Winners for 2020
Research Leadership Awards
The awards for excellence for research leadership went to Professor Sue Berners-Price, Institute for Glycomics and Dean Griffith Graduate Research School, and Professor Susan Dennison, Griffith Criminology Institute.
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Professor Sue Berners-Price
Professor Berners-Price is an international research leader in the field of medicinal inorganic chemistry. As a Principal Research Leader in the Institute for Glycomics she has spearheaded the development of a new area of endeavour - metalloglycomics – the interaction of defined coordination compounds with oligosaccharides. A major advance has been the new perspective she has provided to gold-based therapeutics, showing that they can be rationally designed as versatile drugs for a range of human diseases caused by dysfunction of selenol and thiol containing proteins. Her application of NMR-based methods to study the biomolecular interactions of platinum anticancer agents has provided unique mechanistic insight that has influenced the design of the next generation of clinical agents.
The quality and impact of her published work (126 refereed journal articles and book chapters) is exceptional, demonstrated by her h-index of 52. Professor Berners-Price has played a major leadership role in nurturing the development of bioinorganic chemistry and medicinal inorganic chemistry internationally. She is the current President of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry and the recipient of the 2018 Asian Biological Inorganic Chemistry (AsBIC) Outstanding Achievement Award. She is also an internationally recognized leader in graduate research education and was the immediate past Convenor of the Australian Council of Graduate Research.
Professor Susan Dennison
Professor Dennison is a former ARC Future Fellow and an established national and international leader in the field of parental incarceration research. Through successive ARC grants she has investigated how childhood adversity, particularly maltreatment and parental incarceration, affects young people’s outcomes. She is working to transform policies and systems to reduce the intergenerational transmission of offending and disadvantage. Her research findings are driving substantial changes in correctional design, policy and practice with respect to prisoner-family relationships, contact and community re-entry.
As testament to her contributions to the field, Professor Dennison became the first invited Fellow of the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement and in 2015 she was invited to join an international consortium on parental incarceration, with some of the world’s most highly cited and respected researchers in the field. Professor Dennison is the Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, as well as Deputy Director of the Griffith Criminology Institute. Professor Dennison leads in the research mentoring and development of ECRs as well as the strategic direction of criminology at Griffith and engagement with key stakeholders in the community.
Mid-Career Researcher Award
The award for excellence for an individual mid-career researcher went to Associate Professor Lauren Ball, from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
Dr Lauren Ball completed her PhD at Griffith University 6 years ago. Since then, Lauren has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications on research that explores how patients in primary care can be best supported to have a healthy diet. Her h-index of 21 is more than double the benchmark in her field as a mid-career researcher. Dr Ball is in the final year of a NHMRC Early Career Fellowship and was successful in the first round of the new NHMRC Investigator Grants. Internationally, Lauren is heralded for her work in advancing nutrition education for doctors and medical students. She is a lifelong visiting fellow at Cambridge University and leads a team that drives impact from nutrition research in health services. Her advocacy with the UN and WHO has resulted in recommendations for nutrition education for all health professionals in the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. Lauren has also changed clinical practice in Australia by creating the first support bundle for general practitioners to integrate nutrition into their routine care.
Early Career Researcher Award
Dr Hoang-Phuong Phan from the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre is the winner of the award for excellence for an early career researcher.
Dr Hoang-Phuong Phan was awarded his PhD in 2016 from Griffith University. His research expertise is Material Engineering, micro/nano sensors, bio-sending applications, flexible electronics and nanowires. Dr Phan has been awarded a prestigious ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award to commence in 2020. Dr Phan has a Google Scholar H-index of 26 and citation count of 1690. His world first flexible single crystal SiC electronics was published in ACS Nano and Advanced Functional Materials, with an impact factor (IF) of 13.9 and 16.8 respectively. Other findings on giant piezoresistive and thermoresistive effect in SiC were published in Nature Communication (IF:12.1) and Science Advance (IF:13.1). He has a remarkable research income record of approaching $1m awarded since 2017. Phan has established several international collaborations between Griffith with The University of Tokyo, Japan, Stanford University, Northwesteran University, USA, and the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany.
Research Supervision Award
Professor Rod Connolly, from the Australian Rivers Institute, was recognised for his distinguished record in research supervision.
