Achievements and awards

Swinburne astronomers Dr Rebecca Davies and Dr Matthew Miles have been recognised by the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA), securing two of the six awards. Dr Rebecca Davies has been awarded the Louise Webster Prize for outstanding research by an early-career scientist, while Dr Matthew Miles has been awarded the Charlene Heisler Prize for Outstanding PhD Thesis. 

 Louise Webster Prize winner Dr Rebecca Davies

Astronomers have long suspected that powerful winds (driven by exploding stars and feeding black holes) play a crucial role in shaping galaxies by ejecting gas that would otherwise form stars. However, until recently, astronomers could only study a small fraction of the gas in galactic winds, making it very difficult to measure their impact on galaxies. In a study conducted as part of her ARC DECRA Fellowship, Dr Rebecca Davies used cutting-edge data from the James Webb Space Telescope to observe the cold phase of gas outflowing from galaxies in the early Universe. The results were striking. Dr Davies found that in most large galaxies, feeding black holes drive powerful outflows that can quickly remove all the gas from their host galaxies, stopping them from forming stars. Motivated by these findings, Dr Davies was awarded observing time for follow-up studies on several of the world’s largest telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope, the WM Keck Observatory, and ESO’s Very Large Telescope.  

“I am very honoured to receive the Louise Webster Prize. It is a significant recognition of the importance of my research and will greatly support my efforts to establish a world-leading research group here at Swinburne”, says Dr Rebecca Davies.

The Louise Webster Prize recognises the scientific impact of a single research paper by a researcher within 5 years of their PhD. It includes the Louise Webster Medal, a cash award, and ASA membership for the following year. 

Charlene Heisler Prize winner Dr Matthew Miles

Dr Matthew Miles completed his PhD in Astrophysics at Swinburne University of Technology. He has since held postdoctoral research positions with OzGrav, Swinburne University, and is currently at Vanderbilt University in the United States, with a research focus on pulsar timing array science.

Dr Miles’ groundbreaking research focuses on the use of pulsar timing arrays as galactic-scale detectors of gravitational waves. His PhD thesis, “Millisecond Pulsar Timing and Gravitational Wave Searches with the MeerKAT Radio Telescope,” advanced the field by demonstrating how these arrays can enhance gravitational wave detection. As part of this work, he identified a rare mode-changing behavior in a millisecond pulsar observed with the MeerKAT telescope and developed a correction method that significantly improved timing precision. He also led the first data releases from the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array, as well as the first gravitational wave searches with the experiment, paving the way for future discoveries with next-generation observatories such as MeerKAT and the Square Kilometre Array.

"It's a real honour to even have been nominated for this prize, and I'm overwhelmed to win it. The project, while demanding, was one of the most rewarding journeys I've ever taken. I'm beyond thrilled with how it went, and with how it's continued today," says Dr Miles. 

The Charlene Heisler Prize recognises the most outstanding PhD thesis in astronomy or a closely related field, accepted by an Australian university. It includes the Charlene Heisler Medal, a cash award, and ASA membership for the following year.

Three Swinburne School of Health Science teaching staff have been recognised by Universities Australia in the 2024 Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT).

Jessica Mackelprang, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Chair of the Professional Program, and James Williams, Lecturer and Course Director of Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced), were recognised for excellence in the design, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative assessment to cultivate digital literacy and visual communication skills among undergraduate health psychology students.

Faith Kwa, Senior Lecturer and Course Director of Health Science, was acknowledged for empowering health science students to thrive in work-integrated learning through crafting a professional identity and scaffolded industry engagement.

Junhua Xiao, Associate Professor, was recognised for transforming health science student learning with an innovative human anatomy curriculum and multimodal digital learning.

The Australian Awards for University Teaching honours individuals and teams in universities who inspire, innovate and lead in the classroom and beyond. Recipients demonstrate excellence in teaching and are making significant contributions to enhancing student learning.

The Eastern Health Lived Experience Workforce team awarded Excellence in Collaboration in Education

Swinburne expanded their partnership with Eastern Health in April 2024 to support the development and delivery of their Lived Experience Workforce Placement Program. Swinburne’s Vocational Education and Teaching (VET) Health Science and Community team contributed deep expertise in student placements and specialist support for Certificate IV Mental Health Peer Work students.

This close collaboration has helped the Eastern Health Lived Experience Workforce team win the Excellence in Collaboration in Education award, as part of the Centre for Mental Health Learning’s inaugural Excellence in Mental Health Awards. Eastern Health has been awarded for their inspiring collaboration with Swinburne on their Student Placement Program.

“The Eastern Health Lived Experience Peer Work Placement Program is the first of its kind in a Victorian tertiary area mental health service. The design, delivery and implementation of our program was led by Lived Experience, with support from Eastern’s Learning & Teaching Directorate and our partners at Swinburne, who have deep expertise in clinical placement programs,” said Manager Zoe Lethbridge. “Through a co-designed approach, we were able to create relevant, safe and inclusive learning opportunities that address historical challenges for students with lived experience, while empowering capability development within our Lived Experience Workforce.” 

