Swinburne awards and achievements
Swinburne University of Technology community members are recognised for excellence in their fields, reflecting the depth and breadth of knowledge, experience and service.
Our international reputation as a leader in research and innovation continues to go from strength to strength, further elevating the cutting-edge technologies, partnerships and expertise for social impact and the benefit of our community.
We congratulate our staff and students on their success, and we are proud to provide an environment in which excellence can thrive.
Swinburne lecturer awarded Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year
Swinburne Architectural Engineering lecturer Daniel Prohasky has been named Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year at the Engineers Australia Excellence Awards and will go on to represent the state for the Australian title on 29 November.
Mr Prohasky was nominated for his contribution to innovative engineering practice through translating his visionary concepts into sustainable, inclusive, and ethical local manufacturing projects Curvecrete and Milkdrop. This extensive involvement allows him to touch various community aspects, underscoring the vibrancy and innovative potential in engineering.
With a passion for mentoring architectural engineering students around the country, Mr Prohasky is also the founding lecturer in Architectural Engineering at Swinburne and was the 2019 Design Faculty Innovation Fellow.
“The architectural engineering approach is one that can be used for multiple engineering challenges, and I’m thrilled it’s getting recognition”, says Mr Prohasky.
“I’m really excited to use this platform given to me by Engineers Australia to reinvigorate conversations about using architectural engineers to solve sustainability challenges at both a city infrastructure scale and a product design scale.”
Swinburne teams win at iAwards 2023
September 2023: Professor Prem Prakash Jayaraman has led a Swinburne University of Technology team to win at the national iAwards 2023.
Swinburne won the Government and Public Sector Solution award for a project delivering Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and 5G connectivity to waste collection trucks. The 5G garbage trucks solution was supported by $1.18 million in funding from the Federal Government’s Australian 5G Innovation Initiative and worked with Optus and Brimbank City Council. The solution’s Swinburne team included Professor Dimitrios Georgakopoulos, Associate Professor Hadi Ghaderi, Associate Professor Chris McCarthy, Dr Abdur Rahim Mohammad Forkan, Dr Yong-Bin Kang, Dr Felip Martí, Shane Joachim, Rohit Kaul, Anas Dawod and Dr Abhik Banerjee.
The win follows the team's success in the Victorian iAwards round in August 2023, where Swinburne was also a merit recipient for the Technology Platform Solution category led by industry partner VidVersity. VidVersity, an education learning platform company, delivered an innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered video assessment tool called VidVersity DL, jointly developed with Swinburne. The platform uses advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP), AI to innovate video-based learning through automatic question generation and answer assessment. The Swinburne team included Dr Yong-Bin Kang and Dr Abdur Forkan.
The iAwards program is an initiative of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and is Australia’s longest running innovation recognition program.
Swinburne Professor elected to the International Design Society’s Advisory Board
July 2023: Swinburne Professor of Product Design Engineering, Boris Eisenbart, elected to the Advisory Board of the International Design Society
With over 800 members, the international Design Society is the largest society globally for the promotion of design research and hosts a series of conferences, seminars, workshop and special interest groups dedicated to advancing scientific discourse about design. Through networks and events, the society promotes an interdisciplinary community of academics and industry experts aiming to develop effective means of designing solutions that an increasingly complex and globalised society needs to thrive.
At the head of the society, the board of management relies on the Advisory Board Members to advise, guide and support the directors in developing and furthering the aims and objectives of society and the research community more widely. Advisory Board Members are elected from within the community and serve a term of 6 years, with the potential to be re-elected for a second term. Boris has been serving in special interest groups of the society for a number of years and has helped organise the International Conference on Engineering Design, the largest conference of its kind and the flagship conference of the society, in 2019 and 2023.
“It is a great honour for me to have been elected into the Advisory Board. There was strong competition with several other, well-known candidates from the community, and it is certainly a recognition by the community of the work I have been doing,” Professor Eisenbart said.
Swinburne Director’s International Practitioner Fellowship is helping solve Australia’s cybersecurity shortage
July 2023: Congratulations to Swinburne University of Technology’s Director of Business, Design, Media and Information Technology (VET), Paul Goudie, who has been awarded an International Practitioner Fellowship, funded by the Victorian Skills Authority, to research cybersecurity capability in the workforce worldwide.
Australia aims to become the most cyber-secure nation in the world by 2030. However, the country needs over 30,000 qualified cybersecurity professionals in the next four years.
To address this skills gap, Mr Goudie’s research will explore how Victorian training providers can scaffold learning to teach the emerging technical skills employers require to fast-track students’ cybersecurity careers. Additionally, he will investigate digital apprenticeships as a solution to close the gap between traditional education and the ever-evolving cybersecurity industry.
Later this year, Mr Goudie will travel to the United Kingdom and the United States to meet with government agencies, including the US Departments of Defence and Homeland Security, and leading technology companies like Salesforce and Microsoft, known for their deep cybersecurity expertise.
The Victorian Skills Authority partners with the International Specialised Skills Institute by funding the VSA International Skills Fellowship and focuses on developing opportunities for building quality and excellence in Victoria’s vocational education and training workforce.
Swinburne structural engineer joins women in STEM leadership program
July 2023: Senior Lecturer in Swinburne’s Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Dr Jessey Lee, has been accepted into the veski women in STEM sidebyside mid-career leaders program in 2023. Launched in 2018, the program offers workshops and networking opportunities to empower women in STEM to achieve their career goals.
A structural engineer with over a decade’s industry experience, Dr Lee’s research focuses on fastenings to concrete, timber, steel and modular constructions. She’s also helping decarbonise the construction industry through a CRC-P grant in collaboration with Swinburne industry partner ROBOVOID, using Swinburne-jointly developed recycled plastic to make lighter, more sustainable concrete panels. The product is already having an impact globally, with concrete panels used in buildings from Geelong, Victoria, to Mumbai in India.
Through the veski women in STEM program, Dr Lee hopes to build new collaborations and partnerships across academia, industry and government, while paving the way for future generations of women in engineering.
“I look forward to meeting other fabulous women in STEM and being inspired to do even greater things. As a strong advocate for girls in STEM, I hope to encourage future generations of young women to pursue STEM careers, because you can’t be what you can’t see,” Dr Lee says.
Swinburne lecturer recognised with Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award
July 2023: Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Swinburne Dr Eryadi Masli has won second place in the 2023 Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Asia Pacific Award category from the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU).
Dr Masli received the award at the Triple E Awards, a global recognition of efforts towards the quest for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education.
The category recognises an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding performance in the design and delivery of an entrepreneurship course.
Dr Masli convenes the Venture in Action unit at Swinburne, which is a capstone in the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
This unit develops students’ understanding of their own ability to lead, manage and launch an enterprise as it moves through the stages of growth to market and beyond. Through Dr Masli’s innovative approach, students work together with Swinburne scientists that have developed cutting-edge inventions to help take their work from the lab to the marketplace.
Throughout the unit, Swinburne students receive authentic experiences of what it takes to develop and build a startup, while Swinburne scientists gain access to the knowledge of entrepreneurs experienced in market-ready business models and products to translate their inventions into commercial opportunities.
Past students have collaborated with some of Swinburne’s most prominent and innovative scientists to launch their startups, such as mDetect, NovaSense BioMedical and SensFit Technologies.
Prestigious STEM Ambassador roles for Swinburne experts
July 2023: Swinburne experts Professor Virginia Kilborn and Professor Geoffrey Brooks will forge stronger ties between science, technology and public policymakers as two of Science & Technology Australia’s new intake of STEM Ambassadors.
Professor Kilborn, Swinburne’s Chief Scientist, will be the STEM Ambassador to the Member for Calwell, Maria Vamvakinou, and Professor Brooks, a metallurgical processing expert, will be the STEM Ambassador to the Member for Casey, Aaron Violi.
They will meet regularly with their Parliamentarians to deepen ties between Parliament and the STEM sector and help politicians access expert advice on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
A growing number of Parliamentarians seeking regular expert advice on complex science and technology issues saw Science & Technology Australia appoint a record-breaking 26 STEM Ambassadors in 2023.
The STEM Ambassadors are drawn from Science & Technology Australia’s member organisations and come from a diverse range of academic backgrounds and interests.
The prestigious program – which began in 2019 – creates opportunities for science experts to share their expertise to assist evidence-based policymaking.
