2021 winners and finalists
Research medals
The awards acknowledge research excellence across the following eight categories.
Chancellor's Medal for Research Excellence
Award winner
Distinguished Professor Dayong Jin, Faculty of Science.
Our research is more focusing on translational research, getting the advances from material science and the photonics to interruptive biotechnology and analytical technology.
The success was through our story about the COVID rapid test we've been developing for the last couple of months is one of the examples of how actually our research team can lead and overcome the challenge faced by everybody in the world now.
Finalist
Professor Heidi Norman, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
My research is focused on Aboriginal history and politics.
The work I do that I focused on for the last 10 years or so is looking at land justice.
One of the reasons I focus on land justice is because that goes to the nuts and bolts of what colonisation has done, and also what decolonisation might look like.
The focus of my work has been to document and map the possibilities of economic benefit.
UTS Medal for Research and Teaching Integration
Award winners
Professor Bem Le Hunte, Dr Susanne Pratt, Dr Alex Baumber, Dr Giedre Kligyte, Dr Jacqueline Melvold, Lucy Allen and Tyler Key from the Transdisciplinary School.
This team's work is important because of the unique context of the BCII cutting-edge research into transdisciplinary practices and research integration.
We also research with an entire innovation ecosystem that we've helped to build. We include academics, students, industry partners, and professional staff as equal players in a research teaching nexus that is like no other.
Finalist
Professor Yaowen Shan, UTS Business School
My research examines accounting and the non-account information provided by public companies.
To understand how such information is incorporated into share prices, and used to assist company decisions, and facilitate effective governance by different stakeholders.
In doing so, we present large scale and rigorous evidence on the costs and the benefit of public policies so that we can improve economic efficiency and the wellbeing of our society.
UTS Medal for Research Impact
Award winners
Distinguished Professor Fang Chen, Associate Professor Yang Wang, Dr Bin Liang, Dr Zhidong Li and Dr Jie Xu (Faculty of Engineering and IT) are internationally-recognised leaders in artificial intelligence and data science, who design and implement data-driven solutions to problems for industry and governments.
The problems we are facing in this society is ageing infrastructure. So we use a smart machine learning technology, utilising all the data we collected, particular from utilities. This type of technology has a very wide use in all kinds of industry which involves asset management. Utilising data and the smart technology will facilitate better service provided to our citizens.
Finalists
Industry Professor Lindon Coombes, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research
My role here at the Jumbunna Institute is as Industry Professor for Indigenous Policy, and that covers quite a broad range of things.
The basis and philosophy of all of our work here at Jumbunna is the empowerment of Indigenous people. We rely on our relationships with Indigenous people and communities and seek to work with them and for them, for the things that they want to strengthen their communities and aspire to whatever they want to be.
Professor Qilin Wang, Faculty of Engineering and IT
My research is related to wastewater treatment and waste management.
Wastewater treatment plants produce large amounts of waste, which incur a large cost. I have developed technology to reduce the waste production from the wastewater treatment plant by around 20-40%.
Importantly, this technology only relies on a byproduct of wastewater treatment. Therefore, this is green technology. This technology would bring economic, environmental, and also social benefits for society.
Dr Phillippa Carnemolla, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
The problem I am trying to address is one of social sustainability.
If we expect people to be able to participate in the community whilst receiving support related to daily quality of life or connecting to our communities around us, we need to think about design of housing and the neighbourhoods around us.
One of the greatest impacts of my research is that I'm bringing together an intersection of the implications of housing policy, health policy and planning policy together, that impacts the way communities connect and the social sustainability of our cities.
Supervisor of the Year Award
Joint award winners
Associate Professor Ilaria Vanni Accarigi (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
Professor Justin Seymour (Faculty of Science)
Research Leadership and Development Award
Research Excellence through Collaboration or Partnership Award
Award winners
Professor Eryk Dutkiewicz, Dr Diep Nguyen, Emeritus Professor Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran, Professor Long Nghiem, Dr Tien-Vinh Nguyen, Dr Hoang Dinh, Dr Thuy Pham (Faculty of Engineering and IT)
Early Career Research Excellence Award
Research Management and Development Award (Professional Staff)