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Newcastle Maths PhD student wins top research award

PhD student Lucy Leigh (pictured) has been awarded the 2012 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Research Candidates based on her academic success in statistics.

It was a combination of Lucy’s Grade Point Average (GPA), publication history and research work experience that set her apart as the winner, despite fierce competition which included all domestic students who commenced their research higher degrees this year.

Lucy completed a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science followed by a Bachelor of Maths. She then spent two years working full-time at the Research Centre for Gender Health and Ageing and contributed to a number of papers and reports before commencing her PhD with the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences in February this year.

Lucy said that it was her practical work experience and undergraduate degree that gave her a good foundation to commence her higher research degree, but she was still shocked to receive the award.

Her plans for the future are to concentrate on finishing her PhD and she aims to base her main analysis on data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health.

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