Professor Kathryn Burdon from the University of Tasmania has received the ACGR Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Leadership for her transformative contributions to graduate research strategy, supervisor practice, and student-centred culture at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research.

As Deputy Director of Menzies, Professor Burdon has led outstanding reforms, including the Institute’s first comprehensive HDR Strategy and a highly successful recruitment strategy that doubled domestic candidate applications.

Passionate about equity and pastoral care, she addressed severe financial stress by expanding top-up scholarships to factor in financial need, increasing recipient numbers from 9 to 73.

She enabled the co-design of the student-led ‘Buddy to Buddy’ peer-mentoring program to reduce isolation, particularly for international candidates. To foster a connected, interdisciplinary intellectual community, Burdon established the annual HDR Development Day, extending participation to candidates across the broader university Health portfolio, and launched the annual HDR Excellence Award.

Furthermore, she has strengthened supervisor development, developing practical guidance and transforming Candidature Support Plans into supportive, early-intervention tools. Professor Burdon is a champion of inclusive, empathetic, and values-driven leadership whose strategic vision has elevated research training so that both candidates and supervisors thrive.