Celebrating excellence at the Vice-Chancellor's Awards

Swinburne’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards celebrate the ideas and initiatives that demonstrate our values and strategic vision in action. The awards recognise teams and individuals who are together progressing Swinburne’s vision to bring people and technology together to build a better world.  

The 11 award categories recognise excellence across Swinburne’s teaching, research and professional areas.

The 2025 winners are:

Vice-Chancellor's Fail Forward Award

Team: Jane Connory, Shivani Tyagi (Clean up in Aisle Five)

The Inclusive Design Project (IDP) transformed a failed student engagement initiative into the ‘Inclusive Communication Design Framework’ and ‘Clean up in Aisle Five’. Through peer-reviewed research, industry collaboration and partnerships, IDP now advances menstrual equity, destigmatises periods for gender diverse communities and exemplifies Swinburne’s commitment to innovation and social equity.

Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Excellence Award (Higher Education)

Individual: Sarah Barradell (Scholarly curriculum design to innovate physiotherapy education and industry readiness)

Dr Barradell has taken a unique approach to her teaching practice, integrating deep professional insights to support student development in physiotherapy. Her work demonstrates sustained impact through scholarly curriculum design that prepares students to navigate complexity and uncertainty in real-world healthcare settings. By leading the creation of learning experiences beyond traditional frameworks, she equips graduates with a competitive edge and contributes meaningfully to the advancement of the physiotherapy profession.

Team: Emma Fisher, Esther Wilding, Nicholas Chia (A multidisciplinary coursework internship model for boosting design graduates' employability)

The SoDA Accelerator Program is a transformative Work Integrated Learning (WIL) initiative that bridges academic learning with real-world design practice. Through sustained leadership and innovation, the team has ensured that all students in the Accelerator program gain meaningful, high-impact industry experiences. Their work has laid a strong foundation for expanding WIL opportunities, enabling a broader range of students to benefit from industry engagement.

Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Excellence Award (Vocational Education)

Individual: Michelle Sadler (Transforming online VET delivery through equity innovation)

Michelle Sadler has made a remarkable impact. Leading a fully online cohort with diverse backgrounds and needs, she has implemented inclusive, industry-connected strategies that enhance student engagement and equity across delivery modes. Her leadership and innovation have improved student outcomes and strengthened Swinburne’s reputation in the sector.

Team: Anna Mastwyk, Andrea O'Donnell, Allison Miller, Daniela Accary, Usha Vazirani (Preparing TAE40122 students through real-world practice and VET employment pathways)

The TAE Team has transformed the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40122) from a compliance-focused qualification into a dynamic, future-ready program. The team responded to evolving regulatory demands and diverse learner needs by integrating practicum placements, digital fluency, online facilitation and a blended learning model. Their collective expertise ensures learners are supported by educators who model excellence in VET teaching.

Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award

Individual: Anais Möller

Dr Möller is an internationally recognised expert in cosmology and time-domain astronomy, leading groundbreaking AI-powered research. She published the tightest Dark Energy constraints using supernovae, leads Fink – one of few worldwide awarded privileged accesses to the revolutionary Rubin LSST launching late 2025 – and pioneered globally adopted interpretable machine learning frameworks for astronomy.

Team: Adrian Pranata, Edgar Mauricio Hidalgo Florez, Leah Wright, Mats Isaksson, Mariadas Roshan, Thomas Marwick, Yue Yin (Using robotics to improve healthcare in regional and remote Australia)

The team have developed a robotic platform for teleoperated heart ultrasound examinations, improving diagnostic access in regional and remote Australia. Achievements include a concluded clinical study at Swinburne, a planned study at the Alfred Hospital, a provisional patent, over $500,000 in funding, Q1 publications, and a clear pathway to commercialisation.

Vice-Chancellor's Research Excellence (Early Career) Award

Individual: Shaoyu Zhao

Dr Zhao's pioneering research in advanced composite structures and mechanical metamaterials, has delivered more than 60 high-impact journal publications (93 per cent Q1) and 2 ESI Highly Cited Papers with over 2500 citations and an H-index of 27. His work is advancing fundamental knowledge and enabling innovative, high-performance materials for various engineering applications.

Vice-Chancellor's Reconciliation Award

Individual: Joel Boojers (Indigenous Student Charter)

The Indigenous Student Charter supports the success of Indigenous students by promoting cultural safety, self-determination and inclusive learning environments across educational institutions. It delivers a high-impact contribution through its broad reach, significance and systemic influence. It benefits thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across the university by embedding cultural safety, self-determination and inclusive practices into institutional frameworks.

Team: Ryan Chand, Scott Rayburg (The Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School: SoE and MTC together)

The team has led transformative initiatives that expand the participation of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in science and engineering. These achievements enhance Swinburne’s standing as a preferred destination for these students and directly advance institutional RAP targets, demonstrating leadership in equity, inclusion and student success.

