Leading the way at science and innovation awards

University of Adelaide academics have earned state recognition for their achievements in science and innovation at recent awards.

Professor Kishan Dholakia, Director of the Centre of Light for Life, was named the South Australian Scientist of the Year at the SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards.

Professor Dholakia is making waves with groundbreaking work on structured light, revolutionising imaging and precision measurement, pushing the boundaries of science and technology.

Since founding the Centre of Light for Life in 2023, Professor Dholakia has been part of major advances in fundamental and interdisciplinary science using photonics.

Dr Marie-Claire Seeley from the Adelaide Medical School, has paved the way for a better understanding and management of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), earning her the PhD Research Excellence Award.

Her work has led the way nationally to help create a pathway for earlier diagnosis, better treatment and policy reform around POTS. She was amongst the first experts to conduct research into autonomic dysfunction in people with long COVID.

Dr Seeley also recently received the Cardiovascular Nursing Research Prize from the Cardiovascular Society of Australia and New Zealand, as well as a 2025 Winston Churchill Fellowship from the Federal Department of Health.

Associate Professor Hannah Wardill from the School of Biomedicine, was named the 2025 South Australian Mid-Career STEMM Professional of the Year.

Her research program involves both laboratory-based and clinical research and aims to prevent the long-term physical, emotional and economic disadvantages of cancer and its treatment by developing innovative supportive care solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of patients.

Associate Professor Wardill also leads the Supportive Oncology Research Group within the University.

At the Women in Innovation Awards, Professor Louise Hull from Adelaide Medical School claimed the 2025 Women in Innovation Technology Award for her work in helping to create artificial intelligence imaging systems to redefine diagnosis and care for endometriosis.

She founded and currently leads the Endometriosis Group at the University’s Robinson Research Institute, and is principle investigator of the IMAGENDO project which aims to reduce delays in diagnosis by developing a new, accessible, cost-effective, less-invasive diagnostic tool.