News Archive

The night when the winners were crowned in the 2012 Western Australian Scientist of the Year Awards was a starry one for our University, with a UWA program and researchers taking out five of the seven categories.

Professor Peter Quinn , founding director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research , was named Scientist of the Year at the gala dinner at Burswood’s Crown Entertainment Complex recently.

He was recognised for his central role in the success of the $2 billion Australian Square Kilometre Array (SKA) campaign. The Australian component of the world’s biggest telescope, to be built in the radio-quiet Murchison region of WA, will explore the universe in 10,000 times more detail than ever before and benefit our State and the international scientific community long into the future.

A world-renowned astrophysicist who has conducted pioneering research in galaxy formation and dark matter, Professor Quinn joined UWA in 2006.

Early Career Scientist of the Year is Associate Professor Ajmal Mian. He has pioneered research on the challenging problem of 3D face and object recognition for a range of multidisciplinary applications.

An Australian Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Associate Professor Mian is in the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering .

Face recognition technology is being used increasingly for computer log-ons, identity checks and surveillance, and is a boom industry around the world. It can be used in mobile phones, computers and robots and is better than fingerprinting because it doesn’t require special equipment or an expert to verify the results.

David Erceg-Hurn is Student Scientist of the Year . His clinical psychology PhD research focuses on evaluating strategies to reduce the stigma associated with seeking professional treatment for clinical depression. He has also evaluated programs designed to reduce drug and alcohol misuse.

Engineers Without Borders won the award for Science Engagement Initiative of the Year for its high school outreach program which improves students’ understanding of issues related to water, climate change, sustainability and technology.

And Professor Stephen Hopper , who recently stepped down as director of the world heritage-listed Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, UK, to take up a new Chair in Biodiversity at UWA, was inducted into the Science Hall of Fame.

He has made significant improvements to many of the State’s conservation programs and infrastructure and earlier this year was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for his service as a global science leader.

The WA Science Awards were established in 2002 by the State Government to honour the outstanding achievements of the State’s science and innovation community.

Published in UWA News , 29 October 2012