Awards for science research excellence

Nine outstanding Australians have been awarded John Stocker Postdoctoral Fellowships and Postgraduate Scholarships to further their research into areas as diverse as computer engineering, astrophysics, mining exploration and mathematics.

Announcing the inaugural recipients of the awards in Parliament House, Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said it was key to the future of Australia’s high-tech industries that students with demonstrated potential received the professional and financial support they required to further their careers.

“The John Stocker Fellowships and Scholarships encourage young researchers to do postgraduate study or postdoctoral training and I have no doubt they will play an important role in Australian and global science,” Senator Carr said.

“The awards have been funded through the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF), which is a wonderful vehicle for extending our scientific reach and potential through investing in science education in Australia.”

Senator Carr also announced Australian scientist Professor Stephen Hanly, a Cambridge University PhD in mathematics with broad research experience in computer engineering, as the inaugural CSIRO-Macquarie University Chair in Wireless Communications. The Chair is an initiative of the SIEF, which will fund it for seven years with $2 million.

Currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore, Professor Hanly will take up his appointment at Macquarie University in January 2012.