Professor Rod Connolly is an experienced HDR supervisor who has been with Griffith University for 22 years and over this period has graduated 25 candidates, with 20 as Principal Supervisor. 60% of his candidates have completed their candidature within 3.5 years of commencement. Rod instils the importance of a strong publishing record in his candidates and has published with 70% of his candidates as lead or co-author. His mentorship of candidates is extensive and varied and includes - encouragement and assistance to work in an overseas lab to experience alternate research methods and thinking and to establish collaborations at an early stage of their careers; weekly lab discussions with invited Early Career Researchers; pre-conference training and post-conference de-briefings where candidates are invited to present their experience to the group; a dedicated poster practice session with the venue set up as an actual conference poster session and where the research team acts as a live audience. Professor Connolly mentors in engaged and thoughtful processes to address gender inequality and bias in science and this is evidenced by presentations and discussions on up-to-date methods and recommended behaviours for overcoming gender bias in academia and science.
The superior employability of his graduands is linked to impressive publication outputs, a strong skill base and diversity of professional development opportunities. Rod is an inspiration to his candidates
Research Engagement Award
The inaugural award for excellence for research engagement went to Professor Ross Homel, from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Since joining Griffith University as the Foundation Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice in 1992, Professor Homel has undertaken ground-breaking research in the field of translational prevention science. He has applied this research to several major social problems including drinking and driving, alcohol-related crime and violence, public sector corruption and (most recently) youth crime in disadvantaged communities. Over the past three decades, this work has been co-created through respectful engagement with policy people and frontline professionals who contribute a wide range of disciplinary perspectives and skills that enable research outcomes to be translated into policies, programs and practice.
Professor Homel has published three monographs and six edited books, as well as more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and numerous high impact government reports. He has won many awards for his research on the prevention of crime, violence and injuries and the promotion of positive development and wellbeing for children and young people in socially disadvantaged communities. His accomplishments were recognised in January 2008 when he was appointed an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) 'for service to education, particularly in the field of criminology, through research into the causes of crime, early intervention and prevention methods.’
Research Group / Team Award
Centre for Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering Menzies Health Institute Queensland - led by Professors David Lloyd and Randy Bindra with team members: Dr David Saxby, Dr Laura Diamond, Dr Claudio Pizzolato, Dr Chris Carty, Professor Rod Barrett, Dr Matthew Bourne, Dr Michael Simmonds, Professor Geoff Tansley, Dr Sam Canning, Professor Mark Forwood, Professor Michel Coppieters, Associate Professor Leanne Bisset, Dr Stephen Hamlet, Dr Steve Duhig, Dr Matthew Barton, Dr Brooke Coombes, Dr Martina Barzan, Dr Antony NcNamee, Dr Nataliya Perevoshchikova, Dr Jayishni Maharaj, Dr Gavin Lenton, Mr Derek Smith, Dr Malik Naeem, Dr Ana de Sousa.
The research team develops disruptive technologies to prevent and manage various musculoskeletal (orthopaedic), neurological, cardiac and vascular conditions in collaboration with industry partners and end-users. Under the leadership of Professor David Lloyd, the applicants established the Griffith Centre for Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (previously GCORE) within Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) in 2016, and more recently the Medical Devices domain within the new Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT). Since its inception, GCORE has grown to over 40 academics, researchers, clinicians, technologists as well as industry partners. In the past 3 years the team have collectively attracted >$9 million in external competitive research grants and supervised 20 PhD candidates to completion with a further 33 continuing. The team have ongoing research collaborations with over 15 industry partners and are demonstrating impact by using Science Technology Engineering, Art and Mathematical (STEAM) to create disruptive technologies that improve health outcomes, reduce health care costs and enable Australian industry. Notable examples include improving orthopaedic surgeries using computer simulations, designing the world’s first 3D-printed wrist ligament, building thought driven devices for neuro-restoration following spinal cord injury, and designing wearable sensor systems to help prevent sports injuries
Remarkable minutes competition winning entries
Dr Diana Tolmie
Explore the lives of musicians who contribute to the economic and cultural growth of Australia.
Dr Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore
Women in tourism and gender equality.
