Research Awards
The Faculty of Science Research Awards category recognises outstanding contributions to research across various stages and forms of impact.
The Faculty of Science Research Awards category recognises outstanding contributions to research across various stages and forms of impact.
This Award recognises research excellence by early career researchers who are within five years of the start of their research careers.
The winner(s) and nominees are:
Emily is an ARC DECRA Fellow and Head of the Evolutionary & Conservation Genomics Group in the School of Biological Sciences. Her research applies cutting-edge genomics to evolutionary, ecological and conservation questions, including the use of genomes from museum specimens to understand biodiversity extinction and decline. Over the past five years, she has made significant contributions to understanding Australian biodiversity, particularly Australian mammals. Emily is also a L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellow and a passionate advocate for equity and diversity in science.
Shawan is a global change ecologist whose research advances insect conservation, biodiversity monitoring and migration ecology. Since 2021, he has published 21 first-authored papers in leading journals including Nature Ecology & Evolution, Trends in Ecology & Evolution and One Earth. His research combines global evidence syntheses, spatial modelling, citizen science and social media biodiversity records to strengthen conservation evidence for insects and underrepresented regions.
Hoang-Long is a scientist specialising in electrochemistry and sustainable chemistry. After completing his PhD in the MacFarlane–Simonov Research Group at Monash University in 2021, he has continued to develop research focused on electrochemical approaches to sustainable chemistry.
Levan is an internationally recognised emerging researcher in glacier science whose work contributes to understanding changes in glaciers and their environments.
Thuong is a Research Fellow in the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment whose research contributes to understanding environmental and Earth system processes.
Justin is a Lecturer in the School of Mathematics whose research specialises in mathematical analysis.
Dionne is an early-career researcher in the School of Mathematics whose work focuses on topology and three-dimensional geometry. Her research tackles fundamental mathematical questions about knots and three-dimensional spaces.
The Researcher of the Year Award is designed to reward an individual who has achieved exceptional research outcomes in the previous one to two years. This award celebrates individuals who have not only achieved a pivotal research outcome but also embody the Monash University values and exhibit exceptional leadership both internally and across the wider research community.
The winner(s) and nominees are:
Craig has developed and tested new theory addressing fundamental questions about the relationship between biological processes and body size. His research combines theoretical and empirical approaches to advance understanding of the principles governing organismal biology.
David is an internationally recognised leader in graph theory whose research addresses fundamental questions in discrete mathematics. His work combines deep theoretical contributions with broad international collaboration and leadership in the mathematical research community.
Khay is an interdisciplinary researcher applying nanoscale science to challenges in health and environmental sustainability. Her work has advanced adaptive lipid nanomaterials for drug delivery, revealed the scale of microplastic contamination through high-resolution analytical methods, and pioneered sustainable AI tools for environmental monitoring. Her research has informed government reporting and environmental monitoring and supported industry translation through partnerships with organisations including Noxopharm, Samsara Eco, PerkinElmer and ITTC.
The Research Team of the Year Award is designed to reward a team who has achieved an exceptional research outcome in the previous one to two years. Monash University is dedicated to research that spans the spectrum from discovery to impact, including challenge-led transdisciplinary teams and pure research teams.
This award rewards research teams who have not only achieved a pivotal research outcome but also embody the Monash University values and exhibit exceptional collaboration both internally and across the wider research community.
The winner is:
Professor Christen Mirth, Associate Professor Matthew Piper, Louise Cardamone, Lea Combres, Aidan Stuckey, Sweta Sarmah, James del Tito, Matteo Forte, Kyungwoon Min, Yanzhen Gu and Eva Sulkova
Led by Christen Mirth and Matthew Piper, the Precision Nutrition and Life-History Team investigates how nutrition shapes physiology throughout the life course using Drosophila as a model. The partnership combines Mirth's research on developmental responses to nutrition with Piper's work resolving how individual nutrients influence reproduction and lifespan. Since 2024, the team has attracted an ARC Discovery Project and two Monash Ignite grants, published research with jointly supervised students and supported a pipeline of early-career researchers into independent positions.
This award recognises excellence by researchers who have achieved, or are currently achieving, outstanding economic and/or societal impacts.
The winner(s) and nominees are:
Wan Faridah is an internationally recognised biodiversity scientist whose research discovers new and rare species, drives conservation initiatives and mobilises natural heritage data. Through her scientific research and conservation advocacy focused on fireflies, her work generates crucial biodiversity knowledge, raises awareness of biodiversity loss and strengthens environmental stewardship across Southeast Asia.
Michael's engagement with Australian Defence has secured more than $3.3 million in research funding to develop high-bandwidth quantum sensors capable of detecting, locating and identifying electromagnetic transmissions. The research explores quantum technologies with potential applications in communications and national security.
Michelle is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director of Medical Bioscience at Monash University Malaysia, with expertise spanning molecular pharmacology, proteomics, biochemistry and biomolecular modelling. She leads the Toxin Pharmacology Research Group, which addresses global public health challenges including neglected tropical diseases through the development of next-generation biotherapeutics and diagnostic and monitoring platforms. Her work also extends into community outreach and engagement with citizen scientists.
The Faculty of Science's Award for Excellence in Research Commercialisation recognises exceptional achievements by research staff who transform innovative research into practical, market-ready solutions, products and services with societal, economic or technological benefits.
The winner(s) and nominees are:
Michael has led the science and commercialisation of new low-energy transistors based on materials whose bandgaps can be changed using an electric field. The technology has the potential to reduce the energy consumed by information technology and is recognised in two granted US patents and the IEEE International Roadmap for Devices and Systems. Start-up company TQ Transistors is licensing the technology for further development, with the Monash–TQ Transistors partnership securing $1.3 million in Commonwealth research funding.
Jie and his team develop electrochemical technologies that transform abundant resources and industrial waste streams, including water, carbon dioxide and sulfite, into products such as hydrogen, formate, surfactants and pharmaceuticals using renewable electricity. Through collaborations with partners including CSIRO, Energies, Cavendish, CO2CRC and Johnson Matthey, the team is scaling these technologies and accelerating their translation from laboratory discoveries towards real-world applications.
Newly established in 2026, the Faculty of Science’s Award for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research recognises outstanding research that brings together expertise, methods and perspectives from different disciplines to address complex challenges. This new award celebrates innovative interdisciplinary collaboration that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries, generates new knowledge and delivers meaningful research outcomes.
The winner(s) and nominees are:
Scarlett is an interdisciplinary researcher whose work bridges animal cognition, ecology, conservation, bio-inspired computing, artificial intelligence, sustainable agriculture and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. By bringing together biology, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience and environmental science, her research translates discoveries about miniature insect brains into new knowledge and applications across science, technology, industry and society.
Toby's laboratory specialises in optical spectroscopy and microscopy, particularly fluorescence techniques capable of imaging single molecules. His interdisciplinary research spans luminescent materials, energy harvesting and fundamental quantum phenomena, while super-resolution microscopy has enabled collaborations investigating the host-virus interface, T and B cell immunology, cancer and targeted intracellular drug delivery.
Su Chern is an environmental biologist who has pioneered an interdisciplinary microalgae research program at Monash University Malaysia spanning environmental biology, chemical engineering, genomics and metabolomics. Her research uses photobioreactors to optimise microalgae growth for carbon capture and sustainable bioproduction. The program has generated research publications, industry engagement and research training while building interdisciplinary capability in approaches to decarbonisation.