The cutting-edge research of two UTS academics – Dr Jiayan Liao and Distinguished Professor Karu Esselle – has been recognised at the NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science and Engineering.
Dr Jiayan Liao (centre left) and Professor Karu Esselle (centre right) with Professor Kate McGrath (UTS DVC Research) and Professor Michael Blumenstein (UTS PVC).
Materials and biomedical scientist Dr Jiayan Liao was awarded the NSW Premier’s Prize for Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences) for her exploration of fundamental photophysical phenomena and the development of next-generation bioanalytical tools.
“By developing advanced nanophotonic and imaging technologies, we aim to understand the photophysical processes occurring in the nanoscale world and uncover the underlying mechanisms. Through the development and application of these nanoprobes, we strive to address some of the significant health challenges, particularly by enhancing the accuracy and accessibility of disease diagnostics with cutting-edge nanotechnology,” Dr Liao explains.
“The precision required for diagnostic tests and the complexity of working at the nanoscale demand constant innovation and extensive experimentation. However, these challenges drive us to push the boundaries of what is possible in science.”
Dr Liao is a UTS Chancellors Research Fellow in the Faculty of Science, who specialises in nanotechnology and point-of-care testing with a particular focus on the detection of single molecule biomarkers for disease. She is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Level 1 Fellow who was presented with the Bernie Banton Investigator Grant Award earlier this year.
Telecommunications engineer Distinguished Professor Karu Esselle took out the NSW Premier’s Prize for Leadership in Innovation for his work at the forefront of developing innovative antenna technologies for a wide range of applications.
“Over many years, I have been helping Australian engineers and companies to be global leaders in developing antenna technologies that are designed, developed and hopefully manufactured in Australia,” Professor Esselle says.
“We have the know-how and capability here to build innovative, world-leading telecommunications products which is why I’m committed to mentoring the next generation of engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs.”
Professor Esselle is world leader in innovation in telecommunications, defence and space technologies. He has won a slew of national and international awards including the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia, Engineers Australia Professional Engineer of the Year and Australian Defence Industry Academic of the Year.
The NSW Premier's Prizes for Science and Engineering seek to recognise excellence in science and engineering, and reward leading researchers for cutting-edge work that has generated economic, environmental, health, social or technological benefits for New South Wales.
Read more about the NSW Premier's Prize 2024 winners