Exceptional academic and professional staff driving Australian graduate research training have been honoured in this year’s Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) Excellence Awards.

Established in 2017, the ACGR annual awards spotlight the highly committed leaders, supervisors and professional staff supporting Australia’s graduate research candidates. These awards recognise those who collaborate with industry partners and end-users to nurture the next generation of Australian researchers and innovators.

The ACGR Awards, comprising four categories, span vital aspects of graduate research training, acknowledging excellence and innovation in supervision, leadership, programs and support and industry engagement.

We congratulate all of this year’s winners:

The 2024 ACGR Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Leadership, sponsored by Epigeum was awarded to Professor Megan Lord, UNSW. This award celebrates Professor Lord’s outstanding leadership and advocacy for high-quality graduate research teaching, learning, and mentoring, particularly focused on impactful industry connections for HDR candidates.

The 2024 ACGR Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Supervision, sponsored by ResearchMaster was awarded to Professor Bob Wong, Monash University. This award recognises Professor Wong’s exceptional and innovative approach to mentoring, coaching, and student-centered research supervision.

Special commendation:

• Associate Professor Tasha Stanton, University of South Australia

The 2024 ACGR Award for Excellence in Promoting Industry Engagement in Graduate Research was awarded to the iPREP Biodesign team, University of Western Australia. Led by Professor Kevin Pfleger, the iPREP Biodesign team includes Dr Sandra Medic, Chloe Goodred and Ruth Seeber. This award recognises their innovative and transformative engagement between higher degree research candidates and industry partners in the biomedical and health sectors.

The 2024 ACGR Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Programs and Support was awarded to Dr Kaylene Cooper, Alexandra McKelvey and Lenore Irvine, University of Queensland. This award recognises their outstanding work on the Wonder of Science program which trains and develops PhD student ambassadors to deliver impactful STEM education across Queensland schools, fostering a culture of scientific inquiry and exploration.

Special commendation:

-Gareth Patterson and the HDR Management Group, University of Newcastle

ACGR President, Professor Clive Baldock, commended both the high number and exceptional quality of this year’s nominations in a press release: ‘The dedication, professionalism and innovative practice of each of our 2024 Award recipients truly makes a difference to research cultures, HDR student experience and industry partnerships across the country,’ he said.

Nominations for each award category were evaluated by an independent expert panel comprising representatives from the ACGR, member institutions, a current HDR candidate, and an industry representative.

Each award-winning individual or team receives a grant of $3,000 and an invitation to attend an ACGR national meeting.

Read more about the recipients and the awards.