how new forces and particles may leave detectable imprints in gravitational wave signals. As one of the first in the field, Matthew presents testable predictions for the Pati-Salam Grand Unified Model using data from LIGO. His work offers a deeper understanding of nature and opens new directions in theoretical physics.
Thesis title: Surface melt on East Antarctic ice shelves
Dominic completed his PhD under Professor Andrew Mackintosh, advancing understanding of surface melt on Antarctic ice shelves. His research revealed distinct melt types on the Shackleton Ice Shelf and linked East Antarctic surface melt to atmospheric circulation, especially the Southern Annular Mode. He also showed that melt drivers vary by location—a novel insight. Dominic’s work spans local to hemispheric scales and includes analysis of extreme melt events, offering critical knowledge for predicting ice shelf stability and sea-level rise.
Thesis title: Insights into RNA modification and gene expression patterns of Acinetobacter baumannii during infection in Galleria mellonella
Kah Ern completed her PhD under Dr Patrick Tan Hock Siew, focusing on Acinetobacter baumannii, a pathogen known for antibiotic resistance. Her research investigated the bacterium’s virulence by analyzing gene expression and RNA modifications, using an insect infection model. These insights enhance understanding of how the bacterium causes disease and may support future therapeutic development to combat this growing health threat.
Thesis title: The development of plant-based burgers using Moringa oleifera protein isolates
Shi Ern completed her Masters under the supervision of Professor Siow Lee Fong. Shi Ern’s research explores how Moringa oleifera seeds can make plant-based burgers better for both the consumer and the environment. The effects of soaking duration and temperature on the tannin content were investigated, along with the potential allergenicity and toxicity of M. oleifera protein isolates (MPI).

Nominated for VC's Commendation of Thesis Excellence only.