UON researchers shine in a glittering field of finalists
The University of Newcastle (UON) Alumni Awards Finalists have been announced, and we are delighted to see a broad range of UON researchers represented in the outstanding field.
The first UON Alumni Award was presented 41 years ago, with the inaugural Newton-John award in 1975 presented to Allan Morris, and a strong field of innovative and change-making UON alumni has followed him over the decades.
Because of the breadth of excellence in our alumni, the awards have now spread to encompass nine award categories with a fiercely competitive field of finalists being recognised.
We’d like to acknowledge and celebrate the seven current UON researchers who join an array of dynamic alumni who are creating change in their communities and are leaders in the field.
Alumni Award for Professional Excellence: recognises an outstanding record of professional excellence in leadership, knowledge and professional practice.
Finalist Associate Professor Elham Doroodchi has an international reputation for pioneering research in multi-phase flows with a focus on developing new technologies, primarily for the energy and resources sectors.
Newton-John Award: recognises innovation or creativity in any field that has improved cultural life.
Finalist Conjoint Associate Professor Douglas Absalom is a passionate and dedicated academic at the University of Newcastle, Douglas Absalom’s innovation has contributed to the development of the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) program between 1988 and 1994.
Indigenous Alumni Award: recognises the contributions, outstanding talent and achievements of an Indigenous graduate in their chosen field.
Finalist Professor John Maynard a Worimi man, is recognised as the foremost Indigenous historian in Australia, revealing previously missing, yet important chapters in Aboriginal history.
Beryl Nashar Young Researcher Award: recognises the research achievements of early- and mid-career researchers.
Finalist Dr Jamie Flynn is the project leader of a team who have converged two ground-breaking technologies from biological sciences and optical physics, causing a fundamental shift in the way life scientists view biological systems in high-resolution.
Finalist Dr Andrew Gardner is a clinical neuropsychologist and researcher ranked in the top 2% of concussion researchers worldwide according to Expertscape. Andrew’s research focus is to establish a better understanding of post-injury neurological changes and the reasons why some at-risk athletes in the football codes go on to develop dementia later in life.
Young Alumni Award: recognises outstanding achievements and contributions by a young graduate.
Finalist Dr Vincent Candrawinata is a researcher and innovator in the field of food, health and nutrition. His postgraduate work saw him invent a revolutionary extraction technology and he is the founder of Renovatio Bioscience.
Finalist Dr Malcolm Starkey is a respiratory researcher who studies how challenges in a person’s early life can impair the development of a healthy immune system and lead to chronic diseases such as asthma, emphysema and diabetes.
The Alumni Awards gala dinner is on 21 October. To view the full field of finalists, and to book tickets to the event click here.
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.