Swinburne astronomers recognised by Astronomical Society of Australia
July 2023: Congratulations to Swinburne astronomers Associate Professor Michelle Cluver and Dr Manodeep Sinha for receiving national recognition in the 2023 Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) awards.
The two researchers, both from Swinburne’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, are among six astronomers honoured by the ASA this year.
Associate Professor Michelle Cluver’s expertise in the evolution of galaxies within groups was recognised by the ASA’s Anne Green Prize. The prize is awarded annually for a significant advance or accomplishment by a mid-career scientist.
Associate Professor Cluver currently co-leads an international team of 70 people on a mission to study 6 million galaxies in 5 years. Her large survey research will generate high-quality data on the galaxies’ composition and distance from Earth, providing valuable datasets for the global astronomical community.
Post-doctoral researcher Dr Manodeep Sinha won the ASA’s inaugural Emerging Leaders in Astronomy Software Development Prize. The prize recognises an outstanding contribution to the development of open-source astronomical software by an early-career researcher.
Dr Sinha received the award for his ground-breaking Corrfunc software. His software is an open-source, multiplatform package developed to swiftly compute correlation functions—a vital measure for quantifying galaxies’ spatial distribution.
Swinburne PhD received honourable mention for his thesis at International Astronomical Union PhD Prize
June 2023: Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing PhD student Hao Ding has received an honourable mention at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) PhD Prize for his thesis ‘Enhancing the use of galactic neutron stars as physical laboratories with precise astrometry’.
The existence of neutron stars was discovered in the late 1960s and since then, these highly compact and magnetised objects have been observed across the electromagnetic spectrum and studied abundantly. However, many of these studies require precise determination of their distances and motions on the sky.
Hao’s PhD focused on high-precision astrometry (the measurements of motions, positions and distances of stars) of neutron stars with data from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and Gaia space telescopes using advanced and innovative calibration techniques. His thesis involves a variety of neutron stars such as neutron star X-ray binaries and extremely magnetised magnetars and encompasses the largest astrometric survey of millisecond pulsars. This could facilitate the detection of an ultra-low-frequency gravitational wave background, which in turn, could open up a new window to our understanding of the universe.
Professor Rachael McDonald inducted as Fellow into Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy
June 2023: Swinburne’s Medical Technology Victoria (MedTechVic) Director Professor Rachael McDonald has been inducted as a Fellow into the Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy.
Professor McDonald is well-recognised for her research into enabling technology, which supports Australians living with a disability to achieve the goals and life-participation they wish. She demonstrates an unwavering dedication to making an enduring impact to the occupational therapy field.
As MedTechVic Director, she has overseen the multidisciplinary research team which creates innovative enabling technology, products and services to enhance lives for Australians living with complex issues such as people with disability or chronic disease, their families and the people who support them. The hub brings together individuals and organisations across the assistive and medical devices sector in Victoria to ensure rapid clinical and technical prototyping leading to improving sovereign design, development and future manufacturing of devices through a co-design and co-production process with individuals to ensure their voices are heard during the process.
Pictured above, Swinburne's Industry Engagement team, Blair Warren-Smith, Daria Cecchini, Dominique Goodwin, Daniel Ritlewski (and absent: Jacqueline Embry) developed an account management framework for Swinburne's strategic partners.
Swinburne’s Industry Engagement team recognised for strategic partnership framework
May 2023: Swinburne’s Industry Engagement team has been named winner of the Strategic Partnerships award at the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) Excellence Awards, recently held in Budapest, Hungary. This award is in recognition of the team’s development of an account management framework of Swinburne’s strategic partners.
The UIIN Excellence Awards recognise outstanding contributions within the higher education sector. This year, UIIN recognised and promoted the outstanding contributions of the community's top performers across seven categories in the areas of university-industry interaction, entrepreneurial and engaged universities, and the future of higher education.
The Strategic Partnerships Award recognises novel and outstanding work in the approach, development, and management of strategic partnerships between universities and external stakeholders.
Swinburne’s Industry Engagement team created a methodology to track and evaluate the university’s partnerships according to a set of criteria that measure the impact, breadth, and depth of our industry engagement activities. The account management framework is articulated around Swinburne’s four moon shots, ensuring alignment to our Horizon 2025 vision. The abstract for the framework was developed by Associate Director, Industry Engagement, Daria Cecchini and former Director, Industry Research Engagement and Business Development, Ros Hore.
The introduction of the framework has provided transparency and a common approach for the university’s key partners; empowering Swinburne to build, strengthen and consistently manage partnerships.
Professor Matthew Bailes awarded The Shaw Prize in Astronomy for 2023
May 2023: Pioneering astrophysicist Professor Matthew Bailes has won the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy, known as the ‘Nobel of the East’. He shares the USD$1.2 million award with Professor Duncan Lorimer and Professor Maura McLaughlin.
Professor Matthew Bailes is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav). He founded the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne in 1998, and is a world leader in the study of pulsars, fast radio bursts and gravitation.
In particular, he has played a pivotal role in the development of a new branch of astrophysics, fast radio bursts, developing pioneering instrumentation and software that led to Australia’s early dominance of the field.
The Shaw Prize is an international award, honouring individuals who have made outstanding contributions in academic and scientific research. Established in 2002, it is awarded annually in three categories – Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences.
Read more about Professor Bailes and his work at Swinburne.
Swinburne researcher recognised at International Conference on Building Materials
March 2023: Swinburne PhD researcher Janitha Madhavie Migunthanna won the Best Student Paper Award at the 8th International Conference on Building Materials and Construction in Kyoto, Japan, for her paper “Waste clay brick binders for low-carbon concrete pavement construction”. The research will soon be available in Springer book series Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering. Janitha was sponsored by Swinburne University of Technology during her research for her travel to Japan.
Swinburne cognitive neuropsychologist joins internationally renowned scientific journal board
March 2023: Cognitive neuropsychologist Professor Susan Rossell has joined the Editorial Board for international scientific journal Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP). NPP is a Springer Nature journal focusing on understanding the advancement of brain and behaviour and is the official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).
Professor Rossell is a cognitive neuropsychologist and Professorial Research Fellow at Swinburne’s Centre for Mental Health. She also holds adjunct positions at Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre and at St Vincent's Health. Professor Rossell has published extensively and received both the International and European award for Young Investigator into Schizophrenia Research.
Swinburne researcher recognised as Top Retail Influencer
January 2023: Dr Jason Pallant, senior lecturer and co-director of Swinburne’s Customer Experience and Insight (CXI) Research Group, has been recognised as one of the Top Retail Influencers 2023 by Rethink Retail.
Dr Pallant is the only Australian academic to be recognised on the list and one of only 23 people world-wide recognised in the Academia category.
The list of retail experts, consultants, analysts, academics, journalists, and thought leaders was chosen for their influence on the online retail community, including social presence, articles published, speaking engagements and awards.
Sustainable Future award for Swinburne researcher
January 2023: Professor Mark Adams has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to an innovative planet, winning the Excellence in Research Impacting a Sustainable Future category in the Australia & New Zealand Scopus Researcher Awards 2022.
Professor Adams' research contribution centres on the management of bushfires in a changing climate, water use, soil carbon, carbon sequestration and the sustainability of forests.
Professor Adams demonstrated a strong presence in international publication, citation data, and presented an inspiring story, as well as reflecting the values of equality, diversity and inclusion in his work.
Find out more about Professor Adams recent work on acacia woodlands, which has major implications for climate modelling.
A new member of the Australian Research Council's College of Experts
December 2022: Professor Sonja Pedell has been appointed as a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts.
The ARC College of Experts plays a key role in helping the Australian Research Council identify research excellence and advance knowledge and national innovation. Its members are experts of international standing drawn from the Australian research community. This successful nomination is an endorsement of Dr Pedell’s research standing and capacity for good judgement and impartiality.
Swinburne launches the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation
December 2022: Swinburne University of Technology has formally launched the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation.
Published by the Centre for Transformative Innovation, the encyclopedia is a web-based collection of information about the people and organisations that have left their mark in science and innovation in Australia for over two centuries.
It is a gateway to the history and archives of science, technology and innovation in Australia. It has a deep history and has influenced similar historical resources both here and around the world. In 2021, the project joined Swinburne's Centre for Transformative Innovation and has shifted to bolster a focus on innovation.
Speaking at the launch, The Honourable Dr Barry Jones AC said, “I was honoured when invited to launch this important work, an exceptionally interesting and important research archive about the contribution of Australia to science and innovation.”