This award for Excellence in Collaboration in Education reflects the success of a true partnership between Eastern Health and Swinburne’s VET Health Science and Community team of Kylie Morris, Teagan Burke, Jose Hernandez, Maranda Lemmings, Effie Frasca and Leah Gribbin. It recognises the positive outcomes being achieved for students and the mental health sector through innovation, collaboration and a shared commitment to inclusion.

Kate Javier wins Global Accounting Competition run by Quitch

Swinburne School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship student, Kate Javier has won Quitch’s Global Accounting Competition.

As a Bachelor of Business student with Swinburne Online, Kate’s incredible skill and knowledge shone through as she came first out of the 1,900 students in the Global Accounting Competition, winning a grand prize of $1,500 USD.

“Winning the Global Accounting Competition was a proud moment and a great reminder that hard work truly pays off,” said Kate. “My advice to fellow students would be to trust the process, step outside your comfort zone and embrace every challenge. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes — that’s where the best lessons come from.”

Founded in 2015, Quitch is an organisation on a mission to revolutionise learning by turning learning content into gaming to keep students engaged. Sponsored by AICPA-CIMA and CPA Australia, Quitch ran the Global Accounting Competition, allowing students to test their accounting knowledge from 20 March to 17 April 2025.

The School of Business, Law and Entreprenurship celebrating the school's reaccreditation by the AACSB

The Swinburne School of Business, Law, and Entrepreneurship has been reaccredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International for another six years. Associate Dean of Education, Associate Professor Julian Vieceli, and Manager of Accreditation and Engagement, Shana Chong, attended AACSB’s International Conference and Annual Meeting in Vienna, Austria, to recognise this milestone.

This reaccreditation follows a comprehensive review of the School’s educational practices conducted by a panel of AACSB reviewers last year, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

"This prestigious recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to overall quality and improvement in business education,” says Interim Dean Professor Nicki Wragg.

Established in 1916, AACSB is the international membership and accreditation body for business schools. With a mission to elevate the quality and impact of business schools globally, only six percent of business schools worldwide have earned AACSB accreditation.

The accreditation assures students that they are receiving a high-quality education that meets rigorous standards. Graduates from AACSB-accredited schools are highly sought after by top employers globally, as the accreditation is a mark of excellence and reliability.

Professor Wragg also highlighted the collective effort of academic and professional staff behind this success. "This reaccreditation is an outstanding recognition of the excellent work done by the School over the past several years in providing outstanding business education that achieves impact, promotes research excellence, and nurtures future career-ready graduates."

Oscar Goode with his teacher and fellow competitor at the World Plumbing Day Apprentice Skills Contest

Swinburne student Oscar Goode placed first in the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) 2025 World Plumbing Day Apprentice Skills Contest this month. Studying a Certificate III in Plumbing, Oscar represented Swinburne in the annual contest. Oscar will now go through an interview process for the opportunity to represent PICAC and Australia as one of the 32 participants in the annual United Association's International Apprentice Skills contest at the Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Celebrated on March 11, World Plumbing Day is an internationally recognised event to spread awareness and recognition of the essential role plumbers play in protecting public health and advancing water solutions. More than pipes and fittings, plumbing is the pillar of safe communities and empowering economic prosperity.

“It was a great day,” Oscar reflected. “I really enjoyed getting to talk to other people from different areas in the industry. The task we had to do really came down to being very precise with your measurements and having a good understanding of how it’s all going to look before even picking up a tool. Swinburne’s helped me learn to read plans and do neat work, and that’s what helped me win the competition at the end of the day.”

Professor Tsong Yueh Chen named an IEEE Fellow for inventing metamorphic testing and adaptive random testing.

Swinburne’s Professor Tsong Yueh Chen has been named as a IEEE Fellow for contributions to software testing through the invention of metamorphic testing and adaptive random testing.

Metamorphic testing identifies program bugs by analysing the relationships between inputs and outputs of multiple executions of a program under test. Two decades after its introduction, metamorphic testing is now widely used in online search engines, autonomous machines, compilers, Web APIs and deep learning.

Professor Chen, a Professor of Software Engineering in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, was also the recipient of the 2024 ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award.

IEEE is the world’s largest technology professional organisation dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. The IEEE Fellow is awarded to a select group of IEEE members whose exceptional achievements are celebrated and recognised by the community. 

Swinburne’s Dr Evie Kendal has been appointed as a non-resident Scowcroft National Security Fellow of the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense, United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).

US Air Force Academy's Acting Director of the Eisenhower Center, Madison Walker J.D. (Air and Space Law), says the Fellowship is critical to advancing dialogue on space security.  

"The Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense's Scowcroft Fellowship is a program designed to gather all of the leading experts in space and national security policy together, to further the conversation of what is next for the space domain and the implications that has on our global security."

Dr Kendal is a bioethicist and public health scientist with expertise in the ethics of emerging technologies, including space ethics. She is a part of the planetary defence global consortium and has collaborated with the US Space Force and Harvard & Smithsonian. 

Dr Kendal has written papers on asteroid mining's practical, ethical and environmental issues and has contributed to collections in space ethics, law and aerospace medicine. Her interests include lunar miners' health, artificial gestation in space, genetic modification for astronauts and diversity in the space workforce. She also contributed to the Military Space Ethics text used at USAFA, and her work is featured in courses at the Australian Defence Force Academy.