Swinburne awards 2025 University Medals to outstanding students

From cutting‑edge science and technology to world‑leading research, three Swinburne students from the School of Science, Computing and Emerging Technologies have been recognised with the University’s most prestigious academic awards for 2025.

Awarded across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral study, the University Medal and Iain Wallace Research Medal celebrate exceptional achievement, leadership and real‑world impact beyond the classroom.

“Our University Medal recipients represent the very best of Swinburne,” says Professor Laura-Anne Bull, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, Experience and Employability.

“This year’s recipients have demonstrated an outstanding ability to apply their learning to complex challenges, show leadership in their fields, and make meaningful contributions to industry, research and the community.”

From first-year biology to launching microgreens into space

Elizabeth Charles dreamt of becoming an astrobiologist as a young girl, influenced by watching Star Trek and admiring the leadership and wisdom of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew.

“That is what it is to be human. To make yourself more than you are” – words from Captain Picard – motivated Elizabeth to pursue this dream, despite the many challenges she faced.

“My path wasn’t traditional,” says Elizabeth. “I was diagnosed with chronic pain and fatigue in primary school and was homeschooled with my younger sister. I didn’t complete VCE or obtain an ATAR score. Instead, I completed a Diploma of Health Science (UniLink) pathway at Swinburne, to bridge my way into a Bachelor of Science.”

During her studies, Elizabeth volunteered as a Mentor Leader in the Swinburne Youth Space Innovation Program (SYSIC) and mentored secondary school students through the SHINE program.

“Receiving the 2025 Undergraduate University Medal is an incredible honour,” she says. “As a Mauritian Australian neurodiverse woman, and the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree, I am proud to represent others like me.” 

Elizabeth is currently balancing her Honours research with her role as a Research Assistant, helping design and test the next microgreens payload for the International Space Station with supervisors Dr Sara Webb and Dr Rebecca Allen. She intends to use the platform this medal provides to advocate for students facing challenges to realise their passion for STEM.

Her next stop? The US and NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in May 2026, where she will help prepare testing for how microgravity influences the hydrotropism of microgreens, before taking a front row seat to watch the microgreens launch into space.

Placing human need at the centre of technical excellence

Le Yen Chi Pham, a Master of Information Technology (Professional Computing) graduate, says her mission is “not just to write code, but to solve human frustrations”.

Chi completed her Bachelor of Computer Science program at Swinburne Vietnam in 2023 before moving to Australia to complete her master’s degree.

“True innovation lies at the intersection of rigorous engineering and a profound empathy for the ‘pain points’ within our society,” says Chi.

Motivated to help address the challenge of professional isolation experienced by early-stage start-up founders, Chi set up SoSo Network – a social network for startup groups.

“Social impact occurs when we use high-level technology to build social capital. I used my technical toolkit to ensure the next generation of entrepreneurs has a supportive ecosystem to turn their visions into reality.”

As recipient of the Postgraduate University Medal, Chi’s submission was recognised for its clarity, coherence and strong sense of professional direction, supported by evidence of applied scholarship, research outputs and industry‑informed project work.

Chi is grateful to Swinburne for creating a course that allowed her studies to be far greater than theoretical coding.

“My postgraduate studies have prepared me for a mission beyond the screen,” says Chi.

“I carry with me the Swinburne spirit of ‘knowing how’ and ‘doing good’, ready to create a digital future that is built to last.”

Embracing the diversity of galaxies as large as giants

Dr Maria Luisa Buzzo’s deep interest in galaxy formation and evolution is reshaping her field.

As a self-described “Brazilian astrophysicist trying to get to know the universe while travelling across the Earth”, Luisa’s travels brought her to complete her PhD at Swinburne’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing.

“My time at Swinburne was incredibly formative. I was surrounded by amazing people, had access to world-class research, and got the chance to present my work at conferences and connect with researchers from all over the world.” 

Luisa’s PhD explores galaxies as large as giants, but with luminosities of dwarfs, known as Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs). UDGs contain few stars, making them extremely faint and therefore uniquely powerful laboratories for testing the nature of dark matter.

“By identifying galaxies strongly dominated by dark matter and those that appear to lack it entirely, my work opens a new observational window on how galaxies form and on what dark matter fundamentally is,” says Luisa.

Awarded the Iain Wallace Research Medal, Swinburne’s highest research honour, Luisa’s thesis was praised for its originality, methodological rigour and international significance.

Now a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University in the United States, Luisa reflects on her journey.

“Receiving this medal is really special to me” says Luisa. “It recognises not just my work, but the whole path that got me here.”

“I come from a somewhat poor region of São Paulo in Brazil, where going into science wasn’t a likely career, especially for a woman. Being here now feels meaningful,” says Luisa.

Luisa is hopeful her recognition will help highlight the strength of the astronomy community at Swinburne and encourage future students to pursue their own paths in research.