Celebrating Our Champions for Women in Engineering

Dr Roxy Jackson and Dr Alex Bateman

Dr Roxy Jackson and Dr Alex Bateman are nominated for their outstanding commitment to equity, excellence, and engagement through their work at the Engineers Australia Experience Engineering event. Delivering a medical engineering workshop to more than 290 female and non-binary students in Years 7–10 from 12 schools across NSW, they addressed barriers faced by women and gender-diverse students in STEM. With more than 97 percent of participants reporting improved confidence and understanding of STEM, their workshop empowered participants to visualise themselves in engineering careers and enhanced the University’s reputation for inclusive and impactful STEM outreach.

Carlie McQuillan

Institute for Regional Futures

Carlie McQuillan demonstrates excellence in mentoring through her leadership as Head of Operations at the Institute for Regional Futures. She provides formal and informal guidance grounded in trust and inclusivity, empowering mentees to build confidence, navigate complex projects, and develop leadership capability. In 2025, Carlie delivered over 30 mentoring sessions, supporting career progression and professional development. Her influence extends to major initiatives, including Staff Excellence Awards and strategic engagement projects. Carlie fosters high-trust, solution-focused team cultures and inspires excellence with a genuine desire to see others succeed.

Associate Professor Tamara Blakemore

School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences

Associate Professor Tamara Blakemore leads the Name.Narrate.Navigate (NNN) program, integrating Aboriginal and Western knowledge systems in youth violence intervention. Her collaborative leadership has built a consortium of more than 150 stakeholders, secured $5.5 million in funding, and achieved international expansion across multiple countries. NNN has directly impacted more than 2,000 practitioners and 250 young people, with research cited across 71 countries.

Alicia Douglas

School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy

Alicia is a driving force behind Australia’s leading paediatric brain cancer research programs. For seven years, she has championed consumer engagement, streamlined complex research pipelines, and built professional trust that has helped secure more than $40 million in funding. Alicia’s leadership drove the first FDA-approved therapy for diffuse midline glioma and the launch of PNOC022, an international adaptive clinical trial enrolling more than 200 children. She has transformed University research into a model of transparency, compliance, and collaboration, making a profound difference for families facing the deadliest childhood cancer.

The Quality and Standards Team

Dr Louisa Connors, Dr Truman Smith, Melanie Barlow, Kim Besser, Jacqui McLachlan, Natalie Menzies, and Julia Shaw

Higher education in Australia is overseen by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). In 2024–25, the Quality and Standards Team led the institution’s high-stakes re-registration process with TEQSA. The team was formed through internal collaboration to address identified gaps and challenges. They scaled up rapidly, drawing expertise from Colleges and Divisions to build a cross-unit collaboration that coordinated over 600 pieces of evidence and embedded sustainable frameworks for ongoing compliance. This high-stakes project was fundamental to the University’s licence to operate and culminated in the strongest possible outcome: re-registration without conditions, for the maximum allowable period.

Cordelia Prangley

Student Central

Since joining the Student Systems and Business Enablement Team within Student Central in July 2022, Cordelia Prangley has made a significant impact on the way we operate. She created the Student Feedback Community of more than 200 students to enable student-informed development. This has become a trusted resource for targeted data collection by many departments across the University. Cordelia led the multi-award-winning Digital Day in a Student’s Life project, which secured HEPPP funding to research the digital experiences of over 350 equity students, and established Student Central’s design and research function. Her leadership spans major initiatives including Program Planner, TUX projects, and sector engagement through HEUG conferences.

Defence Pathway Project Team

Nicole Garske, Laura Hudson, Peta Purcell, and Amy Hayden

It is well-documented that Australian Defence Force veterans experience poorer social and emotional outcomes after transitioning to civilian life. For veterans choosing to transition into university, the challenges can be even greater. The Defence Pathway Project addresses these challenges. By developing Defence-specific supports and positioning The University of Newcastle as a safe and supportive institution for Defence students, the Defence Pathway Project has transformed the student experience for new and current students with a military background. The program launched the University’s first Defence Student Association, strengthened industry partnerships, and created tailored supports fostering belonging. Enrolments increased from 26 in 2024 to 44 in 2025, with 59 applications received already for 2026. This level of uptake demonstrates lasting institutional change and helps position the University of Newcastle as a safe and supportive institution for Defence students.

