2022 Honour Roll

Research Excellence Award Recipients

• FEIT Excellence Award in Early Career Research

  In recognition of the significant research contributions to the field of engineering and IT.

  2022: Dr Renata Borovica-Gajic

  Dr Renata Borovica-Gajic is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Systems with research interests in the field of data management and exploration. Her work in developing a database engine built with machine learning theory has informed advances in next generation data management systems: self-driving databases. Dr Borovica-Gajic has made additional contributions to automated database tuning, further increasing the potential of cheaper and faster management and accessibility of large datasets. The impact of this research has been seen in academic and commercial fields, including recently awarded a 2023DECRA Fellowship. Dr Borovica-Gajic has also been acknowledged with a prestigious Test of Time Award at the premier data management conference SIGMOD 2022.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Mid-Career Research

  In recognition of the significant research contributions to the field of engineering and IT.

  2022: Dr Jorge Goncalves

  Dr Jorge Goncalves is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Systems with a research focus on crowdsourcing in Human-Computer Interaction environments. His research draws on the mathematical foundations of machine learning and statistics, design, and psychology to improve the data quality from crowd contributions. Dr Goncalves's projects have had demonstrated academic and commercial impact by facilitating easily accessible opportunities for crowd engagement and creating greater response from targeted cohorts through implementing in-situ input mechanisms such as public displays and tablets.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Research Excellence

  In recognition of the significant research contributions to the field of engineering and IT.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Outstanding Graduate Researcher Supervision

  In recognition of outstanding achievements in supervision and development of the next generation of Australia's scientific researchers.

  2022: Prof Wally Smith

  Over the last decade Prof Wally Smith, from the School of Computing and Information System, has supervised PhD students to successful completion of their thesis and in many cases, has gone on to model positive practices and mentor these candidates in their own journeys as supervisors. Many of Prof Smith's students have received awards acknowledging their outstanding research as a Graduate Researcher with more again going on to exciting opportunities for further research in prestigious academic and industry settings both within Australia and internationally. Prof Smith has demonstrated a consistent endeavour to develop excellent supervision practices both within and beyond FEIT communities, collaborating on the development of events such as 'CIS Insiders' workshop on GR supervision, as well as co-chairing the Doctoral Consortium at the Australian HCI conference numerous times since 2006.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Interdisciplinary Research

  In recognition of outstanding research outcomes enabled through interdisciplinary collaboration.

  2022: Computational modelling employed to inform the design of Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic

  A/Prof Nic Geard, Dr Cameron Zachreson, Dr Freya Shearer, Dr David Price, Dr Michael Lydeamore, Dr Eamon Conway

  The cross-faculty, multi-institutional and multidisciplinary team of computer scientists, mathematicians, epidemiologists, and public health experts worked together to provide extensive model-based advice informing the design of Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team created detailed computational models of quarantine pathways to develop an evidence-based framework for quantifying the risk of community exposure and outbreaks associated with alternative arrival pathways. The development and analysis of models simulating both the risk of an infectious individual (traveller or worker) entering the community, and the impact of such importation events on the spread of infection in the community directly informed jurisdictional quarantine testing and workforce policies, and the national plan for reopening Australia following vaccine rollout.

Engagement Excellence Award Recipients

• FEIT Excellence Award in Engagement for Public Value and Social Inclusion

  In recognition of the outstanding contribution towards realising ambitions in the areas of equity, diversity and social inclusion.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Engagement for Industry Research

  In recognition of the outstanding research collaboration undertaken in partnership with industry.

  2022: The Australian Integrated Multimdoal Ecosystem (AIMES)

  Prof Majid Sarvi, Prof Peter Sweatman, Dr Neema Nassir, A/Prof Russell Thompson, Dr Patricia Lavieri, Prof Egemen Tanin, Liz Baxter, Dr Andrew Rudge, Damon Beckwith, Nick Collins

  Founded in 2017,  the Australian Integrated Multimodal Ecosystem (AIMES) is reshaping the transport landscape in Australia through practical and industry-engaged research projects. The program utilises highly integrated new technologies for safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mobility outcomes.

  The team, led by Prof Majid Sarvi, leverages internationally leading researchers from Transport, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. The research team is complemented by a program manager from the Victoria Department of Transport, who helps to facilitate the operational tests and interventions in the testbed of AIMES.

  The program's strength lies in its engagement with industry. AIMES works with several partners from the transport industry, the technology sector, automotive industries, and government authorities. Currently, there are more than 50 industry partners participating in AIMES with major international companies and government agencies including Cisco, Cubic, Amazon, Toyota, Yunex, TAC, SCATS, VDoT Kapsch, Telstra, and Woolworths. AIMES's research excellence has progressed Australia's capability in advanced transport technologies and has attracted significant R&D investments to Australia.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Engagement for Internationalisation

  In recognition of the outstanding contribution to enhancing the Faculty’s international standing.

