Curtin Celebrates Stars in Research and Engagement, Recognizing Outstanding Contributions

Curtin University has announced the winners of the 2023 Research and Engagement Awards.

The awards, held on November 28, acknowledge research excellence and outstanding media engagement across different career stages and disciplines.

Curtin’s Researcher of the Year was awarded to John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker in recognition of her outstanding leadership and research in her role as Director of the Centre for Transformative Work Design, based at Curtin’s Future of Work Institute. Professor Parker is a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and her research in job and work design, as well as proactivity, mental health and job performance has had lasting impact on people and organisations.

The 2023 Early Career Researcher of the Year went to joint Senior Midwifery Research Fellow at Curtin and North Metropolitan Health Service, Dr Zoe Bradfield. With 67 publications and more than two decades of clinical experience in rural and metropolitan settings, Zoe’s passion and research has improved health outcomes for countless women and babies.

This year the awards were re-imagined to align with Curtin’s strategic pillars of People, Planet and Partnership.

Winners included:

People (celebrating outstanding research in any discipline with a focus on making a difference for people)

John Curtin Distinguished Professor Chris Reid from the School of Population Health

People- Early Career

Dr Samantha Colledge-Frisby from the National Drug Research Institute

Planet (celebrating outstanding research in any discipline that makes a difference to our planet)

Associate Professor Wensu Chen from the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering

Planet- Early Career

Dr Caitlin Maling from the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry

Partnership (celebrating outstanding research in any discipline that makes a difference through partnership)

Dr Julia Easton from the School of Molecular and Life Sciences

Partnership- Early Career

Dr Yongze Song from the School of Design and the Built Environment

Three Rs Animal Ethics

Dr Daniel BrownDr Enoch Perimal and Mr Matthew Kenrick from the Curtin Medical School

The winners of the 2023 Curtin Media Engagement Awards were also announced, in recognition of the researchers who have played the greatest role in raising the profile of the University in the media.

The winners include:

Most Outstanding Research News Story

Dr Hugo OlierookDr Luc Doucet and Dr Denis Fougerouse – Argyle study reveals crucial third clue to finding new diamond deposits

Most Prolific Media Commentator for the Faculty of Health Sciences

Professor Stuart Kinner

Most Prolific Media Commentator for the Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker

Most Prolific Media Commentator for the Faculty of Business and Law

Associate Professor Hannah McGlade

Most Prolific Media Commentator for the Faculty of Humanities

Professor Joe Siracusa

Highest Contribution to The Conversation

Professor Steven Tingay

Highest readership of an article on The Conversation

Dr Eleanor Sansom

Highest Contribution to the Australian Science Media Centre

John Curtin Distinguished Professor Peter Newman

Collaboration Champion

Associate Professor Htwe Htwe Thein

Associate Professor Liam Wagner

Best New Talent

Adele Pentland