Exceptional professional and academic achievement and service recognised in annual Australia Day awards.
Academic leaders and researchers focused on areas such as social inclusion, artificial intelligence, and legal ethics lead the roll call of UTS academics, alumni and community members recognised in the 2023 Australia Day honours list.
UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Parfitt, congratulated all members of the UTS community who received awards.
“These honours acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding leadership and major contributions to fundamental research achieved by UTS and are testament to the great work that has been done, and continues to be done, on campus and amongst our community,” said Professor Parfitt.
Distinguished Professor Jie Lu AO
Distinguished Professor Jie Lu, picture by Andy Roberts
Distinguished Professor Jie Lu has been made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2023 Australia Day Honours for 'distinguished service to engineering and computer science, particularly through the research and development of artificial intelligence'.
Distinguished Professor Lu, Australian Laureate Fellow, Director of the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII) at UTS, is internationally recognised in the disciplines of artificial intelligence and computational intelligence. She has made significant advancements in the development and our understanding of transfer learning, fuzzy transfer learning, concept drift, data-driven decision support systems, and recommender systems.
Professor Parfitt said she is a rarity in Australian academia because of her major contributions to fundamental research and its application to industry and society.
“Distinguished Professor Lu is one of the few academics who has successfully transferred theory into practice, and in doing so has had a ground-breaking impact on industry.
“Her work has led to significant developments across artificial intelligence, computer science, and in healthcare, telecoms, logistics and transportation, among other fields. This work has increased in importance over time because of the big data challenges facing business and industry,” said Professor Parfitt.
Emeritus Professor Jill McKeough AO
Emeritus Professor Jill McKeough has been recognised for 'distinguished service to intellectual property law, to tertiary education, to law reform, and to professional organisations'.
She was involved at a high level in significant reviews of intellectual property (IP) law through the rise of internet and digital technologies, as well as the advent of applied research into gene technologies.
Without legal protection of ideas, innovations and artistic works, businesses and individuals would not reap the full benefit of their efforts, and our economic and cultural vitality would suffer. Her work has ensured IP is considered as the law changes to reflect the evolution of our world.
“Emeritus Professor McKeough’s period as Dean of the UTS Faculty of Law brought about a major transformation of the faculty to the point where it is now regarded as one of Australia’s leading law schools,” said Professor Parfitt.
“She reshaped the faculty’s teaching and curriculum to address not only legal knowledge but also graduate attributes of integrity, cultural respect, accountability, and public service.”
The Hon. Verity Firth AM
Photo by Andy Roberts.
The Hon. Verity Firth, UTS Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice and Inclusion), has been commended for her 'significant service to the Parliament of New South Wales, and to social inclusion'.
For nearly 20 years, The Hon. Professor Firth has been an outspoken advocate for social inclusion, diversity and equity, especially in education.
The Hon. Professor Firth brought her experience at from the very highest levels of government and the not-for-profit sector to her role at UTS, along with her dedication to working collaboratively to change public conversations about important social issues, and her determination to engage the community in policy development.
Professor Andrew Parfitt said her energy, warmth and strength of character drive her commitment to speaking out on important issues.
“The Hon. Professor Firth has worked tirelessly, at UTS and elsewhere, to achieve political and social change she believes will improve life for everyone in Australia.
“Under her leadership, the capacity of UTS to deliver public benefit by catalysing and rewarding activities with social impact has grown considerably,” said Professor Parfitt.
Professor Jennifer Burn AM
Professor Jennifer Burn has been recognised for 'significant service to the law in the field of anti-slavery and migration'.
Professor Burn has dedicated her legal and academic career to highlighting the prevalence of modern slavery and trying to eliminate it through law reform. She has been influential in the development of Australia’s response to human trafficking and slavery, especially of migrants and children, helping to shape federal and NSW legislative responses.
As founding director of Anti-Slavery Australia in the UTS Faculty of Law, Professor Burn leads a team of researchers, educators and lawyers dedicated to eliminating all forms of human trafficking and slavery through research, direct service and advocacy.
“In both her actions and deeds, Professor Burn has made it clear why modern slavery laws are needed, to protect real people in Australia and around the world,” said Professor Parfitt.
Other UTS community members recognised in this year’s honours include:
Dr Robert Morgan AO has been recognised for 'distinguished service to the Indigenous community, to tertiary education leadership, and in health advisory roles'. Dr Morgan is a current member of the UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, and a Founding Director of the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at UTS.
Dr Lisa O'Brien AM has been recognised for 'significant service to the community, particularly through social welfare organisations'. She is currently a member of the UTS Council.
Professor Maralyn Foureur AM has been recognised for 'significant service to nursing in the field of midwifery'. She is currently a Visiting Professor of Midwifery in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, & Midwifery, Child and Family Health Collaborative, UTS Faculty of Health. Professor Foureur formerly led the Birth Unit Design Research Team. She is the joint chair and Professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Newcastle.