Also speaking at the launch, Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Professor Karen Hapgood, commented on the significance of the project.
“An important entry is Bronwyn Adams – the first female chemical engineer in Victoria. The encyclopedia is the only place where you can find any information about her and there are many, many more examples. It’s about prioritising entries that cannot be found elsewhere. Its value is preserving the collective knowledge of our history,” she said.
Left to right: Professor Karen Hapgood, the Hon Dr Barry Jones AC, Associate Professor Gavan McCarthy, Professor Beth Webster and Professor Tom Spurling AM
5G IoT project nominated for ITS Australia Awards
November 2022: An innovative 5G-enabled Internet of Things project, using high-resolution cameras and GPS sensors attached to waste vehicles, has seen Swinburne researchers nominated in the 13th Intelligent Transport Systems Australia Awards for Excellence in Research & Development.
The Brimbank Council project uses the data produced by IoT-enabled vehicles, as well as 5G technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, to help rapidly detect road and roadside assets that require maintenance. This can help greatly reduce the time it takes to identify and fix issues such as damaged road signs and bus shelters or dumped roadside rubbish.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 16 February 2023. Read more about the project on the Swinburne newsroom.
Graduate success at the 2022 Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Awards
November 2022: Congratulations to our Communication Design graduates who achieved three Merit Awards and four Finalist Projects in the AGDA awards.
These awards were created to highlight the best designers in Australia across a number of disciplines and are highly regarded in both academia and industry.
Bailey Wentworth
Merit Award for Student Brand and Identity: Identity for Design Exchange
Venessa Tan
Merit Award for Student Design Crafts: Voices from the Fringes publication
Michael Smith
Merit Award for Student Spatial: Invisible Cities Exhibition Design
Bella MacIsaac
Student Brand and Identity Finalist: Tasmania Devils AFL branding
Shuyu Ren
Student Digital Finalist: Stop Cyberbullying Campaign
Michael Smith
Student Spatial Finalist: Wellness in Eco-Art
Venessa Tan
Student Publication Finalist: Voices from the Fringes publication
Thank you and well done to all staff who have contributed to our success here through their investment in these students.
International best paper award for sustainable metallurgy research
October 2022: Professor M Akbar Rhamdhani’s paper has been awarded the TMS EPD/LMD Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy Best Paper Award for demonstrating novelty and research excellence within the field of sustainable metallurgy.
The paper, titled ‘Kinetics and Mechanisms of Carbothermic Reduction of Weathered Ilmenite Using Palm Kernel Shell Biomass’, was published in Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy in December 2021. It is the result of a collaboration between Swinburne University of Technology, Universitas Indonesia and CSIRO, funded by The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Republic of Indonesia, with co-investments from Swinburne, Universitas Indonesia and CSIRO.
Wahn Kittikovit wins best Marketing Manager 2022 award
October 2022: Congratulations to our Bangkok-based staff member Wahn Kittikovit for winning the AECC Best Marketing Manager 2022 award.
AECC is one of the world’s largest education agencies with offices all across Asia (and one in Greece). They work with hundreds of universities in all major English-speaking countries. This is a fantastic achievement - congratulations Wahn!
Professor Mahsood Shah and team from CQ University win Best Practice in International Education
October 2022: Congratulations to Professor Mahsood Shah and his team for winning their award for Best Practice in International Education at the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) event on Wednesday 19 October 2022.
Working with researchers from CQ University, the team was awarded for the project on “Cross-Cultural Engagement with Students from the Subcontinent.
The innovative project highlighted gaps in academics’ cross-cultural understanding of the growing cohort of international students from the Indian subcontinent, and delivered resources to improve engagement.
Distinguished Professor Christopher Berndt appointed Distinguished Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
September 2022: Distinguished Professor Christopher Berndt has been appointed a Distinguished Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad. His frequent visits to India since 2011 have opened many doors for collaboration. A major outcome included joint R&D with Professor B.S. Murty, Director IIT-HYD, in the area of ‘high entropy alloys’. Their joint teams have paved the way for innovative research in this important technological topic. This prestigious appointment as a Distinguished Professor reinforces the strong collaborative relationship between Swinburne and IIT Hyderabad. As well, it recognises sustained contributions of Professor Berndt in the field of surface engineering.
Distinguished Professor Berndt is also the recipient of the 2022 ASM Honorary Membership Award for demonstrated professional commitment and lifelong learning, as well as being a mentor and exemplar to early career engineers and scientists.
Emeritus Professor John Wilson awarded Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia
September 2022: Emeritus Professor John Wilson has been awarded an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia (EA) which is the highest membership grade of EA and is a decision made by its Board. This is awarded to Professor Wilson for his outstanding contributions to the structural and earthquake engineering profession over some 40 years of industrial and academic career.
Professor Tracy Ruan selected by the Mechanical College Board of Engineers Australia as the AGM Michell Medal 2022 winner
September 2022: Professor Dong (Tracy) Ruan is an enthusiastic educator and researcher in the Department of Mechanical and Product Design Engineering (MPDE). She has made significant contributions to teaching and curriculum development to provide students with an excellent leaning experience. Professor Ruan has been a leading female researcher who has conducted innovative research in characterisation of materials and structures under dynamic loadings, and provided pioneer solutions to industries such as automotive and defence.
As the Chair of MPDE from 2019, Professor Ruan successfully led the transformation from traditional face-to-face teaching to online/blended delivery during the challenging COVID period. The Department has also excelled in research and secured significant research incomes in the past three years.
Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han is elected an IFAC Fellow
August 2022: Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han was elected a prestigious Fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) for the period of 2020-2023. The IFAC Fellow Award is given to those who have made extraordinary contributions as an engineer, scientist, technical leader or educator. Professor Han received the honour “for contributions to networked control and multi-agent systems and applications to smart grids”.
Professor Han is one of only 25 IFAC fellows in the world. Founded in Paris in 1957, IFAC is a worldwide federation of 52 national member organisations tasked with promoting the science and technology of automatic control in all systems, across engineering, physical, biological, social or economic, in both theory and application. IFAC is also concerned with the impact of control technology on society.
Dr Mitchell Adams named Academic of the Year at 2022 Australian Law Awards
August 2022: Swinburne Law School Lecturer and Bachelor of Laws Course Director, Dr Mitchell Adams, has been named Academic of the Year at the in the 2022 Australian Law Awards. The Australian Law Awards recognise legal professionals and firms across Australia for their dedication to the legal sector.
This award is a testament to Dr Adams’ dedication to the legal profession and his work in instilling a passion for the law, professional excellence, and expertise in his students.
Swinburne academics win 2022 DNA Paris Design Award
July 2022: A digital artwork project produced by three Swinburne academics for the City of Casey has won a prestigious 2022 DNA Paris Design Award.
Three Corners of the City, from Motion Design Lecturer and Discipline Coordinator of Motion Design, James Berrett (lead designer); Swinburne Living Lab Director, Professor Sonja Pedell; and Communication Design and Smart Cities Program Leader, Professor Simone Taffe, has won the Graphic Design/Interactive Design category of the awards, which honour the work of international architects and designers who “improve our daily lives through practical, beautiful and innovative design”.
The Swinburne team’s project is a real-time interactive data visualisation displayed on a large-scale media wall that connects the Melbourne communities of Narre Warren, Berwick and Cranbourne in a 24-hour-flow of everyday life driven by data captured in September 2021. The aim of the work is to demonstrate how real-time captured data can be both informative and engaging, as well as to showcase where and when members of the community are on the move.
Prestigious award won by Associate Professor Peng Wang
July 2022: Associate Professor Peng Wang has won the prestigious Freeman Award from the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA). The annual INSNA Freeman Award is given to a distinguished scholar in the field of social networks for significant contributions to the scientific study of social structure.
This achievement is a testament to extraordinary research that Associate Professor Wang has been doing. He will receive an expenses-paid trip to attend the annual Sunbelt Social Networks Conference in Portland, USA in 2023 where he will deliver the keynote Freeman Award lecture.
Associate Professor Wang is a member of the Social Network Research Lab in Centre for Transformative Innovation at Swinburne.
Lifelong achievement award for materials science and engineering
July 2022: Distinguished Professor Christopher Berndt has received the 2022 ASM Honorary Membership Award. The awards program recognises achievements of members of the materials science and engineering international community. They are presented in New Orleans, USA.