Vice Chancellor's Accountable Award

Team: International Recruitment and Admissions team (Restoring trust and rebuilding Swinburne’s international recruitment pipeline)

Swinburne’s Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) Evidence Level index improvement in 2025 is a direct result of engaged leadership and strategic external collaboration. The university has now regained EL1 status, restoring our competitive standing and ensures continued ability to recruit students and deliver quality education into the future. These outcomes reflect significant impact across student experience, institutional resilience and global engagement.

Vice Chancellor's Empowered Award

Team: Kelly Li, Lucy McIver, Renee Moore, Shane Lee (Empowering Indigenous Educators through the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment)

This initiative empowered Indigenous professionals to become qualified trainers and assessors through a culturally tailored Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Designed in partnership with Moondani Toombadool Centre, it built individual confidence, professional capability and systemic impact – enabling participants to lead, teach and advocate across the VET sector and their communities.

Vice Chancellor's Engaged Award

Individual: Pantea Alambeigi (From studio to practice: industry-integrated learning for career-ready architecture graduates)

Dr Alambeigi from the teaching team has redefined the Bachelor of Architecture Capstone Unit (ARC30002) through a sustained and innovative approach to industry-integrated learning. The unit embeds authentic professional engagement at every stage. Through first-time CPD sessions, firm-hosted reviews, portfolio evenings in practice, real council projects and extensive reviewer panels, students experience transformative industry connections that ensure career readiness.

Team (joint winner): Reza Tajaddini, Roshanthi Dias, John Webster, Jason Tian, Dimitrios Salampasis, Ken Devos, Subhash Abhayawansa, Dina Lahanis (Empowering future-ready accounting and finance students through strong industry engagement)

Over the past two years, the Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance has built a distinctive model of industry-engaged education that prepares students for professional practice while strengthening Swinburne’s role as a trusted industry partner. Their initiatives integrate experiential learning, co-created pedagogy and embedded professional pathways, equipping graduates with relevant skills and meaningful industry connections.

Team (joint winner): Simone Taffe, Sonja Pedell, Belinda Paulovich, Jeni Paay, Diego Muñoz, Hilary Davis, Stuart Favilla, Gareth Priday, Abdullah Al Mahmud, Linus Tan, Mia Lan An, James Berrett (Master of Design - Participatory Design: A decade of industry engagement)

The Co-Design Masterclass (DDD70019 Inclusive and Participatory Design) integrates real-world briefs into learning through strong partner collaboration, workshops and excursions. It has engaged over 400 students, reached more than 500 community members and 12 staff, across 22 projects with over 20 industry and community partners, generating $130,000 in partner funding. The initiative has significantly boosted graduate employability and led to three design awards and ten publications.

Vice Chancellor's Future-Focused Award

Team: Anas Dawod Alrefaee, Christopher McCarthy, Felip Marti, Hussein Dia, Hadi Ghaderi, Prem Prakash Jayaraman, Shihan Xu, Shane Joachim (Smart-LX – Edge AI for safer level crossings)

Smart-LX delivers an affordable, mobile alert system for Australia's 19,000 passive level crossings that combines AI vision and solar-powered edge devices to detect trains and warn road users. Proven in real-world trials, it provides life-saving protection at scale where traditional upgrades are too costly or impractical. It exemplifies Swinburne’s commitment to being future focused by delivering a bold, disruptive and nationally significant innovation.

Vice-Chancellor's One Swinburne Award

Individual: Grace Winchester (24/7 Student Latelab)

24/7 Latelab project redefined the student experience at Swinburne by transforming underutilised spaces into vibrant, inclusive and student-driven environments. Through extensive co-design and cross-disciplinary collaboration, the Latelab has become a magnetic destination that fosters connection, learning and a strong sense of belonging, setting a new benchmark for future campus development.

Team: Tanya Xu, Diane Aniceto, Jasmine Zahner, Thomas Davey Szulik (Safer Community Team –  Respect Week 2025)

Respect Week 2025 brought the Swinburne community together through events, workshops and training to promote respect, equality, inclusion and safety. Delivered in May across all campuses and online, the initiative-built awareness, provided practical tools, and advanced sector-wide efforts to prevent gender-based violence at universities and TAFEs. By delivering Respect Week 2025 at this scale, the Safer Community Team created momentum for lasting change, ensuring that respect, inclusion and safety remain at the heart of the Swinburne experience.

The highly commended recipients are as follows: 

Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Excellence Award (Higher Education)

Team: Bradley Elphinstone, Sean Carruthers, Sharla Cartner, Taylor Gogan (Enhancing students’ engagement in statistics through authentic, need supportive teaching)

The team has transformed the Psychology Project (PSY30003) through a sustained and innovative approach to teaching statistics. The team has implemented authentic, research-based assessments and enhanced student support, resulting in a dramatic improvement in student satisfaction. Students consistently praise the unit’s design and delivery as among the best in their degree experience.