The Women’s Research Engineers Network (WREN)

Dr Marcella Papini, Dr Yue Cao, and Dr Shiva Pedram

The Women’s Research Engineers Network (WREN) empowers women, who are early-career academics in engineering, through career development, international collaboration, and role modelling. Run by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) staff and Higher Degree by Research (HDR) volunteers, WREN has grown into a global initiative with four regional subcommittees, 3,499 members, and more than 20 impactful events. Open to all, WREN fosters inclusion, supports diverse genders and identities, and advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals, driving cultural change across the University of Newcastle and beyond.

Auslan Curriculum Innovation

Mali Webb, Patrick Nichols, Tom Doe, Sarah Dearlove, and Kim Coleiro

This cross-faculty team transformed the University of Newcastle’s Auslan courses into a model of accessible, inclusive education. The redesigned courses set a new benchmark for inclusive curriculum design of enhanced cultural understanding and professional confidence, which students have described as “life-changing”. Recognising barriers faced by Auslan learners and Deaf academics, the team reimagined the Auslan curriculum to deliver innovation in inclusive teaching and learning practice, creating lasting impact for students, staff, and the wider community.

AI versus Humans Project

Professor Florian Breuer, Dr Dara Sampson, Dr Jamin Day, Dr Louise Thornton, Dr Jane Rich, and Danielle Simmonette

As a part of the AI vs Humans project, this multidisciplinary team from across the University developed an innovative AI chatbot to support online mental health care. By comparing AI-generated responses with those from clinicians, the project demonstrated AI’s potential to deliver empathetic, high-quality support. The project, presented nationally and internationally, integrates evidence-based design, linguistic analysis, and user feedback to ensure emotional resonance and scalability. It highlights how AI has the potential to reduce clinician burden, improve access, and offers a model for broader application across health domains.

Bert Verhoeven

Newcastle Business School

Bert Verhoeven is recognised for leading the development of a Human-Centric AI-First teaching framework, and his contribution to launching a future-facing Innovation & Entrepreneurship major. This major aligns with the University’s “Life-Ready Graduates” priorities of preparing students to be work-ready, collaborative, and adaptable contributors in an AI-intensive economy. Bert established and shared a human-centric AI-first pedagogy that safeguards integrity while accelerating learning. He also engaged schools, industry, and global peers to embed practices preparing learners for meaningful work in an AI-driven economy. His AI-first approach, in collaboration with colleagues, has re-shaped curriculum, pedagogy, and partnerships throughout 2024–2025 to cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets and digital fluency in our graduates.

Shellie Smith

School of Architecture and Built Environment

By reimagining the design critique through Indigenous pedagogies, Shellie Smith has enhanced student learning, supported diverse abilities, and transformed the culture of teaching within the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE). Recognised nationally through the Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia (AASA) Teaching and Research Grant, Shellie’s work has national significance, offering a replicable model for embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and decolonising assessment design in architectural education. Shellie has made an outstanding contribution to teaching innovation in higher education.

Haoning (Alice) Xi

Newcastle Business School

Since completing her PhD in 2022, Dr Xi has established herself as an exceptional Early Career Researcher, advancing transportation through AI and optimisation methods. She has published 22 SCI/SSCI articles, including 9 Australian Business Deans Council A* ranked journals, and 20 Journal Citation Reports Q1 journals. Her research informs Transport for NSW, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and the Port of Newcastle. Recognised nationally and internationally, Dr Xi has earned the ANZAM Doctoral Thesis Prize, Rising Stars Women in Engineering, and multiple Best Paper Awards. Her research has also received media recognition including Conversation, ABC Radio, Sky News Australia.