Distinguished Professor Berndt was awarded for “demonstrated professional commitment and life-long learning, as well as being a mentor and exemplar, to early career engineers and scientists.”
Economists’ prize for contributions to public debate and policy
July 2022: Swinburne Director for the Centre for Transformative Innovation Professor Beth Webster has received the 2022 Distinguished Fellow Award by the Economic Society of Australia (ESA). This award acknowledges and celebrates contributions by distinguished economists to public debate on policy issues in accordance with the society's objective to encourage research and public debate.
A new member of the academy of Europe
June 2022: Deputy Director of Swinburne Data Science Research Institute, Professor Jinjun Chen, has been elected as a Member of the prestigious Academia Europaea.
The Academia Europaea was founded in 1988. It is dedicated to the advancement and propagation of excellence in scholarship in the humanities, law, the economic, social and political sciences, mathematics, medicine, and all branches of natural and technological sciences.
Membership is by invitation, which are made only after peer group nomination, scrutiny and confirmation as to the scholarship and eminence of the individual in their chosen field. Members are drawn from across the whole European continent and European scholars who are residents in other regions of the world. Current membership stands at around 4,500 – amongst them are seventy-two Nobel Laureates.
2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours
Congratulations to the members of Swinburne’s community who have been acknowledged in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours, including alumni, staff, friends and supporters of the university.
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
Dr Brendan Murphy AC
For eminent service to medical administration and community health, particularly as Chief Medical Officer, and to nephrology, to research and innovation, and to professional organisations.
Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
Brigadier Matthew Burr AM
For exceptional service as Commander of the 4th Brigade force assigned as Commander Joint Task Force 646 and Commander Joint Task Group 629.2.
Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM)
Mr Philip Taylor AFSM
For commitment to the safety of firefighters, given over 42 years' of service to the Victorian community as a firefighter in Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV).
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Professor Josie Arnold OAM
For service to tertiary education.
Professor Lester Johnson OAM
For service to tertiary education.
Mr Terence McKay OAM
For service to the community through a range of roles.
Ms Dorothy West OAM
For service to first nations media and communications.
Swinburne expert contributes to ‘the bible of psychiatry’
June 2022: Professor Greg Murray is an author in the American Psychiatric Association’s latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). The DSM is known as ‘the bible of psychiatry’. It contains classifications, descriptions and symptoms of mental disorder and it is used as a guide to diagnosis. Professor Murray was invited to contribute as a global expert in bipolar and related mental disorders.
Modern Slavery Project win the 2022 Sustainability Project of the Year at The Faculty Awards of Excellence
June 2022: As a member of the Australian Universities Procurement Network (AUPN), Swinburne is proud to see AUPN’s Modern Slavery Project win the 2022 Sustainability Project of the Year at The Faculty Awards of Excellence.
The AUPN is leading a sector collaboration to support member universities to meet the challenge of human rights transparency and risk management in their supply chains and contribute to the fulfilment of Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) reporting requirements.
Swinburne Director of Sustainability and Procurement, Rhiannon Jones played a pivotal role as Co-Chair of the AUPN Modern Slavery Working Group. This group led a three-year program of work to develop, design and build a sector response to modern slavery.
The AUPN hopes that leveraging our aggregated buying power will improve our capacity to identify and action any modern slavery risks and drive more effective changes through our supply chains.
The Australian Universities Procurement Network (AUPN) represent the Australian and New Zealand higher education sector, who work together to improve excellence in procurement practice and the skills of procurement professionals.
Interdisciplinary leader receives special commendation for research supervision
May 2022: Professor Karen Malone has received a special commendation for Excellence in Graduate Research Supervision at the 2022 Australian Council of Graduate Research Awards.
Established in 2017, the ACGR Awards publicly promote outstanding performance in higher degree research supervision, leadership, and industry engagement. This year, the awards recognise exceptional academic staff whose dedication, professionalism and innovative practice truly makes a difference to research cultures, HDR student experience and industry partnerships.
The commendation recognises Professor Malone’s contribution to a more sustainable, just and ethical world through her support for students as they focus on the social and ecological impacts of their research.
Professor Malone utilises a cohort-based model of supervision focused on developing a shared community of practice. This model supports students to engage in traditional one-to-one supervision, while also learning from a supportive research community of fellow students, supervisors, panel members and external experts.
Professor Malone has six higher degree research (HDR) students currently under supervision, as well as 16 HDR completions and over 18 doctoral theses examined. She has supported all her HDR students as they have modified their methodologies and research design to an inquiry online due to COVID-19.
Fulbright Scholar to join Swinburne’s Social Innovation Research Institute
April 2022: Professor Valerie Jones received a Fulbright Global Scholar Award to study the use of emergent technology in facilitating social connectedness for aging adults in the United States and Australia. She will join Swinburne’s Social Innovation Research Institute in Melbourne from February to May 2023.
The Fulbright research will build upon Jones’ work examining the impact of artificial intelligence-powered personal voice assistants (PVA), like Amazon’s Alexa, on reducing loneliness in aging adults. Read more on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln website.
Australian Digital Inclusion Index recognised in the 2022 AACSB Innovations That Inspire
April 2022: AACSB International, the world’s largest business education alliance, has named Swinburne School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship’s Australian Digital Inclusion Index as one of 24 business schools recognised in the 2022 Innovations That Inspire.
The Australian Digital Inclusion Index, a multi-year project from the Centre for Social Impact, documents digital inclusion in Australia by both geography and demography, and is the only comprehensive index of its kind.
Professor Tim Marjoribanks, Acting Dean, School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship, says ‘the recognition highlights the School’s mission to advance social impact through industry-engaged research, and connecting people and technology, and alignment with the Swinburne Horizon 2025 strategy.’
AACSB Innovations That Inspire recognises institutions from around the world that serve as champions of change in the business education landscape, with Swinburne the only institution from the Oceanic region represented in this year’s announcement. In 2022, the highlights feature efforts to elevate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
“Progress toward more welcoming, inclusive spaces requires action, and Swinburne University demonstrates leadership in this important effort,” said Caryn Beck-Dudley, AACSB president and CEO. “Through collaborations – among business schools, businesses, and communities – we will create a strong global society and equip leaders for positive impact.”
Swinburne was previously recognised by AACSB’s annual program in 2020 for the Swinburne Social Startup Studio.
Swinburne’s global mobility expert wins TEMI award
March 2022: Swinburne’s Remuneration and Mobility Manager, Astrid Hofstee has been named winner of the Best Global Awareness Initiative at The Employee Mobility Institute (TEMI) Awards. Her winning application highlighted how Swinburne’s newly created talent mobility role supports employees and the university to develop a global perspective and inclusive mindset, help them effectively integrate into foreign environments and enhance the overall employee mobility experience as well as ensure compliance in foreign jurisdictions.
TEMI is Australasia’s foremost community-based network of Global Workforce Management professionals to connect with each other and explore the challenges facing talent mobility professionals and business in the global marketplace. The Global Awareness Initiative award recognises the individual, organisation or employee mobility team that has taken specific actions to instil global awareness into their mobile and/or remote workforce, or has created a program to celebrate, support or enable an inclusive and diverse global workforce for their organisation.
“It is an honour to be recognised as a global mobility expert by my mobility peers in Australasia, this places Swinburne’s global mobility function on the map in Australia,” she says.
“Global mobility consultants work tirelessly to navigate ever-changing travel and border restrictions and compliance complexities across jurisdictions, all of which has been even more challenging over the last 24 months,” she adds.
Astrid has over 15 years’ experience in global mobility and is passionate about creating awareness about mobility risks and solutions in organisations.
“What I find most fulfilling is the opportunity to connect with our staff and assist them with their mobility related issues. The pandemic has been extremely difficult, and it has been rewarding to be able to lend a helping hand.”
Centre for Urban Transitions recognised by Planning Institute of Australia
February 2022: Swinburne University of Technology academics, in collaboration with Maroondah City Council and Plan2Place, have been recognised with the Planning Institute of Australia Victorian President’s Award for their project and associated book Greening the Greyfields.
The project, led by Professor Peter Newton and Senior Research Fellow Dr Stephen Glackin from the Centre for Urban Transitions, puts cutting edge research into practice and sees the creation of the first precinct-scale, regenerative urban redevelopment zones for two precincts in the established ageing middle suburbs of Melbourne.
