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News
HunterWiSE inspires the next generation in STEM
On Tuesday 21 October, more than 650 students, teachers, parents, community, industry and University colleagues gathered at the University of Newcastle's Great Hall to celebrate the next generation of women in STEM.
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HunterWiSE inspires the next generation in STEM
On Tuesday 21 October, more than 650 students, teachers, parents, community, industry and University colleagues gathered at the University of Newcastle's Great Hall to celebrate the next generation of women in STEM.
Read more
Healthy recognition: Dietitian earns prestigious Australian science honour
In a landmark recognition of her pioneering work in nutrition science, University of Newcastle Professor Tracy Burrows has been elected a 2025 Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS)—one of the nation’s highest honours in health research.
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Nine Newcastle teams secure $5.4m in ARC Discovery grants to unearth new knowledge
Nine University of Newcastle research teams will spearhead projects to advance Australia’s knowledge in key priority areas, supported by more than $5.4 million in Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project 2026 grants.
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Heart of the problem is short lifespan of disease prevention programs
Researchers will place Australia’s heart disease prevention programs under the microscope to determine why many fail to last beyond two years - and will develop solutions to help sustain them long-term.
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Community collaboration takes flight in bird opera workshop
University of Newcastle researchers have hosted an inaugural Bird Opera Workshop with more than 120 school students from across the region. Together they explored creativity, storytelling and cultural expression through music, movement and language.
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Research Impact
We work with industry, community and government partners to translate research into real-world impact that makes a positive difference to our regions and our world.
Featured stories
We have a strong track record for driving discoveries across a host of research disciplines. By leveraging the unique history of our region – and our research and academic excellence – we want our university and our regions to be the ultimate test bed for innovation.
“I thought I was a bad mother”: How telehealth changed a young boy’s life and gave a family hope
“I thought I was a bad mother,” says Marlie Matthews, tearfully. “I tried everything, but Marcus was getting more and more behind. He wasn’t speaking much and when he did, I couldn’t understand him. It was very hard on all of us.”
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Girls in STEM
Female high school students in the Hunter are being inspired to pursue meaningful careers in STEM thanks to a unique program created over a conversation at a campus cafe.
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New video shows sharks making an easy meal of spiky sea urchins
Long-spined sea urchins have emerged as an environmental issue off Australia’s far south coast.
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Awards and honours
Our University is home to some of the world’s most well-regarded researchers. Our experts have earned national and international accolades for work in engineering, health and medical research, education, Indigenous studies and more.
Kelvin Kong
Australia’s first Aboriginal surgeon - the highly acclaimed ear, nose and throat surgeon Associate Professor Kelvin Kong - was awarded the prestigious Menzies Medallion in 2020 for his leadership and advocacy for Indigenous health and research.
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Matt Dun
Dr Matt Dun was named a 2020 Young Tall Poppy for his work with rare brain cancers. He was also named Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow at the 2019 NSW Premier Awards.
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Anna Giacomini
Professor Anna Giacomini and Professor Shanyong Wang won back-to-back John Booker Medals for Engineering Excellence, in 2019 and 2018.
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Nick Talley
Laureate Professor Nick Talley has been named the most cited researcher in his field out of more than 76,300 authors. This is the latest in a string of honours bestowed on Professor Talley, who was named NSW Scientist of the Year in 2018.
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Myles Young
Dr Myles Young was named Outstanding Early Researcher of the Year in the 2019 Bupa Foundation Awards. He has also been named one of the 2021 AMP Tomorrow Makers for his work in men's health.
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Heather Lee
As the top female applicant in the country, Dr Heather Lee won a 2018 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research for her work to improve survival rates of patients with leukaemia.
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Behdad Moghtaderi
Professor Behdad Moghtaderi received the prestigious ExxonMobil Award of Excellence in Chemical Engineering.
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Clare Collins
Clare Collins received a Laureate Professor distinction in 2020 - becoming the second woman at the University of Newcastle to receive such an honour. In 2019, she was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences for outstanding contributions to her field.
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Nikola Bowden
Pioneering cancer researcher Associate Professor Nikola Bowden was a finalist in the 2019 Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards. She’s also the recipient of an unprecedented 10-year Hunter Medical Research Institute Fellowship dedicated to ovarian cancer research.
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Kevin Galvin
Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin was named a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2020 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of mineral processing. The fellowship is one of the highest honours an Australian scientist can receive.
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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.