The research endeavours of 16 fearless Flinders University researchers have been recognised in the 2023 Vice-Chancellor’s Research Awards.
Presented annually, these awards recognise the research contributions of early- and mid-career researchers, as well as acknowledging research leadership, impact and engagement.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Early Career Researchers is awarded to individuals who are making a remarkable contribution to Flinders’ research endeavours as they embark on their research careers. Research Associate at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health Dr Bastien Lechat has been recognised for his research focused on investigating the consequences of disrupted sleep and sleep disorders on health outcomes, while Senior Research Fellow Dr Norma Bulamu was awarded for her contributions to the fields of aged care and aging, the health economics of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Dr Ben Lohmeyer, a Lecturer in Social Work, whose research focuses on the social origins of harm, Dr Stacey Henderson, who specialises in how international law can be used to protect people, and cancer and nutritional epidemiologist Dr Molla Wassie were also recognised in the Early Career Researcher Award.
Researchers 6-15 years post-PhD are recognised with the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Mid-Career Researchers. Lead of the Clinical Cancer Epidemiology Lab at Flinders, Dr Ashley Hopkins was recognised for his research centred around leveraging the power of data sciences to optimise the use of medicines, with a focus on anticancer medicines, while Associate Professor Zhongfan Jia was awarded for research into combining polymers and electricity to spur applications for a sustainable future. Restoration ecologist Associate Professor Martin Breed, research genetic counsellor Dr Emmanuelle Souzeau and clinical cognition expert Professor Melanie Takarangi were also awarded for their significant contributions to their respective fields.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Leadership recognises and values the outstanding contribution to the University of individual researchers who have demonstrated leadership in their research field and have made a major contribution in advancing knowledge and research outcomes. Professor Danny Eckert has been awarded for the global impact his research has made to the field of obstructive sleep apnoea pathophysiology, which has redefined therapies that target this common, chronic health condition. Eating disorder and mental health expert Professor Tracey Wade is recognised for her research which highlights the prevalence of eating disorders and why they develop, backed by evidence to create a range of interventions that help prevent and treat disordered eating. Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology Corey Bradshaw, who established and leads the Global Ecology Lab, is recognised for his research into designing models and applying mathematics to combine different datasets and approaches for the best solutions to the biodiversity extinction crisis.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Impact and Engagement recognise individuals and teams whose research have shown considerable impact outside of the academic community in the previous three years. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact and Engagement (Early Career Researcher) was awarded to Research Fellow Dr Brooke Spaeth for her work with the Northern Territory Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Program, delivering life-saving point-of-care pathology tests to remote Territorians with results in minutes to help guide patient triage, clinical management and diagnoses of disease.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact and Engagement (Mid-Career Researcher) went to Dr Eddie Banks, Senior Research Fellow with the National Centre for Groundwater Research & Training, for his research into investigation strategies for sustainable water management in remote areas through using a community-led approach.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact and Engagement (Research Team) has been awarded to Professor Julie Ratcliffe and team, including Dr Jyoti Khadka, Dr Claire Hutchinson, Dr Rachel Milte and Associate Professor Ruth Walker, for their work in developing important older person-centred indicators of quality of life and care experience.
Congratulations to all the award winners. We look forward to celebrating with you at the annual Staff Awards ceremony, to be held later this year.