The project provides a playbook for other municipalities across the state and nationally to apply this new planning model to facilitate the coordinated urban renewal of middle ring suburbs. For academia, it provides a guide on how to successfully partner with government and industry to have a transformational impact on our cities and local communities.
Professor John Wilson recognised by Engineers Australia
February 2022: Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of Swinburne Sarawak, Professor John Wilson, has been appointed as an Honorary Fellow by Engineers Australia for his contribution to shaping a generation of engineers.
A distinguished and internationally-recognised academic in the structural and earthquake engineering profession, Professor Wilson was recognised for his instrumental role in the ongoing strength and success of the Swinburne engineering program.
Professor Wilson’s role in positively influencing government infrastructure investment was also recognised.
Becoming an Honorary Fellow is an elevation to the highest Engineers Australia membership grade and recognises conspicuous service to the profession of engineering or outstanding achievement.
Australia Day Honours 2022
January 2022: A number of Swinburne University of Technology alumni and staff have been recognised in the 2022 Australia Day Honours, including the Medal for the Order of Australia, awarded for recognition of outstanding achievement and service, as well as the Member of the Order of Australia, awarded for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group. The recipients are:
Medal of the Order of Australia
Swinburne alum Jessica Fox OAM - Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), 2018
Awarded Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympic games 2020.
Swinburne alum Criss Canning OAM - Swinburne Technical College, 1964
Awarded Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the visual arts.
Member of the Order of Australia
Swinburne alum Alan Anforth AM - Master of Science (Astronomy), 2017
Awarded Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the law, to social welfare and to education.
Swinburne staff member and major donor Dr Michael Liffman AM - Swinburne Business School
Awarded Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to tertiary education, the not-for-profit sector and visual arts.
Prestigious honour for Swinburne engineer
January 2022: Distinguished Professor in Electrical Renewable Energy Saad Mekhilef has been appointed a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Distinguished Professor Mekhilef was recognised for his contributions to control methods for photovoltaic systems and multi-level inverters.
The honour is one of the IEEE’s most prestigious and is bestowed on a very limited number of Senior Members who are bringing significant value to society through the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology.
Professor Mark Burry AO recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects
December 2021: Director of Swinburne Smart Cities Research Institute, Professor Mark Burry AO has been awarded a fellowship in the Australian Institute of Architects 2021 Victorian Honours list.
Fellowship is awarded to those who have demonstrated a significant contribution to the architecture profession beyond architecture practice. Each nomination requires the endorsement of two voting members and the Chapter Council.
Swinburne’s Centre for Urban Transitions paving the way for a sustainable urban future
December 2021: Researchers from Swinburne’s Centre for Urban Transitions have been recognised for their work in enabling healthy and productive urban transitions for sustainable urban futures.
Professor Peter Newton and Dr Stephen Glackin are the recipients of the Victorian President’s Award for their efforts towards the Greening the Greyfields Project. Described by the International Association of Business Communicators Victoria Executive Leadership Team as ‘inspirational’ and ‘groundbreaking’, the pilot project explores possible areas for landowners to work with their neighbours to amalgamate individual housing lots into one larger parcel of land – known as a “Precinct”.
PhD research student Melissa Pineda-Pinto has been awarded the Peter Harrison Memorial Prize at the State of Australian Cities Conference for her thesis ‘Planning ecologically just cities…’. The prize recognises distinctive contribution to knowledge and capacity for the sustainable development of Australian cities and regions, administered by The Fenner School of Environment and Society and Australian National University Endowment for Excellence, in collaboration with the Australian Cities Research Network (ACRN).
Swinburne sweeps the Nursery and Garden Industry of Victoria’s 2020 Nursey and Garden Student Awards
December 2021: Three Swinburne representatives have been applauded at the 2020 Nursery and Garden Student Awards by the Nursery and Garden Industry of Victoria. Teagan Faull of Nishiki Nursery won the Young Horticulture Leader of the Year Award, while Jimmy Davis of Gardenworld Nursey was highly commended in the same category.
The award honours the up-and-coming talent who may only just be starting their career, but exhibit the capability, commitment and vision to become a future leader in the horticulture industry. Swinburne Horticulture teacher Kate O’Grady says it is ‘very significant’ for someone like Miss Faull, who has only recently completed her apprenticeship, to win the award.
Bec Neeson of Warners Nurseries was also highly commended in the blue ribbon category of Horticulture Student of the Year, recognising a strong willingness to contribute to the industry, share learning experiences and is considered an emerging leader in the industry.
Swinburne's Dr Dimitrios Salampasis named 2021 Blockchain Educator of the Year
December 2021: Swinburne’s Director of Master of Financial Technologies (FinTech), Dr Dimitrios Salampasis has been named the 2021 Blockchain Educator of the Year by Blockchain Australia.
This award recognises the important work of educators who are dedicated to the improvement of blockchain awareness and knowledge.
‘It is an honour to receive this award, which recognises academia and higher education as a foundational and critical pillar of the FinTech and Blockchain ecosystem. As for me, it encapsulates years of hard work in developing educational and pedagogical expertise within such a multi-faceted, complex, novel and fast developing space,’ says Dr Salampasis.
‘Blockchain has the potential to change not only businesses and the economy, but also society and our world as a whole. The numerous applications and use cases show the magnitude of evolutionary transformation that is emerging and that is yet to come. This award encourages me to further excel excellence and lead innovation as an integrative part of the global blockchain thought leadership community.’
Centre for Global Health and Equity Postdoctoral Researcher wins ISOQOL Award
December 2021: Dr Melanie Hawkins, Postdoctoral Researcher with Swinburne University of Technology’s Centre for Global Health and Equity (CGHE), has won the New Investigator Oral Presentation Award at The International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) 2021 Conference.
Her PhD and ISOQOL conference presentation, ‘Making valid decisions using five sources of validity evidence’, investigates the use of the five sources of validity evidence framework in relation to patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measurement and making decisions about health treatment, interventions, programs and policy.
ISOQOL is the lead organisation for integrating patient perspectives into health research, care and policy. Their Virtual 28th Annual Conference was recently held, and the theme was ‘Making Valid Decisions: Learning from Patient Reported Outcomes’.
‘Recognition of Dr Hawkins’ presentation by ISOQOL is indicative of the importance and reach of her research across disciplines and research practices,’ says Manager of Strategic Research, Programs and Partnership Ranjit Gajendra Nadarajah.
Swinburne physics student awarded silver for Best Student Paper Awards
December 2021: Swinburne physics honours student, Daniel Smith, was recently awarded second place for his category in the Best Student Paper Award at the Photonics and Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS) virtual conference. Daniel presented in the ‘Optics and Photonics’ section of the prestigious international conference. His presentation was titled, ‘Rapid Fabrication of Large Area Diffractive Axicons for Astronomical Applications’ and it was up against presentations from PhD candidates from internationally renowned institutions. It is a proud moment for the Nanotechnology Research Facility, led by Professor Saulius Juodkazis.
Swinburne student takes home Building Design Awards prize
November 2021: Swinburne interior design student Sulagna Nanda has won the Best Response to a Design Brief by an Interior Design Student at the 2021 Building Design Awards, hosted by Design Matters National.
Nanda’s designs were praised by the judges as ‘liveable and comfortable’, with a strong focus on ‘natural textures and a muted palette with pops of colour’.
Nanda is currently studying a Diploma of Interior Design at Swinburne and said she was inspired by past students who had won this award to go for it herself.
’It’s been an enriching experience learning the design theories and methodologies here at Swinburne and I am extremely humbled by the recognition given for my work by Design Matters National.’
Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han wins 2021 Norbert Winer Award
October 2021: Swinburne’s Pro Vice Chancellor of Research Quality, Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han has been awarded the 2021 Norbert Wiener Award. Presented at a virtual awards ceremony on 20 October 2021 at the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, the achievement marks the first time an Australian researcher has wont this prestigious award.
The Norbert Wiener Award was established in 1980 in honor of Norbert Wiener, who was considered the architect of cybernetics. It recognises outstanding contributions to research in systems science and engineering and cybernetics, and is the highest award in the field.
Carolyn Bendall, Swinburne’s Chief Marketing Officer, named in CMO50 2021
October 2021: Carolyn Bendall has been named in the CMO50 2021, a prestigious list that acknowledges Australia’s top 50 most innovative and effective Chief Marketing Officers. Coming in at number 19, Carolyn is recognised for her robust strategy for growth, innovative marketing and technology-led approach that embodies Swinburne’s brand belief of people and technology for a better world. Read more.
