Award Recipients

The University takes pride in the great work of its staff and celebrates their achievements to be inspired, always to reach for the top, attract the best talent around the world and to sustain excellence in everything we do.

The Academic Excellence sharepoint site lists available award opportunities and recent successes.

Distinguished University staff awardees who have earned recognition across the country and overseas are listed below.

2021 Successes

• Dr Hannah Power - 2020 Hunter Hero finalist - by Newcastle Herald and Hunter Water
• Professor Graham Goodwin has been recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia
• Dr Barry Inglis has been recognised as an Office of the Order of Australia
• Professor Margaret Alston appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
• Mr Peter Gogarty received the Medal of the Order of Australia
• The University of Newcastle Association of Pharmacy Students (UoNAPS) won Best Branch at the NAPSA Congress 2021 (The National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association.

2020 Successes

• The University of Newcastle Alumni Excellence Awards - view the 2020 awardees
• Sarah Wright - Prime Minsters Literary Award - Non-fiction.  Awarded to the Gay'wu group of women for "Song Spirals" in 2020
• University of Newcastle Excellence Award Winners - 2020
• Kelvin Kong - Newcastle's Citizen of the Year 2020
• Nicholas Talley - Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award for 2020
• Heart Foundation Active Australia Innovation Challenge - Muscle Movers physical activity program for primary school children.
• Garry Willgoose - Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
• Jennifer Martin - Fellow of the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
• John Maynard - Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
• Victoria Haskings - Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
• Mark Stewart - Fellow of the Australian Technological Sciences and Engineering
• Green Gown Awards Australasia:
  • Student Engagement: "Outfit" - School of Architecture
  • 2030 Climate Action: "Sustainability Reimagined" - Daan Schiebaan
  • Benefitting Society: "Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered" - Dr Philip Morgan
• Hunter Business Awards - Love Water Love Business:  Hunter Water Savers
• Garry Willgoose - The University of Colorado Community Surface Dynamics and Modelling System Career Award
• University of Newcastle tackles COVID-19 Equipment Shortage - Industry Engagement: Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards
• Luke Wolfenden - Research Action Award - Sax Institute
• Andrew Magee - Allianz Climate Risk Research Award - 2020 Finalist 
  This is the first time a candidate from Asia-Pacific region has been a finalist.
• Salwa Salwa - NSW Volunteer of the Year Award
• Emeritus Professor Peter Howe, Dr Rachel Wong, and Jay Jay Thaung Zaw, RESHAW (RESveratrol for Health Ageing in Women), with Veri-te^TM Resveratrol.
• Dr Matt Dunn, NSW 2020 Young Tall Poppy Award
• Associate Professor Gillian Gould, 2021 Jarvik-Russel Early Career Award, honoring members early in their careers who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of nicotine and tobacco research - August 2020.
• Dr Beth George, Peter Overman Award for Residential Architecture - Houses (Alterations and Addition), 2020 WA Architecture Awards, June 2020.
• Germinate and out(fit) Projects, School of Architecture and Built Environment, NSW Landscape Architecture Awards, June 2020
• Dr Mehdi Khaki, Postgraduate of the Year at the Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards, June 2020
• Associate Professor Gillian Gould, Cure Cancer Australia Researcher of the Year Runner Up, April 2020
• Dr Lloyd Pilgrim, Surveyor of the Year Award, March 2020
• Professor Tony Travaglione, Best Paper Award at the ANZIBA Annual Conference, Feb 2020

2020 Finalists

• Alice Grady - BUPA Emerging Health Researcher 2020
• Green Gown Awards Australasia - 2020 Finalists
  • Creating Impact: "Germinate - May contain seeds"
  • Student Engagement: "Outfit"
  • 2030 Climate Action: "Sustainability Reimagined"
  • Benefitting Society: "Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered" - Dr Philip Morgan
  • Benefitting Society: "The Awabakal and Worimi Hunter Water Story project" - Dr Kathryn Grushka

• Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards - 2020 Finalists
  • Community Engagement - FluTracking Health Surveillance System
  • Education Technology - Angry Stan Virtual Reality in Conflict Resolution
  • Industry Engagement - University of Newcastle tackles COVID-19 Equipment Shortage
  • International Education - Connect 88
• Australian Defence Industry Awards - 2020 Finalists
  • Academic of the Year: Associate Professor Karen Blackmore
  • Academic of the Year: Professor Rohan Walker
  • Scientist of the Year:  Professor Vijay Varadharajan