  2022: Prof Stephan Winter

  Prof Stephan Winter is a professor for Spatial Information Science in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering. Prof Stephan Winter is recognised for enhancing the Faculty's international standing through his engagements in Germany and India. This includes leading a Joint International Research Training Group initiative with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, leveraging Melbourne-Berlin seed grant opportunities and taking an active role in the Melbourne India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA). Prof Stephan Winter's contributions have led to joint research publications, collaborative project development workshops and joint PhD opportunities which continue to strengthen the University's international positioning.

Teaching and Learning Excellence Award Recipients

• FEIT Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning for Engagement

  In recognition of outstanding contributions that improve student engagement on campus, with industry and/or in the community.

  2022: Innovation Practice Program: Engaging with industry to produce pivotal learning experience

  Dr Jillian Kenny, Natalie Mather, Dr Peter Cebon, Rowan Doyle

  The Innovation Practice Program (IPP) delivers integrated teaching, external engagement and research facilitation, while enhancing students' opportunity to engage with industry through curriculum. The IPP approach delivers intimate, industry-integrated learning at scale. One part of the program is built around the delivery of a core subject, Creating Innovative Engineering (CIE). The subject combines an industry project, in which students work in teams of 4-6 to resolve an industry sponsor's innovation opportunity, with a personal project, in which students conceptualise their career as a series of innovation challenges, gathering data through weekly reflections. Students undertaking the subject are mentored by an industry or student mentor. A credit to its success, the subject is now also offered to students outside of FEIT, including those in Biomedicine, and most master's programs in the Melbourne Business School and the Melbourne School of Design. Since 2017, the program has delivered more than 300 projects with more than 130 industry sponsors.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning for Tutors and Demonstrators

  In recognition of teaching excellence.

  2022: Jiayang Ao

  Jiayang Ao is a tutor in the School of Computing and Information Systems. Jiayang's teaching excellence is demonstrated through her contribution to the development of teaching materials in the new subject COMP90086 Computer Vision. Jiayang implements teaching techniques that aim to motivate student learning, enhancing student engagement and increasing participation in the subject. Jiayang is passionate about peer-learning, and shares resources related to the workshop topic with other tutors, including relevant blogs, websites, and videos; or additional slides produced for the workshop to help supplement student learning. Her students acknowledge her passion for teaching and her ability to assist students by breaking down complex problems.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning for Early Career Academics

  In recognition of teaching excellence.

  2022: Dr Lionel Lam

  Dr Lionel Lam is a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineerin. Lionel's teaching excellence is exemplified through his interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues from across the Faculty. Dr Lam's teaching philosophy is centred around transdiciplinary and contextual interconnectivity. Dr Lam acknowledges that breaking down barriers between discipline areas is crictical, particularly in the field of biomedical engineering, which marries concepts across mechnical, electrical, and chemical engineering, as well as programming and computation. Dr Lam is passionate about inspiring students to get excited about their chosen career path of study and challenge them to push beyond their comfort zone.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning for Innovation in Teaching Programs

  In recognition of innovative teaching that enhance, inspire and motivate student learning.

  2022: A/Prof Eduardo Velloso, Dr Jarrod Knibbe

  A/Prof Eduardo Velloso and Dr Jarrod Knibbe are academics in the School of Computing and Information Systems. Together they have redesigned Designing Novel Interactions Subject (INFO90003) to best leverage the Telstra Creator Space and re-energise campus-based learning after the pandemic. Velloso and Knibbe moved away from traditional lecture-based learning to a more participatory, studio-based approach using a flipped classroom. Students now participate in workshops where they turn their attention to hands-on, skill-building activities. Students make extensive use of the Telstra Creator Space during the development of their projects, harnessing these capabilities for student-led innovation and learning, resulting in projects with a wide variety of novel interactive devices.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning – The Kelvin Medal

  The Kelvin Medal in recognition of teaching excellence.

  2022: Dr Eduardo Araujo Oliveira

  Dr Eduardo Araujo Oliveira is a Teaching Fellow in the School of Computing and Information Systems. Dr Oliveira has collaborated with computer scientists, designers, educators and psychologists in educational contexts. Dr Oliveira's work is focused on artificial intelligence applied in eLearning and conducting research in enginnering education. Since the beginning of his career, he has actively built relationships and worked with universities, technology clusters, innovation institutes, governmental agencies and private companies. Dr Oliveira engages and motivates his students by introducing industry partners and real software development problems into the classroom. He strives to promote innovation and authentic teaching and learning experiences in his subjects and through his teaching practice.

Professional Services Excellence Award Recipients

In recognition of professional staff contribution towards fulfilling the goals, values and mission of the Faculty and the University.

• FEIT Excellence Award in Professional Excellence and Innovation

  2022: Enkhzaya Adiya

  Enkhzaya Adiya is an Industry Placement Coordinator in the Faculty's Student Enrichment team. Enkhzaya is being recognised for her innovation in the delivery of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology's annual Case Student Competition and her sustained commitment to excellence.  Enkhzaya has a proven commitment to supporting students to develop their professional skills. She supported the hybrid delivery of the case competition and increased the student programming to include an additional workshop. Her dedication helped to create a vibrant ecosystem throughout the competition and saw a more diverse cohort of students engaging in the activity.