Previous award winners
Research Leadership Award
| 2019 | Professor Hamish McCallum | Environmental Futures Research Institute |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Professor Nam Trung | Director, Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre. |
| 2016 | Professor Paul Tacon | Director, Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit |
| 2015 | Professor Ron Quinn AM | Foundation Director, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery |
| 2014 | Professor Huijun Zhao | Director of the Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Deputy Director of the Environmental Futures Research Institute |
| 2013 | Professor Wendy Chaboyer | Centre of Research Excellence in Nursing, Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2012 | Professor Mark Von Itzstein | Director, Institute for Glycomics |
| 2011 | Professor Debra Bernhardt | Director, Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre |
| 2010 | Professor Stuart Bunn | Director, Australian Rivers Institute |
| 2009 | Professor Patrick Weller | Director, Centre for Governance and Public Policy |
| 2009 | Professor Ron Quinn | Director, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery |
Research Supervision Award
| 2019 | Professor Saroja Selvanathan | Griffith Asia Institute |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Professor Rod Garrett | School of Allied Health, Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2016 | Professor Cordia Chu | Centre for Environment and Population Health, Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2015 | Professor Donna Pendergast | School of Education and Professional Studies |
| 2014 | Associate Professor Michael Haugh | School of Languages and Linguistics |
| 2013 | Professor Jane Hughes | Australian Rivers Institute |
Mid-Senior Career Researcher Award
| 2019 | Associate Professor Tara McGee | Griffith Criminology Institute |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Associate Professor Jun Zhou | Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems |
| 2017 | Dr Lara Herrero | Institute for Glycomics |
| 2017 | Associate Professor Guillermo Diaz Pulido | Australian Rivers Institute |
| 2016 | Professor Vicky Avery | Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery |
| 2015 | Professor Shanqing (Eddie) Zhang | Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Environmental Futures Research Institute |
| 2014 | Professor Diego de Leo AO | Director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention |
| 2013 | Professor Geoff Pryde | Centre for Quantum Dynamics |
| 2012 | Professor Adrian Wilkinson | Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing |
| 2011 | Professor David Lambert | Australian Rivers Institute |
| 2010 | Professor Alfred Lam | Griffith Health Institute |
| 2009 | Professor Lyn Griffiths | Griffith Health Institute |
Early Career Researcher Award
| 2019 | Dr Lee Morgenbesser | Griffith Asia Institute and Centre for Governance and Public Policy |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dr Amanda Ullman | Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2016 | Dr Lyndel Bates | School of Criminology and Criminal Justice |
| 2015 | Dr Lauren Ball | Menzies Health Institute Queensland |
| 2014 | Dr Kyra Hamilton | School of Applied Psychology |
| 2013 | Dr Olivera Simic | Socio-Legal Research Centre |
| 2012 | Dr Wendy Steele | Urban Research Program |
| 2011 | Dr Jennifer Whitty | Population and Social Health Research |
| 2010 | Dr Keith Townsend | Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing |
| 2009 | Dr Elena Marchetti | Socio-Legal Research Centre |
Research Group or Team Award
| 2019 | Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research | Led by Professors Claire Rickard and Marie Cooke |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cancer Survivor Collaborative Research Group, Menzies Health Institute | Led by Professors Suzanne Chambers and Tamara Onsworth |
| 2016 | Laboratory for Vaccines for the Developing World, Institute for Glycomics | Led by Professor Michael Good |
| 2015 | Centre for Applied Health Economics | Led by Professor Paul Scuffham |
| 2014 | Advancing Life-Course Criminology, Queensland Linkage Project, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice | Led by Professor Anna Stewart |
| 2013 | Applied Cognitive Neuroscience - Improving Human Functioning by Understanding Brain-Behaviour Relationships, Behavioural Basis of Health | Led by Professor David Shum |
| 2012 | Highly Commended: Assessment, Literacy and Equity team; and | Led by Professor Joy Cumming |
| 2012 | Highly Commended: Enhancing treatment outcomes for childhood anxiety disorders: A multidisciplinary approach to innovative interventions | Led by Associate Professor Alison Waters |
| 2011 | Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre | Led by Professor Huib Schippers |
| 2010 | Quantum Information Science, Centre for Quantum Dynamics | Led by Professor Howard Wiseman |
| 2009 | Health Places Healthy People research program | Led by Professor Elizabeth Kendall |
Outstanding Research Achievement Award
| 2014 | Associate Professor Maxime Aubert | Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Associate Professor Adam Brumm | Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute |
Remarkable Minutes Competition Winners
| 2017 | Mr Chris Little | School of Engineering and Queensland College of Art for 'Creating Windows Into our Past' |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dr Jason van de Merwe | Australian Rivers Institute for 'Marine Wildlife Cell-based Toxicology' |
*Re-dating of the award ceremony resulted in a one year gap.