David Gardiner Teacher of the Year
Associate Professor Judith Howard
Judith has demonstrated sustained excellence in in trauma-aware education through innovative work that addresses the needs of trauma-impacted young Australians. Her efforts in pre-service and postgraduate education, as well as national and international initiatives, have earned her prestigious awards such as a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, and the Educational Leadership award from the Australian Council for Educational Leaders.
Leadership excellence
Dr Colette Roos
Colette has been the course coordinator for our Bachelor of Behavioural Science program since 2018. Managing both the single degree and seven double degrees, Colette has consistently received outstanding feedback.
Dr Rebecca English
Rebecca’s research and advocacy were pivotal in the successful 2024 campaign by home schoolers to overturn an amendment to the Education Act.
Yandiwanba Team
This team has developed Australia’s largest covered lunar testing facility, which is now housed at the QUT Kelvin Grove campus. The lunar testbed, Yandiwanba, is designed to host Lunar and Space research, such as planetary rover missions in realistic conditions.
Pathways to Teaching Excellence Team
This small but mighty team lead a year-long program to support early career academics to engage in professional development which promotes high quality teaching.
Teaching excellence
Professor Anup Basu
Anup has bridged the gap between academic finance and its real-world application. Since 2019, he has led the development of the Student Managed Investment Fund, an authentic learning program that focuses on the educational experience for finance students at QUT.
Ms Anna Tate
Anna has effectively coordinated several units in the undergraduate program within the School of Psychology and Counselling, including one of the largest first year units with more than 800 students. In 2022, Anna initiated the 'Convo Club' for students in response to their expressed need for a safe and open space for discussions.
Professor John McMurtrie and Associate Professor Kathleen Mullen
This team have a teaching philosophy that prioritises student engagement and practical application of theoretical concepts, a method that has made complex subjects accessible and intriguing.
School of Nursing NS42 Teaching and Learning Team
This team have effectively addressed student dissatisfaction within this course. While the course initially faced significant challenges, it has been transformed due to the team’s proactive and strategic actions.
Early career teaching excellence
Mr Evgeniy Miroshnichenko
Ev coordinates CSB111, a large first year unit delivered across five disciplines in the Faculty of Health. He shows strong leadership, having gained support from each discipline to make this unit truly interdisciplinary and has received excellent feedback from his students.
Dr Catherine Challen
Catherine has demonstrated excellence in teaching for more than two years by integrating cutting-edge, evidence-informed math pedagogical practices from Australia and the US into her work at QUT.
Dr Brydon Wang
Brydon coordinates large core and elective units, integrating his cutting-edge research on generative AI into curriculum to design assessments and engage students with real-world issues. He has significantly enhanced student learning through a number of initiatives.
Sessional staff excellence
Dr Carla Da Silva Pessoa Vieira
Carla Vieira focusses on improving student engagement and learning outcomes through innovative teaching methods - using real world experiences, personalised student support, and active learning approaches.
Ms Maria Ochoa Diaz
Maria has demonstrated innovative teaching practices in the classroom for CYB113. She uses collaboration programs that allow students to share their opinion, engage in meaningful discussion and complete activities.
EVB203 Geospatial Information Science Sessional Tutoring Team
Catherine, James and Xiang are committed to supporting the needs of students. The tutoring team modified the unit to include multiple tools to do geospatial analyses with real world relevance.
Professional staff service excellence
Canvas Project implementation
The team's work has realised significant benefits for us, such as improved site accessibility, increased engagement with learning tools, reduced support tickets, and improved ease of use for learners.
Ms Aleksandra Olechnowicz
Aleksandra transformed the QUT eGrad School program into a global leader in researcher training through proactive and strategic promotion. Since 2019, more than 2,000 researchers have enhanced their skills through these modules.
Ms Camille Imperial
Recognising the gap between academic learning and real-world application, Camille created a program that offers STEM students paid, hands-on work experience before graduation.
Miss Hayley Yates
Hayley consistently exceeds expectations in enhancing student placements. Leading a team of four, she oversees the placement of more than 3,000 pre-service teachers in K-12 schools annually.
Working collaboratively to develop an immersive storytelling app that brings Aboriginal culture and history to life at Gardens Point
The professional staff members being awarded in this category fulfilled the vision and brought the Walking on Country concept to life. They worked collaboratively and built the app in-house, consistently demonstrating service excellence.
Research and innovation excellence
Professor Hongxia Wang
Since Hongxia established the solar cells research team in 2010, they have gone from strength to strength, with a number of outstanding achievements including more than 200 high impact journal publications and a patented process for solar cells fabrication.
Professor Dale Nyholt
Dale has a sustained record of excellent and impactful research. His innovative research has shifted the paradigm in our understanding of the genetics of migraines. A leading figure in his field, he is Chair of the International Headache Genetics Consortium.
