The University of Western Australia has a continual roll call of awards, scholarships and prizes presented to staff and students.
To recognise these achievements, an article is published on the UWA news page on the website and in UWA Forward on the first week of every month. If you know of great awards or achievements across the University please email
Name: Mike Tobar
Achievement: Professor Michael Tobar from UWA's School of Physics, Maths and Computing has won the prestigious European Frequency and Time Award, which recognises outstanding contributions in all fields covered by the EFTF either for fundamental advances or important applications. Professor Tobar, an expert in quantum technology and dark matter, took out the award "for the development of precision frequency and measurement technology and its application to oscillators, clocks, precision sensing and testing fundamental physics". The EFTF Award has been bestowed since 1993 – first biannually, and from 2005, annually.
Image: Professor Mike Tobar.
Name: Kristina Mitsikas and UWA Sport
Achievement: UWA Sport and Kristina Mitsikas, UWA Sport's senior manager of inclusion and innovation, are finalists in the 2025 Australian Pride in Sport Awards. UWA Sport is finalist for the LGBTQ+ Inclusive Innovation Award for the LGBTQIA+ Allyship in Sport Program. Ms Mitsikas is a finalist for LGBTQ+ Ally of the Year Award. The 2025 Pride in Sport Awards celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ inclusion in Australian sport. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Melbourne on April 16.
Name: Uluu
Achievement: Uluu won the Sustainability Solutions award at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Awards in Austin Texas. Dr Julia Reisser, from UWA's Ocean Institute, is the co-founder and co-CEO of Uluu, a start-up working to replace fossil plastics with natural materials. Using a novel saltwater fermentation process, Uluu has created an alternative to plastic made from farmed seaweed. The awards recognise the most exciting creative developments in the connected world, celebrating a variety of technological advancements, achievements, and discoveries.
Name: Diane Wood
Achievement: Diane Wood celebrated 20 years as follow-up manager and participant engagement coordinator for The Raine Study, one of the world's oldest and longest-running pre-birth longitudinal cohort studies. Colleague Saniya Abdul, participant engagement assistant, said for two decades, Diane has been a key pillar of participant engagement. "From the early days, when participants were just preteens to now, seeing them as adults with families of their own, she has been there every step of the way," Ms Abdul said. "Her unwavering commitment, warmth, and deep love for the study have helped build the strong connections we have with our participants today." This milestone was also reached by senior data manager Alex d'Vauz who celebrated 20 years at the Raine Study last year.
Name: Marinella Caruso
Achievement: Dr Marinella Caruso, from the School of Humanities, has been announced as the joint winner of the 2024 Western Australian Association for Teachers of Italian Exemplary Teacher Award. The honour is awarded to a teacher of Italian who has a strong focus, not only on the teaching of the language, but also has a passion for pastoral care, sharing their expertise and skills, with both the students they teach and also with their peers. The awardee is a teacher who is committed to making a positive difference in the teaching of Italian and ensures that other teachers are mentored accordingly to provide a vibrant Italian program in schools and in the wider community.
Name: Gary Lee
Achievement: Professor Gary Lee, from UWA's Medical School, received 2025 Lung Health Legend Award. Professor Lee is a specialist in pleural medicine and lung health research. His research focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of pleural conditions, such as pleural effusion and pneumothorax. The awards recognise individuals who have contributed over a substantial period of time to advancing Lung Foundation Australia's mission and vision. Each individual's contribution has been recognised by their peers and the organisation's board of directors as having made a positive impact on the lives of Australians living with or impacted by lung disease or lung cancer.
Image: Professor Gary Lee.
Name: Sarah Ward
Achievement: Dr Sarah Ward, from UWA's Medicals School, featured in the 16th edition of NHRMC's publication 10 of the Best for her project An International Population-Based Study into the Genetic Epidemiology of Melanoma. The publication showcases the success stories of researchers, teams and their collaborators who are working together to improve health outcomes and develop new treatments. It details projects completed by health and medical researchers whose work has been funded by the Australian Government through NHMRC. These projects exemplify hundreds of successful high-quality projects that were completed in 2022.
Congratulations UWA staff, alumni and students.
