Sydney attracts top research talent with innovative Fellowships
The University of Sydney has attracted and retained 40 of the best and brightest early and mid-career academics who will bring new research capability and unlock solutions to the complex problems of climate change, health and sustainability.听
The record $100m investment in the Sydney Horizon听Fellowship Scheme is the first of its kind in Australia and among the world鈥檚 most generous university fellowships.
The cohort of听Horizon听Fellows includes 15 internal and 25 external appointments. The Fellows' international education and work experience spans across North America (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University), Asia (City University of Hong Kong, Yonsei University) and Europe (University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, European Commission Joint Research Centre and the World Bank).
10 Horizon Fellows are alumni of the University and four are returning staff. 听
The Horizon Fellows鈥� projects have a multidisciplinary lens and cover a range of topics across climate change, health and sustainability - from conversational AI for patients with heart failure to making energy poverty visible, from smart wastewater surveillance to increasing coral reef resilience. Others are addressing sleep-wake disturbances and neurodegeneration, using music to address mental health issues, promoting healthy diets for young children from sustainable first-food systems, and strategies to achieve secure zero-carbon energy and food futures.
鈥淚 warmly congratulate this community of Sydney Horizon听Fellows, from an impressively broad range of disciplines, on their appointments and on the critical role they will play in research dedicated to solving the most pressing challenges of our time,鈥� said Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott. 听
鈥淥ur $100 million investment, unprecedented in Australia, underlines our commitment to developing the careers of early and mid-career researchers, the problem solvers of the near future. It delivers on a major undertaking of our Sydney in 2032 strategic plan 鈥� to deliver excellent research for the common good. The researchers will be valuable additions to the University鈥檚 established multi-disciplinary collaboration. I can鈥檛 wait to see what they will achieve.鈥� 听
The Horizon听Fellows have been appointed across the Faculty of Medicine and Health (14), Faculty of Science (9), Faculty of Engineering (8), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (3), Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning (3), University of Sydney Business School (2) and Sydney Conservatorium of Music (1) and will work across the University鈥檚 multidisciplinary initiatives, centres and institutes.
The Fellows will be supported to become research leaders at the University through a five-year research-focused Fellowship, which includes generous funding and a dedicated training and development program that has been designed to support leadership growth and amplify research impact. 听
Our $100 million investment, unprecedented in Australia, underlines our commitment to developing the careers of early and mid-career researchers, the problem solvers of the near future.
Professor听Emma Johnston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), said, 鈥淭he contributions of these Sydney Horizon听Fellows will be both broad and deep and have an invaluable impact by accelerating the development of solutions to the many challenges we face in climate, health, and sustainability.听
鈥淭he Horizon Fellowships have allowed us to retain outstanding talent already at the University and attract brilliant talent from outside. Our investment in their futures will lead to new technologies, policies, treatments, laws, businesses, designs and insights, to the benefit of our society, our economy, and our environment.鈥�
Sydney Horizon Fellows and project titles
Dr Shamila Haddad - Developing resilient housing for low-income social housing residents and mitigating urban overheating in Australia: Tackling adverse impacts of climate change and the housing crisis
Dr Federico Tartarini听- Beat the heat: Advancing our understanding of heat stress and developing effective sustainable interventions to reduce health risks in a warming world
Dr Giulia Ulpiani听- Urban heat mitigation and adaptation for climate neutrality: Towards a new holistic paradigm in urban sciences for healthier cities
Dr Barbara Barbosa Neves -听The aged care of the future: AI social science for sustainable ageing and healthier societies
Dr Blanche Verlie听- Emotional politics in the climate crisis听
Dr Lee V. White听- Making energy poverty visible: A wellbeing measure听
Dr Danielle Kent听- The power of reframing our climate transition decisions听听
Dr Cara Vansteenkiste听- Corporate philanthropy: Mobilising corporate resources for the common good
Dr Steffen A. Herff - Sustainable health practice: Music for health and health for musicians听听
Dr Sid Assawaworrarit - Advanced climate and energy applications of electromagnetics听听