Professor Yang Liu
Yang is recognised for her success as an ARC Future Fellow and lead CI for the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub: Internet of Things for Water. Her work includes the pilot and full-scale implementation of cutting-edge, sustainable treatment technologies that emphasise energy-positive treatment, nutrient recovery, and water reuse.
Australian Cancer Atlas Team
A collaboration of colleagues from the Centre for Data Science and VISER, the Australian Cancer Atlas is an interactive platform showing how cancer outcomes vary by geographical areas across Australia. Findings from the Atlas have motivated further research, informed clinical practice guidelines and been used as evidence to advocate to clinicians.
High Tech for Low Temperatures Team
This team have pioneered the use of drones and AI to study Antarctica’s ecosystems. Operating in extreme environments, the team conduct groundbreaking biodiversity and conservation surveys. Their innovative approach, published in high impact journals, offers critical insights into climate change impacts on Antarctic ecosystems.
Inclusion and diversity excellence
Ms Ynna Hernandez-Europa
Ynna was instrumental in the development of the QueerFoS committee, having started this group through conversations with the Faculty of Science leadership team. She has advocated for LGBTQIA+ inclusion and been an outstanding representative for QUT in various mainstream media.
Ms Alexandra Thompson
Alexandra created a suite of workshops called 'Create & Connect', designed to give students an opportunity to 'make something and meet friends'. Feedback from these sessions has shown that Alexandra is succeeding in creating an environment that allows students to intentionally slow down, increase connection with others, decrease stress and improve mood.
QUT Clothes for Careers student wardrobe project
This collaborative group involved volunteers from across the university working outside the regular scope of their roles to deliver a truly inclusive opportunity for our students. The project organized pop-up shops with more than 2,500 donated items of professional clothes, empowering 500 students to present themselves confidently in job interviews and placements.
Walking on Country app
A collaboration celebrating the world's oldest living culture with cutting edge immersive technology
The team collaborated to create an app uses augmented reality to inform the user of the history of the Turrbal and Yugara people and gain a deeper understanding of the connection to country the traditional owners have to our campus.
Professional staff mentorship excellence
Mr Steve Window
Steve led the team responsible for broadcasting the first ever Australian Virtual Cycling Championships. Through collaboration with industry leaders and students, Steve not only advanced the careers of his mentees but also set a high standard for industry collaboration.
Mrs Karen Cavu
Karen developed the 'HDR Careers Week' at QUT, an annual program dedicated to higher degree research career planning. Over three years, the program has hosted 19 events, attracting 570 students. Her initiative has increased engagement and created a lasting impact.
Academic staff mentorship and sponsorship excellence
Professor Benjamin White
Ben has shown a longstanding commitment to advancing his colleagues and higher degree research (HDR) students. He has not only provided his time in mentoring but also in providing genuine sponsorship to facilitate access to interdisciplinary research opportunities with real world impact.
External partnership and engagement excellence
Dr Rehan Syed
Rehan successfully led the proposal and delivery phases of significant commercial training with the Anti Red-Tape Authority of the Philippines Government. The success of this program is creating a wider demand for continuing professional education training delivered by QUT to Philippines Government agencies.
Voluntary Assisted Dying - Reform, Regulation and Training team
The QUT End-of-Life team has been instrumental in the safe implementation of voluntary assisted dying laws across Australia over the past six years. Their ongoing engagement with policymakers and dedication to fostering informed public discourse has demonstrated excellence in building partnerships and driving meaningful change.
Transforming Aviation Safety: Leading Impactful Collaborations with Industry
This team have translated data-informed research into creative new digital technologies that underpin a safe, responsible, and sustainable aviation future. The team have championed a world-leading mid-air collision risk assessment tool that has been refined and commercialised through successive projects with Boeing.
QUT LGBTQIA+ Mural Project
For the development and execution of a mural that honours the LGBTQIA+ community. The project was seamlessly integrated into the academic curriculum, providing students with a real-world application of their learning, fostering teamwork, creativity, and project management skills
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander excellence
Mr Francis Nona
Francis has been running a weekly reading and writing group for Indigenous Academics, postgraduate and Vacation Research Experience Scheme students. The work that he does supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to feel empowered to share their writing and pushes the development of Black knowledge.
Mr Nathias Warkill
Nathias actively supports First Nations students by facilitating access to academic resources and advocating for their needs within the university. Through his leadership and commitment, Nathias has created lasting positive impacts on the educational and personal growth of Indigenous students at QUT.
Carumba Institute team
As a team, the Carumba Institute have provided strategic leadership, guidance and advice across the university in order to increase and strengthen Indigenous research capabilities, engagement and outputs. Their collaboration has broad reaching positive impacts that have been felt within the wider university and Indigenous communities.
Previous years' recipients
View our Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence recipients from previous years.