Dr Emma Lee nominated for Tasmania’s 2022 Australian of the Year Award
October 2021: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Fellow Dr Emma Lee has been nominated for Tasmania’s 2022 Australian of the Year Award. Dr Lee is a trawlwulwuy woman of tebrakunna country and has been nominated as a key architect of ‘Reset the Relationship’ – a Tasmanian government strategy focused on the themes of recognition, reconciliation and real outcomes for Aboriginal communities in Tasmania.
Dr Lee is also making a profound impact as a sitting member of the Australian Government's National Co-Design Group, developing models so that Indigenous voices can be heard in parliament, and as the first Indigenous Australian to author guidelines for an advisory body to the United Nations.
Swinburne wins International Education Association of Australia Best Practice award
October 2021: Swinburne’s International Student Advisory and Support team has won an International Education Association of Australia Best Practice award for their groundbreaking International Student Food Delivery Training Program. It provides educational training on work rights, road safety, and legal rights and responsibilities for international students who supplement their income in Australia through the gig economy.
‘The program is a collaboration and a testament to the work we do with various community groups who also share concerns and responsibility for international students in the Victorian community. Excitingly, there is national interest in using the training materials,’ says Associate Director, International Student Advisory and Support, Desma Smith.
The program was developed with funding from Study Melbourne by the Fit2Drive network, Swinburne University of Technology, D’Accord OAS, and JobWatch Inc.
Swinburne research quality leader awarded prestigious M A Sargent Medal
October 2021: Swinburne Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han has been named joint winner of the prestigious 2021 M A Sargent Medal by Engineers Australia.
Professor Han is an internationally recognised leader in Control Theory and Control Engineering. He is Swinburne’s Pro Vice-Chancellor in Research Quality, responsible for coordinating research performance and research quality improvement initiatives.
The Sargent Medal is awarded for longstanding eminence in science or the practice of electrical engineering and recognises overall career achievements.
Professor Han is also a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics (Thomson Reuters). He was named one of Australia’s top five lifetime achievers (Research Superstars) in Engineering and Computer Science in The Australian’s Research Magazine in 2019 and 2020.
Professor Chris Berndt appointed Distinguished Professor at IIT Madras
September 2021: Professor Chris Berndt has been appointed Distinguished Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
Distinguished Professor Berndt is Professor of Surface Science and Interface Engineering at Swinburne and the Director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM).
IIT Madras is a globally recognised, top-ranked institution in India. It is a valued research partner for Swinburne, with a joint PhD program and a joint research centre.
The offer to Professor Berndt is in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of thermally sprayed coatings, protective coatings and biocompatible coatings.
As part of the five-year appointment, Professor Berndt is invited to visit IIT Madras periodically to deliver lectures and hold discussions with staff and students.
Professor Berndt’s appointment is a testament to his sustained contributions and the effective international engagement of Swinburne Research.
Swinburne alum wins Emerging Australian Filmmaker award
August 2021: Swinburne Film & TV alum Jordan Giusti has been recognised with the Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker at the 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival.
Giusti directed the short film Reptile about a group of schoolboys whose tomfoolery turns primal.
Announcing the awards, the jury described the film as a darkly funny and terrifying interrogation of male aggression and toxicity.
‘The film does a superb job of setting up charming, relatable protagonists and a scenario that seems harmless enough, before demonstrating how something as innocent as school children playing a game can descend into brutality when men are left to their own devices,’ the jury said.
Giusti's achievement represents another step forward in his film and television journey, which began with a Cert IV in Screen and Media at Swinburne. He then successfully progressed to the Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media – Film and Television, before completing the Bachelor of Film and Television (Honours).
Director of Photography on the film, Bonita Carzino, is also a Swinburne alum. Read more on the Melbourne International Film Festival website.
Swinburne joins network to transition Victoria into a circular economy
August 2021: The Victorian Circular Activator (VCA) has received $397,000 from the Recycling Victoria Innovation Fund for initiatives to transition Victoria to a circular economy.
The activator will provide a physical hub and link with existing digital infrastructure to support circular economy innovations for the state. Swinburne University of Technology is a key partner organisation for the VCA, which will be hosted by RMIT University and supported by Circular Economy Victoria (CEV).
Swinburne’s Centre for Urban Transitions will provide the conceptualisation of circular economy business models and data collection to build a digital infrastructure while the Data for Social Good – Cloud Innovation Centre (CIC) will help with the implementation of these models. The CIC is a partnership between Swinburne and global tech giant Amazon Web Services (AWS).
CIC Program Manager, Marco Krischer says the CIC will use Amazon’s ‘Working Backwards’ design methodology, which takes the ideal customer end-state as a starting point in developing a new product, process or service. ‘This approach is behind some of the most popular products in the market, such as the Amazon Kindle. Additionally, the AWS cloud will be used to develop a prototype data platform that supports the circular economy,’ he explains.
Swinburne’s Chief Investigator, Associate Professor Magnus Moglia says the activator will strengthen and accelerate fit-for-purpose circular innovations within Victoria.
‘We have an opportunity to create practical support pathways for circular economy innovation by connecting various stakeholders to transition to new practices and business models. It is about finding opportunities to reduce waste, increase recycling and create more value from resources,’ Associate Professor Moglia concludes.
Alumni recognised at the Designers Australia 2021 Awards
August 2021: Alum Edward Linacre has been awarded the President’s Award at the Designers Australia 2021 Awards, in recognition of his contribution to the profession. Since studying industrial and product design at Swinburne, he has forged an impressive design career in social and sustainable practice by supporting local manufacturing and using renewable materials. Linacre is co-founder of Mycelium Studios, Symbiosis Lab, Copper Design and founder of his self-titled studio, Edward Linacre. He is co-author of eight international patents for medical device designs.
Taking out an Award of Merit, the Cobalt Design team were recognised for their improvements to the original design of the KeepCup thermal cup and press fit lid. Design Team Leader Kate Bednarz studied industrial design at Swinburne, Davis Tolley and Rob Cuzner are graduates of Swinburne’s Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Product Design and founder of Cobalt Design Steve Martinuzzo is chair of Swinburne’s Product Design Engineering course advisory board.
Swinburne-led project receives funding to develop new model of care for cancer patients
July 2021: A Swinburne-led project has received funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The project, which will run at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and involve researchers from Deakin University and The University of Melbourne will be looking to solve a rare condition known as Cancers of Unknown Primary (CUP). Read more.
Swinburne joins national network for mental health research
May 2021: Swinburne has joined a new national collaboration to transform the way mental health treatments are developed and tested as part of the ‘Mental Health Australia General Clinical Trial Network’ (MAGNET) project.
MAGNET, which will be led by Deakin University has also received $12 million in funding from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). It will build Australia’s research capacity in mental health by bringing together leading research institutions and community groups to develop new treatments.
To support the network’s activities, MAGNET will fund four core platforms: Assessment, Data Management, Health Economics and Governance and Policy.
Professorial Research Fellow at Swinburne’s Centre for Mental Health, Professor Susan Rossell, will oversee the Assessment platform, which will allow researchers to develop a standardised set of clinical training and resources to be used across trials. Applied statistician also from the Centre for Mental Health, Professor Denny Meyer, will oversee Data Management, which will include biostatistics support.
‘We are excited to be a part of these important national platforms. They are critical national resources that will greatly benefit all mental health researchers in conducting clinical trials,’ says Professor Rossell.
Additionally, Swinburne will be a trial site for the four signature trials to be initially conducted by MAGNET. These trials will lead to important advances in the treatment of mood disorders. As the network grows, further clinical trials will be supported across a wide range of mental health conditions.
Australian Space Awards
Swinburne staff and students have been shortlisted in three categories for the 2021 Australian Space Awards.
Kim Ellis, the major discipline coordinator for Swinburne’s Innovative Space Technology co-major, is a finalist for Academic of the Year.
SHINE, the only program providing the opportunity for students to conduct experiments on the International Space Station, led by Dr Rebecca Allen, is a finalist for Space Education and Outreach Program of the Year.
Mikaela Verhoosel, Swinburne Robotics and Mechatronics graduate and previous SHINE mentor, is a finalist for Graduate of the Year.
The awards will be announced on 4 June 2021.
