Sydney researchers win NSW Premier's Prizes for Science and Engineering
Professor Michael Biercuk (left), Professor Catherine Sherrington and Dr Chang Xu.
In a testament to excellence in research and contributions to industry, three distinguished researchers from the University of Sydney have received NSW Premier鈥檚 Prizes for Science and Engineering. 聽
Professor Catherine Sherrington, whose work centres on fall prevention and enhanced mobility, received the Excellence in Medical Biological Sciences (Cell and molecular, medical, veterinary and genetics) award. Dr Chang Xu, an internationally recognised expert in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, received the NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences). Professor Michael J. Biercuk, quantum physicist and innovator, received the Leadership in Innovation in NSW award.
Excellence in Medical Biological Sciences聽
Professor Catherine Sherrington
Professor Catherine Sherrington.
Every year, more than 135,000 Australians aged 65 and above are admitted to hospitals due to fall-related injuries. Professor Catherine Sherrington, internationally acclaimed for her pioneering work in developing methods to prevent falls and enhance mobility, is addressing this pressing yet overlooked public health challenge associated with an ageing population.
Professor Sherrington鈥檚 work integrates physiotherapy, exercise prescription and digital technology to improve outcomes for both patients and the broader community. With falls costing $2.3 billion in Australia each year, her programs have proven to be an important cost-effective solution.
Professor Emma Johnston, the University of Sydney鈥檚 Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), congratulated Professor Sherrington on her award.聽
鈥淐atherine鈥檚 research around the promotion of physical activity in older people and the prevention of falls has been profoundly impactful. Her work has influenced global practice, including recommendations from the World Health Organisation in over 127 clinical and population health guidelines from 26 countries,鈥� she said.
Professor Sherrington's remarkable contributions position her as the fourth-ranked researcher globally in the independent living/falls field (Scopus), boasting an impressive publication record.
Professor Sherrington is a Professor and Senior Principal Research Fellow at the University of Sydney and is a member of the聽Charles Perkins Centre.
NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences)聽
Dr Chang Xu
Dr Chang Xu.
Artificial intelligence sits at the forefront of innovation. However, the environmental impact of AI is large, and obtaining state-of-the-art AI models produces the equivalent of an average car's five-year emissions.
Dr Chang Xu is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of AI by developing new ways to build next-generation systems that are efficient and accessible. He does this by engaging in Green AI, a model that involves designing algorithms and systems that are efficient and environmentally friendly.
Dr Xu's work has achieved global commercial success. Notably, Huawei used his work in their earphones, FreeBuds, to reduce energy costs while improving battery life and audio quality.聽
鈥淐hang鈥檚 expertise in AI and deep learning is internationally recognised as transformative, tackling complex problems and fast-tracking solutions to benefit end-users in real-world applications. His work has been hugely beneficial to SMEs, increasing efficiency and providing them with a competitive edge,鈥� Professor Johnston said.
Dr Xu鈥檚 contributions were previously recognised by the University when he received the University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Early Career Research in 2022. His impressive collection of publications and citations places his work in the top three per cent in his field.
Dr Xu is a Senior Lecturer in Machine Learning and Computer Vision at the聽School of Computer Science. He has secured funding as an ARC Future Fellowship, a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellowship and Discovery Project as the sole Chief Investigator.
Leadership in Innovation in NSW聽聽
Professor Michael J. Biercuk
Professor Michael Biercuk.
Quantum technologies have the potential to make a huge impact on the way we live, but hardware instability and error are holding back scale-up of the technology.聽
To address this, Professor Michael Biercuk, renowned quantum physicist and innovator, has pioneered the development of a new research field 鈥� 鈥榪uantum controlled engineering鈥�.聽
With a focus on commercialisation, Professor Biercuk's work has led to the formation his company聽聽in 2017, allowing researchers, developers and end-users to meaningfully benefit from quantum technology.
鈥淢ichael has made exceptional contributions to the field of quantum control engineering and is great example of being at the forefront of innovation in research. He has achieved enormous success in commercialising his work to found Q-CTRL, with its software being picked up by IBM for their quantum computers,鈥� Professor Johnston said.聽
On the local level, Professor Biercuk has helped uplift Sydney as a quantum tech hub. He has advised the tertiary, commercial and government sectors, and Q-CTRL's advances have resulted in defence contracts for sovereign capability development in Australia.聽
Professor Biercuk is the Director of the聽聽and Chief Investigator at the聽. He has served as the technical lead for the development of the $150 million聽Sydney Nanoscience Hub聽鈥� one of the world鈥檚 most advanced physical science research facilities.