Team: Mats Isaksson, Edgar Mauricio Hidalgo Florez, Olivia Hosie, Kartik Choudhary (Maximising student engagement by innovative control engineering practicals)

The team transformed the Control Engineering (MEE30002) unit by introducing innovative, low-cost practical solutions to address the previous lack of hands-on learning. Over five years, they implemented portable lab setups with digital twins, take-home lab kits and teleoperated labs using industrial robots, enabling students to access real-world applications flexibly and cost-effectively. These interventions significantly improved student engagement and preparedness for industry.

Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award

Individual: Rohan Shah

Dr Shah has demonstrated a sustained ability to develop and implement novel, practical approaches in nanomedicine. His progression highlights a trajectory of innovation that is grounded, scalable, and strategically supported through patents and competitive funding.

Team: Augustus Raymond Segar, Clarice Chua Sze Wee, Ida Fatimawati Adi Badiozaman, Miko Chang May Lee, Lee Ming Ha, Voon Mung Ling, Tan Vie Ming (Research on preparation for an ageing Sarawak)

The Ageing Sarawak Preparation Research is a landmark project which delivered Sarawak’s first statewide ageing baseline through 6,094 surveys and 396 focus group participants. It identified 11 key challenges in health, finance, mobility, and caregiving, provided evidence-based recommendations with an interactive dashboard, and guiding the Ageing Master Plan 2028 to secure dignity, independence and resilience for older persons.

Vice-Chancellor's Reconciliation Award

Team: Amanda Benson, Anne Rohde, Beth Bundy, Dean Lusher, Jenny Bevis, Louisa Ellum, Matt Macklin, Mozammel Mridha, Nicola Howard, Sivachandran Chandrasekaran, Scott Wade, Tania Tambiah (IBAP Champions: taking initiatives and making operational change)

IBAPs drive reconciliation through Indigenous-led initiatives in education, employment and engagement. The Champions drive the IBAPs to amplify cultural awareness, lead transformative projects and foster partnerships, ensuring Indigenous voices shape strategy and impact across Swinburne. Their leadership embeds accountability, storytelling and community connection into every action.

Vice Chancellor's Accountable Award

Team: Aidan O'Keeffe, Fejas Xhaferi, Girish Thipperudrappa, Jon Marshall, Younes Etemadi Ghadim (Outstanding technical support for students, staff and industry partners (Engineering))

The Fabrication and Engineering Workshop Team in the School of Engineering has provided outstanding technical expertise, responsiveness and collegiality. The team's practical advice and creative problem-solving has been instrumental in advancing the University's research and teaching projects, while providing students with practical, real-world design experience.

Vice Chancellor's Empowered Award

Team: Anna Marena, Anton Blajer, Laura Iakovidis, Oliver McCamley, Ryan Jones, Rachel Bennett, Tara Zhang (Strategic brand creative refresh)

The Marketing team led a strategic refresh to reconnect with future students when faced with declining student preference and outdated brand creative. The campaign introduced warmth, relevance and innovation, using data and AI to guide creative development. It delivered improved brand engagement and laid the foundation for broader university alignment.

Vice Chancellor's Future-Focused Award

Individual: Linus Tan (Future-Ready by Design: Leading creative AI in education and practice)

Dr Tan has led transformative change in how students, staff and industry engage with Generative AI in design education. Through pioneering AI-integrated curricula, infrastructure development and national showcases, he has positioned Swinburne as a responsible leader in creative GenAI. His open knowledge-sharing and course renewal contributions reflect his commitment to future-focused innovation.

Team: Lasanthi Bandara-Jayasekera, Lucy Rollinson (Co-Creation to slingshot past the moon and journey to the stars)

With nearly 70 per cent of staff actively involved, the co-creation of the new strategy has been a remarkable demonstration of collective thinking and future-focused innovation. A special acknowledgment goes to Lasanthi and Lucy, whose leadership was instrumental. Lasanthi designed and facilitated the engagement opportunities. Her workshops, both online and in person, encouraged participants to step beyond the everyday and reimagine Swinburne in 2035. Thanks to this collaborative effort, Swinburne has co-designed an ambitious and transformational strategy: Ad Astra_2030.

Vice-Chancellor's One Swinburne Award

Team: Elizabeth Clapp, Annie Peake, Alicia Pavlis, Boris Trbic (A collaborative storytelling initiative – student placement testimonial videos)

This initiative showcases student placement experiences through testimonial videos, co-created by Health Science Community placement staff, Business, Design, Media and ICT Screen and Media teachers, and students. The project serves as both an assessment task and a promotional tool, offering future students authentic insights into placements via Swinburne’s Placement webpage. This visibility enhances student decision-making and engagement with placements, helping them feel more informed and confident.