Dr Rebecca Davies awarded Gruber Foundation Fellowship
May 2021: Dr Rebecca Davies from the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing has been awarded a 2021 Gruber Foundation Fellowship. Rebecca is currently researching feedback processes in galaxy evolution and the galaxy baryon cycle.
“I am very honoured to have been selected for this prestigious fellowship,” Rebecca says.
“This fellowship will enable me to bridge the geographical gap between Australia and the US and Europe, providing opportunities to consolidate the international collaborations I established during my PhD and to forge new scientific partnerships.
“As well as advancing my research, these collaborations will facilitate the transfer of scientific expertise into Australia, mitigating the impact of the country's geographical isolation as we emerge from the current pandemic.”
Each year, The Gruber Foundation, in collaboration with the International Astronomical Union, funds a US$75 000 fellowship programme for promising young astronomers.
The evaluation panel has awarded this year’s fellowship jointly to three outstanding candidates, each of whom will receive US$25 000.
Swinburne Online wins 2021 ITNews Benchmark Award for Education
March 2021: Swinburne Online has won the 2021 ITNews Benchmark Award for Education for the HEPP-funded Mursion project that provides simulated classroom experiences for pre-service teachers.
On-campus students in Education and Design also have access to the system, which combines augmented reality with live actors who manipulate the scenario. Students are able to test areas where they are not confident, such as sequencing a lesson or responding to unruly behavior. Students can then debrief with a lecturer and receive feedback and coaching.
In Design, Mursion was used to set up panels for students nearing the end of their degree to practice industry interviews.
Swintopia wins at Festival of Media APAC Awards
March 2021: Swinburne and global media agency, Initiative Media have won two awards at the Festival of Media APAC awards for Swintopia.
Swintopia re-defined the traditional university Open Day experience by providing a gamified, virtual campus in the form of an interactive “open world” experience - a virtual university world accessible to all prospective students, anytime and anywhere.
Swinburne and Initiative were awarded the gold award for Best Response to COVID-19 and the silver award for Best Engagement Strategy.
Swinburne lecturers win Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
February 2021: Mark Strachan and Dr Mun Wong from Swinburne’s School of Design have been awarded a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning through the 2020 Australian Awards for University Teaching implemented by Universities Australia.
One of only 100 citations awarded, the recognition was given for excellence in scaffolding students’ authentic learning experience using a model developed by the two academics – the Authentic Learning Transformation through Immersive Scaffolding (ALTIS) model.
Through the model developed by Mr Strachan and Dr Wong, students studying Design Systems and Services are provided with hands-on learning activities to help them overcome challenging and unfamiliar concepts. The model accommodates a range of learner abilities and promotes interdisciplinary learning by encouraging diverse perspectives, ways of working, habits of mind and nurturing a strong community of practice.
Since ALTIS was introduced in 2017, student feedback has shown a notable improvement in perceived learning outcomes.
“It’s very rewarding… and gratifying to research, design and contribute to the scholarship of student learning through active classroom participation with our students witnessing how they have progressed in their personal transformative learning experience,” said Mr Strachan and Dr Wong.
Swinburne astronomers win prestigious American science prize
February 2021: A brief flash of radio waves from a distant galaxy has landed a group of Swinburne astronomers and their international collaborators the prestigious 2020 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize.
The Newcomb Cleveland Prize is awarded to the most impactful research paper published in the journal Science. In this year’s winning paper, the authors describe how they were the first to pinpoint the location of a fast radio burst upon discovery. Fast radio bursts are intense pulses of radio emission that last only a fraction of a second and had confounded astronomers for more than a decade.
The Swinburne recipients of the Newcomb Cleveland prize are Associate Professor Ryan Shannon, Associate Professor Adam Deller, Ms Cherie Day, Dr Chris Flynn, Dr Stefan Oslowski and Dr Wael Farah. Read more about the team’s research.
First Indigenous Australian recognised by IUCN as editor on conservation guidelines
February 2021: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has invited Dr Emma Lee to be an Indigenous Australian editor in its guidelines for global conservation practice called Cultural and Spiritual Significance of Nature: Guidance for Protected and Conserved Area Governance and Management.
The IUCN is an independent body that advises the United Nations, World Heritage Committee and International Council on Monuments and Sites, among others, on nature conservation including protected and conserved areas.
Dr Emma Lee, a trawlwulwuy woman from Tasmania and an Indigenous Research Fellow at Swinburne, provided one of the seven case studies in the guidelines. Her case study on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is an exemplar in new global guidelines for the management and governance for formally listed areas, such as national parks and forest reserves, and other conservation spaces.
Dr Lee congratulated the IUCN for adapting to new ideas and ways for global communities to manage protected areas.
She said, "Once Indigenous peoples were considered environmental vandals and dispossessed of our homelands, now we are beginning to repair those harms and being recognised as contributing to 25% percent of the world’s biodiversity, even though we make up only 3% of the global population. In the wake of the Paris Accord, we need more choices about how we conserve our precious places, this guideline sets a global pathway for valuing Indigenous knowledge."
In 2020, Dr Lee was the inaugural recipient of the Australian Institute of Geographers William Jonas Award and is a current member of the Australian Federal Government’s National Co-Design Group for Indigenous Voice. She is a key architect in 2016 of the Tasmanian Government’s whole-of-government strategy for Aboriginal Affairs, entitled ‘Reset the Relationship’, that ushered in state constitutional recognition and the first joint management plan for a protected area.
Swinburne alumni make the 2021 Australia Day honours list
January 2021: Five members of the Swinburne community have been recognised for their service and achievements in the 2021 Australia Day honours list. These individuals have made an impact in a variety of fields including performing arts, public service, education, medical health research and construction. Read more...
2020
Professor Nilmini Wickramasinghe awarded prestigious Humboldt Research award
December 2020: Deputy Director of Swinburne’s Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Professor in Digital health and Epworth Chair of Health Informatics, Nilmini Wickramasinghe, has been named as recipient of the prestigious Humboldt Research Award. This award is in recognition of Professor Wickramasinghe’s accomplishments in research and teaching.
Named after the late Prussian naturalist and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt, The Humboldt Research Award is awarded to internationally renowned researchers whose theories, discoveries or findings have had a lasting effect on their discipline beyond their immediate research area.
“I am very honoured and humbled to receive this award,” says Professor Wickramasinghe. She recently worked on a health technology project that culminated in the development of DiaMonD (Diabetes Monitoring Device) – a mobile solution for diabetes self-management with a feedback mechanism between patients and clinicians.
As part of the award, Professor Wickramasinghe has been invited to conduct her research project focussed on the application of blockchain technology for healthcare and the development of a trusted network for the sharing of sensitive healthcare data in collaboration with other researchers and industry partners in Germany. “I look forward to this wonderful opportunity to collaborate with leading international colleagues, to exchange knowledge and ideas that will serve to further advance the digital health field,” Professor Wickramasinghe adds.
Swinburne researcher honoured for services to multicultural communities
December 2020: Associate Professor at the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Dr Stephane Shepherd, has been named recipient of the 2020 Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Justice by the Victorian Multicultural Commission. Read more.
Swinburne lecturer appointed as MedTech Actuator Menzies Fellow
December 2020: Senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Dr Chris McCarthy, has been appointed as a MedTech Actuator Menzies Fellow. The fellowship will provide Dr McCarthy with tailored mentoring from commercialisation experts and access to the MedTech Actuator™.
As part of his fellowship, Dr McCarthy will advance CueSleeve, a haptic training device for improving hand-eye coordination in individuals with visual and neuro-cognitive impairments. The prototype was developed as part of the PhD research with Dr McCarthy’s student, Deepa Prabhu. Through the fellowship Dr McCarthy will infuse his research with new commercial expertise from leading minds in the industry.
“As an academic researcher, I love solving problems but get most satisfaction in seeing theoretical solutions translate to real outcomes, this fellowship will give me the mentorship, focus and structured support I need to truly realise this for CueSleeve,” says Dr McCarthy.
The fellowship is a partnership between the Menzies Foundation and the MedTech Actuator as part of the foundation’s Entrepreneurship in Science mission. It unlocks the potential of Australia’s world-class research and researchers, particularly in the areas of human health, medicine and biotechnology.
Forensicare and CFBS win ACHS Quality Improvement Award
December 2020: Forensicare and Swinburne’s Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science (CFBS) have been awarded the Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety award at the Australian Council on Healthcare Standard (ACHS) 23rd Annual Quality Improvement Awards.
