Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to acknowledge this year's University of Wollongong alumni award recipients and to celebrate their outstanding achievements in our local community, across the country and around the globe. There were seven awards presented on the night, with two finalists and one winner in each category. The selection panel were overwhelmed with nominees equally deserving of recognition, and I thank the finalists for their contributions to our society, which do not go unnoticed. Congratulations to the winners in the following categories.

The Young Alumni Award, recognising graduates aged 35 and under, was presented to Dr Natalie Matosin, senior research fellow at the University of Wollongong. Dr Matosin has risen to international prominence for her pioneering research providing major insights into the brain biology of mental illnesses, influencing industry partners, international researchers and clinicians to inform human clinical trials and identify novel drug targets.

The Professional Excellence Award was presented to Professor Faye McMillan AM, Professor of Indigenous Health at the University of Technology, Sydney. A proud Wiradjuri woman, Professor McMillan is an esteemed leader in Aboriginal health and education who has tirelessly championed the wellbeing and equity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She is the first Indigenous Australian to receive a prestigious Harkness Fellowship, awarded earlier this year, and was awarded New South Wales Aboriginal Woman of the Year for 2019.

The Social Impact Award was presented to Honorary Professor Tanya Buchanan, CEO of the Cancer Council Australia. Honorary Professor Buchanan has made considerable contributions to public health through her leadership and commitment to improving health concerns in our community. As CEO of Cancer Council Australia, she is highly influential in Australia's approach to cancer treatment, prevention and research.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Individual) Award was presented to Paul Smith, founder and chairman of Total Sport and Entertainment. Paul founded the world's most prominent sports marketing research business, RepuCom, changing how consumer research was delivered and used to measure sports sponsorships. Paul returned from the US in 2016 to focus on his agency and acquire the Sydney Kings men's and Sydney Flames women's basketball teams, where he is harnessing innovation and excellence to achieve Australian basketball records.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Group) Award was presented to Glenn Farrant and Jahmai Lay, CEOs and founders of CriticalArc. Glenn and Jahmai are outstanding entrepreneurs who have transformed the security industry with their innovative SafeZone application. Developed during their founding research residency at UOW, SafeZone has fundamentally changed how incident detection and response occurs in tertiary education. The Research and Scholarship Award was presented to Distinguished Professor Omowunmi Sadik.