Dr Ann-Na Cho听- Bioengineered human brain tissue on a microchip: Breakthrough in personalised disease modelling and personalised medicine听听
Dr Jiaying Li听- Smart wastewater surveillance for public health and wellbeing听听
Dr Neda Mohammadi -听Conflux of Catalysts: Transforming Sustainability in Urban Horizons through Harnessing the Synergistic Impact of AI, Digital Twins, and Human-Infrastructure Dynamics听听
Dr Arman Siahvashi听- Australia鈥檚 first high-efficiency, modular, and low-cost hydrogen liquefaction and storage听听
Dr Zengxia Pei听- Advanced zinc-metal batteries for sustainable energy storage听听
Dr Conrad Wasko听- Future proofing Australia from increasing flood risk听听
Dr Aoni Xu - Autonomous electro-active material discovery for a positive climate 听
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Dr Phillip Baker听- Healthy infant and young child diets from sustainable first-food systems听听
Dr Katrina Champion听- Optimising prevention: Innovative approaches to improve the physical and mental health of Australian adolescents听听
Dr Nicholas Fancourt - Immunology and pneumonia in malnourished children: A translational approach from Timor-Leste to improve global child mortality听
Dr Aaron Jenkins - Watershed Interventions for Systems Health (WISH): Delivering co-benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity, health, and well-being in Melanesian watersheds听
Dr Liliana Laranjo听- Evaluating a conversational Artificial Intelligence program to support patients with heart failure in managing their disease听听
Dr Elie Matar听- From bench to 鈥榖edside鈥�: Sleep-wake disturbances as a window into identifying, treating, and preventing neurodegeneration听听
Dr Natalie Matosin听- How stress leads to mental illness: A mechanism to improve global health outcomes听听
Dr Archita Mishra听- Early-life microbial-immune priming: Unveiling a new paradigm in human immune development听
Dr Stephanie Partridge听- Harnessing digital technology to create healthy societies and improve health of adolescents听听
Dr Mitchell Sarkies听- Establishing an implementation science laboratory to rapidly translate health and medical research innovations into better health outcomes听听
Dr Kerrie Wiley听- Integrating social science to fight vaccine-preventable diseases听听
Dr Chun Xu听- Multifunctional nanoparticles for genome editors delivery听听
Dr Jingjing You听- Collagen based biomedical research to develop new treatment in health and new technology in biomanufacturing听
Dr Wesley Dose听- Sustainable and high-energy materials for energy storage听听
Dr Jasmine Fardouly听- Improving social media for users鈥� body image: A multilevel ecological approach听听
Dr Shawna Foo听- Learning from marginal systems: Identifying factors that increase coral reef resilience to climate induced stress听听
Dr Haihui Joy Jiang听- Using plasma- and magneto-electrochemistry to solve energy and climate challenges听听
Dr Mengyu Li听- Integrated assessment modelling of sustainable energy, climate and food systems听听
Dr Alison Peel听- Associations between bat ecology, bat virome dynamics and the human health risk of emerging bat viruses听
Dr Alistair Senior听- Healthy ageing through sustainable nutrition听听
Dr Ting Rei Tan听- Trapped-ion quantum simulator for photoactive drug design听
Dr Ann-Na Cho, Horizon Fellow at work in her laboratory. Credit: Stefanie Zingsheim.
Faculty of Engineering
Over the past 12 years, Dr Ann-Na Cho has established the world鈥檚 first bioengineered human brain-on-a-chip combining personalised stem cells, 3D brain-specific biomaterial and an organ-on-a-chip.听听
鈥淢y research has contributed to the successful fabrication of artificial organs and to our understanding of the development, disease, and function of the brain. I鈥檓 excited and grateful to be joining the University鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering. The goal of my Sydney Horizon听Fellowship is to generate a vascularised-human brain-on-a-chip听model that incorporates听a neuroinflammatory system听and to facilitate the development of personalised therapeutic approaches as clinical interventions for ageing and diseased conditions."
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences听
Dr Lee White鈥檚听research focuses on who is underserved by current energy systems and governance by creating a new measure to make energy poverty visible in terms of peoples鈥� wellbeing and ability to live a life that they value.
鈥淐urrent metrics do not fully capture lack of access to the services that energy provides, which is a critical piece of pursuing a transition that achieves energy justice. My previous research has had a direct impact on policy and practice. I have led or contributed to 15 submissions to regulatory reviews at the state and national level. I am excited to undertake this Sydney Horizon听Fellowship that aims to design policies for energy system reform that address social as well as environmental goals.鈥�
The University ranked equal 19th globally in the highly regarded鈥�2024 QS World University Rankings. The University is in the top seven globally and first in Australia in the 听