The national awards acknowledge healthcare organisations that show excellence and innovation in clinical care, organisation-wide practice, service delivery and performance measurement. Forensicare and the CFBS received the award for quality improvements achieved following the development and implementation of the eDASA+APP – an electronic instrument and clinical decision support system designed to assess imminent aggression and structure nursing interventions.
“We are absolutely delighted to receive this award,” says Senior Lecturer in Forensic Mental Health Nursing Dr Tessa Maguire, who led the research study.
“It was a very rewarding experience to be part of a multidisciplinary collaboration to develop and test the eDASA+APP. This project has signalled an important step in mental health nursing intervention, which is really exciting.”
“It is really wonderful to see this innovation recognised on a national level. The success of this work highlights the importance of conducting practical and collaborative research. As a result, I feel optimistic that we will continue to see positive improvements in our workplace,” says Chief Executive Officer of Forensicare, Dr Margaret Grigg.
Journalism student wins prestigious international fellowship
December 2020: First-year journalism student Jack Meehan has received a prestigious fellowship to spend a month in Denmark working at the Independent Centre for Constructive Journalism.
Jack is one of two winners who were among hundreds of students across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to take part in the collaborative Constructive Journalism: Making a Difference 2020 project. This is a multimedia project, encompassing a three-day television broadcast, radio show and podcast series, as well as published work on The Junction, a national journalism initiative that publishes the best student journalism from 27 universities and colleges across the region. As part of the project, students are guided by academics and seasoned journalists to produce high-quality pieces and gain valuable reporting skills.
Jack’s winning story was about the implications of the Australian Government’s drive for increased gas production. The judges described it as an excellent backgrounder, based on extensive research and complemented by strong multimedia elements.
“It means so much to me to get this opportunity to work with leaders in the constructive journalism movement, learning new skills that will provide a perspective, depth and solutions to critical issues we are facing today,” says Jack.
2020 Swinburne Vice-Chancellor Awards
December 2020: Swinburne University of Technology’s Vice-Chancellor Awards 2020 recognised a range of achievements amid challenges and disruptions during the year under the theme ‘Celebrating resilience and creativity’.
Five individual lifetime achievement awards were also celebrated for Professor Matthew Bailes, Mr Chris Goetze, Ms Isabella Chor, Professor Syed Masood and Associate Professor Mary Elizabeth Dunkley. Read more...
PAVE staff member honoured with CFA Chief Officer’s Commendation award
November 2020: Pathways and Vocational Education (PAVE) Nursing and Health Technical Officer, Jessica Jacobs has received a CFA Chief Officer's Commensation award for courage in recognition of her actions in saving the life of a fellow firefighter during the 2019 - 2020 bushfire season. Read more...
HESTA Team Excellence (Aged Care) Award 2020
November 2020: Led by Professor Sunil Bhar, Swinburne’s Wellbeing Clinic for Older Adults team was recognised with a HESTA Excellence (Aged Care) Award 2020 for providing outstanding mental health care and support for aged care residents.
An Australian first, the National Telehealth Counselling and Support Service provides support to vulnerable aged care residents who may be experiencing mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and loneliness. The service was developed in response to significant restrictions to face-to-face visiting as a result of COVID-19.
The team is passionate about training psychologists, social workers and counsellors on how to provide mental health care to residential aged care populations.
The team includes Professor Sunil Bhar, Aida Brydon, Rebecca Collins, Sofie Dunkerley, Dr Deborah Koder, Jenny Linossier and Mark Silver.
Dr Emma Lee receives inaugural William Jonas Award 2020
November 2020: Swinburne’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact Dr Emma Lee is the inaugural recipient of the William Jonas Award from the Institute of Australian Geographers.
The award acknowledges Dr Lee’s excellence in significant contributions made to Indigenous geographies and to Australian geography throughout her career. Dr Lee, a trawlwulwuy woman of tebrakunna country in north-eastern Tasmania was nominated by colleagues from across Australia.
Named for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Dr William Jonas AM, the award celebrates and remembers Dr Jonas as the discipline’s first Indigenous PhD, paving the way for more than 500 Indigenous PhDs to flourish.
Dr Lee was appointed to the National Co-Design Group for Indigenous Voice earlier this year.
Good Design Gold Award for alum James Chapman
November 2020: Industrial Design alum James Chapman has been recognised in Australia’s 2020 Good Design Awards program for his Honours project, the ‘Kami’ chair. Read more…
Deloitte Australia-UK GRAVITY Challenge
November 2020: A blended team of staff and students from Swinburne University of Technology has won the ‘Delivering a sustainable future through technology’ challenge category in the Deloitte Australia-UK GRAVITY Challenge. Read more…
2020 Phillip Law Postdoctoral Award for Dr Nisa Salim
November 2020: Swinburne University of Technology’s Dr Nisa Salim has been awarded the 2020 Phillip Law Postdoctoral Award for the Physical Sciences by the Royal Society of Victoria. The award is for excellence in scientific research by an early career researcher in the physical sciences within seven years of completing a PhD from a Victorian research institution. Read more…
Dr Ali Yavari awarded Victoria Fellowship in Physical Sciences
November 2020: Dr Ali Yavari has been awarded a prestigious Victoria Fellowship to explore opportunities for the Internet of Things (IoT). Dr Yavari is one of six Victorian scientists awarded a prestigious Victoria Fellowship in Physical Sciences announced by the Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, the Honourable Jaala Pulford. Read more...
Professor Alan Duffy wins Academic of the Year at inaugural Australian Space Awards
November 2020: Swinburne's most recognisable space communicator, Professor Alan Duffy, has been named Academic of the Year at the inaugural Australian Space Awards. Professor Duffy is Project Lead of SpaceTech Applications at Swinburne's Data Science Research Institute, and is also a regular media commentator on astronomy and space. Read more...
Twelve academics on Highly Cited Researchers list
November 2020: Swinburne is proud to announce that 12 of our academics have been named on the Highly Cited Researchers™ list from Clarivate. They have been ranked in the top one per cent by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science™ citation index. Read more...
Professor Bronwyn Fox awarded 2020 Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research
November 2020: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), Professor Bronwyn Fox, has been awarded the prestigious 2020 Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV). The research medal recognises peak research career achievement and outstanding research leadership. Read more...
Associate Professor Amanda Scardamaglia wins 2020 Victorian Premier’s History Award
October 2020: Swinburne Law School’s Associate Professor Amanda Scardamaglia has taken out the 2020 Victorian Premier’s History Award for writing the first book that documents the visual history of print advertising in Australia. Read more…
Professor Baohua Jia elected to Optical Society (OSA)
October 2020: Founding Director of the Centre for Translational Atomaterials at Swinburne, Professor Baohua Jia, has been elected one of 118 The Optical Society (OSA) Fellow Members for 2021. The distinction acknowledges significant contributions to the advancement of optics and photonics through education, research, engineering, business leadership and service. Elected by their peers, this year’s fellows include 23 women, the largest number of women ever elected in one year. Read more…
Dr Dan Golding nominated for ARIA Music Award
October 2020: Dr Dan Golding, from Swinburne's Media and Communication department, has been nominated for an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Music Award for his soundtrack for the megahit video game, Untitled Goose Game. It is the first video game soundtrack to be nominated in ARIA Music Award history. Read more…
Interior Graduate of the Year (GOTYA) 2020
October 2020: Swinburne Design student, Jessica Love has taken out a top prize and two honourable mentions in the Design Institute of Australia’s Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA) for 2020. Read more…
Adobe Innovation Grant recipients
October 2020: Ten projects developed by Swinburne staff to support new approaches to learning and teaching have received Adobe Innovation Grants. The projects focus on innovations in digital literacies using the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. Read more…
Bwe Thay appointed to Victorian Multicultural Commission
September 2020: Swinburne’s Bwe Thay was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. As Deputy Chairperson, Mr Thay will help work to identify and address issues faced by Victoria’s multicultural and multifaith communities. Read more…
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Rankings and ratings
Our standing in prestigious world academic rankings reflects our commitment to high-quality teaching, research and graduate outcomes.
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Achievements and success stories
We don’t just talk the talk — we walk the walk. Read about some of our key partnerships, programs and recent success stories.
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Achievements and recognition
Swinburne’s reputation as a leader in research and innovation is growing year-on-year. Our world-class researchers focus on projects that cross disciplines and make real-world differences.