Accepted on behalf of Haoning (Alice) Xi by Ruilin Lyu

Distinguished Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin

School of Engineering

This year, Distinguished Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin secured a $1.5 million Australian Economic Accelerator grant to advance the Reflux Classifier - a transformative mineral processing technology developed at the University of Newcastle. With over 100 units deployed globally, the technology can separate fine particles based on density, delivering billions in industry savings and improved sustainability. The next-generation prototype will enhance efficiency and scalability. Kevin’s leadership and collaboration with FLSmidth have successfully translated cutting-edge research into real-world impact across the critical minerals sector.

Professor Thayaparan Gajendran

School of Architecture and Built Environment

Professor Thayaparan Gajendran exemplifies supervision excellence as a mentor, guiding 25 PhD completions and shaping careers across academia, government, and industry. His long-term mentorship extends beyond graduation, supporting alumni in publishing, securing grants, and building international collaborations. Known for empathy and rigour, he empowers independence while ensuring strong publication, grant, and collaboration outcomes. Collectively, his students have produced more than 50 journal articles, 30 conference papers, book chapters, and media pieces including The Conversation and radio interviews. Several have won best paper awards, and one alumnus has secured over $1.2 million in research funding since graduating. Professor Gajendran’s approach fosters inclusive, globally connected researchers whose impact reflects his transformative role in shaping the next generation of leaders.

No Money No Time

Ilyse Jones, Laureate Professor Clare Collins, Dr Rebecca Collins, Dr Roberta Asher, Georgia Rea, Professor Tracy Burrows, Associate Professor Marc Adam, and Associate Professor Melinda Hutchesson

The No Money No Time team has transformed nutrition research into practical, inclusive tools that help Australians to eat well, regardless of budget or time constraints. Through strategic partnerships, co-designed resources, and their acclaimed podcast, the team reached more than one million users. Their work has helped strengthen community health literacy and enhanced the University’s reputation as a national leader in health equity, policy influence, digital engagement, and nutrition excellence.

Field Epidemiology in Action

Conjoint Professor David Durrheim, Dr James Flint, Associate Professor Tambri Housen, Dr Megge Miller, Dr Cathy Day, Melinda Phillips, Dr Trinidad Velasco Ortuzar, Dr Laura Macfarlane-Berry, Rachel Hammersley-Mather, and Patrick Tappouras

Since its launch, Field Epidemiology in Action has elevated the University’s international profile through partnerships with health departments across the Pacific. The program’s co-developed curricula and inclusive eLearning courses equip frontline epidemiologists, rapid-response teams, and One Health professionals in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The team’s expertise is increasingly sought by national, regional, and global partners working to strengthen the health security workforce.

Building a Culture of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Engagement: Knowledge Exchange and Entrepreneurship Team

Siobhan Curran, Emily Keating, Tayla Furey, Dr Joss Kesby, Richard Berry, Nick Stevens, Joel Parraga, Philip Crealy, Renee Butcher, Dr Lily Dixon, Dr Belinda Gray, Bret Barton, Howard Zheng, Jax Garrett, Kellyn Patterson and Warwick Dawson

The Knowledge Exchange and Entrepreneurship (KEE) Team has transformed the University’s approach to industry collaboration by creating a cohesive, university-wide ecosystem for innovation and knowledge exchange. Engaging more than 650 industry partners through Open Days and supporting more than 35 successful startups, the team developed robust pathways for industry-academic collaboration. This includes the Commercialisation Strategy and Spinout Framework and professional development programs and innovative courses that enhance staff capabilities and student opportunities.

Lilly Dougherty

School of Environmental and Life Sciences

Lilly Dougherty has delivered practical, innovative solutions to pressing safety risks in chemical storage and laboratory documentation. Lilly independently reorganised chemical storage to ensure proper segregation, implemented a clear labelling system, updated Chemwatch records, and refreshed health and safety documentation on SharePoint. Her work has significantly reduced risk, improved compliance, and embedded sustainable systems that strengthen the University’s operations and safety culture.