Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 Dean’s Awards for Graduate Research

On Tuesday 10 December, the faculty hosted the inaugural Dean’s Awards event for graduate researchers at the Woodward Centre. Together with their family, friends, members of the deanery, heads of schools and departments, supervisors, administrators and committee members, the recipients were celebrated for their excellence in research.

Awardee of the Dean's Graduate Research Awards, Asha Bonney, smiling

Dean of the faculty, Professor Jane Gunn AO, reflected upon the long-term commitment and disciplined required of all researchers, and commended their insatiable curiosity, keen powers of observation and attention to detail, as well as perseverance and resilience, in the face of many hurdles.

“As a faculty we have invested in nurturing our graduate researchers, to not only provide them with development opportunities, but also enhance their experience through creating a sense of community and celebrating their achievements. It is through awards like these that we showcase and recognise excellence in graduate research,” Professor Gunn said.

In addition to their certificates, each awardee received the recently published First Knowledges: Health, authored by Professor Sandra Eades AO, Professor Shawana Andrews, Deputy and Associate Dean Indigenous in the faculty and Professor Fiona Stanley AC, one of Australia’s most eminent epidemiologists in maternal and child health.

Awardees of the Dean's Awards for Graduate Researchers holding their awards, with Professor Jane Gunn AO, Professor Mike McGuckin and Professor Justine Mintern

Professor Justine Mintern, Associate Dean Graduate Research, presented the awards, which were as follows:

Dean’s Award for Excellence in the PhD Thesis 

Awarded to the top five PhD theses completed in the previous year. Nominations for this award are based on international and widespread recognition of their research, the impact of their research, and their resulting publications and other research outputs.

  • Elizabeth Paratz, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Medicine – St Vincents Hospital (Supervisors: Andre La Gerche, Dion Stub),
  • David Chieng, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Medicine – Royal Melbourne Hospital (Supervisors: Peter Kistler, Jonathan Kalman, Liang-Han (Han) Ling, Geoffrey Lee),
  • Owen Bradfield, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health (Supervisors: Matthew Spittal, Marie Bismark),
  • Zhong Yan Gan, Department of Medical Biology W.E.H.I (Supervisors: David Komander, Grant Dewson),
  • Emily See, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Critical Care (Supervisors: Rinaldo Bellomo, Michael Bailey, David Johnson, Kevan Polkinghorne, Nigel Toussaint).

Elizabeth Paratz and David Chieng also received the University-wide Chancellor’s Prize for Excellence in the PhD Thesis earlier this year.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Research 

This award recognises outstanding achievements of enrolled graduate researchers in the previous calendar across three categories; quality of research publications or outputs; recognition of their work through awards and prizes; and their contributions to, and engagement with, faculty, the university and the broader community.

  • Asha Bonney, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Medicine – Royal Melbourne Hospital (Supervisors: Renee Manser, Daniel Steinfort),
  • Ana Copaescu, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Infectious Diseases (Supervisors: Jason Trubiano, Natasha Holmes, Moshe Ben-Shoshan, Elizabeth Phillips),
  • Victoria Hall, Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology (Supervisors: Monica Slavin, Benjamin Teh, Michelle Yong, Katherine Kedzierska),
  • Sylvia Lin, Centre for Youth Mental Health (Supervisors: Sarah Whittle, Christiane Kehoe, Elena Pozzi),
  • Lachlan McDowell, Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology (Supervisors: Danny Rischin, June Corry, Madeleine King, Karla Gough),
  • Lucy Modra, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Critical Care (Supervisors: Rinaldo Bellomo, Michael Baile, Alisa Higgins),
  • Karen Oliver, Department of Medical Biology W.E.H.I (Supervisors: Melanie Bahlo, Sam Berkovic, Ingrid Scheffer),
  • Amy Thompson, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences (Supervisors: Jason Forte, Patrick Goodbourn),
  • Aaron Wong, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Medicine – St Vincents Hospital (Supervisors: Jennifer Phillip, Justin Rubio, Sean Grimmond, Andrew Somogyi, David Thomas),
  • Vignan Yogendrakumar, Melbourne Medical School: Department of Medicine – Royal Melbourne Hospital (Supervisors: Bruce Campbell, Stephen Davis, Nawaf Yassi, Mark Parsons, Patricia Desmond).

The Associate Dean Graduate Research Commendation for Leadership in Graduate Research 

This award recognises current graduate researchers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership.

  • Jack Alexandrovics, Department of Medical Biology W.E.H.I (Supervisors: David Komander, Stephanus Vervoort). In recognition of his leadership in the creation, development and leadership of the Citizens of Science program,
  • Jesse Gardner-Russell, Ophthalmology Eye and Ear Hospital (Supervisors: Luis Alarcon-Martinez, Keith Martin, Bang Bui). In recognition of his leadership in graduate research advocacy and representation across the University and Higher Education Sector.