News: celebrating our colleagues
Celebrating our colleagues: Kate Ralph
As Children’s University winds down after a record-breaking 2025, Kate Ralph reflects on the “symphony of logistics’’ behind the scenes for her team’s biggest and most rewarding undertaking of the year – graduation season.
Celebrating our colleagues: Andrew Zannettino
Professor Andrew Zannettino has long been dedicated to shaping South Australia’s health and medical workforce. His commitment to mentoring emerging researchers and clinicians has influenced a generation of leaders now working across the globe.
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Celebrating our colleagues: Peter Apoefis
After 40 years at the University of Adelaide, Peter Apoefis still gets a kick out of building complex custom scientific instruments from scratch to bring researchers’ ideas to reality.
Celebrating our colleagues: Hussain Ahmad
After years of perseverance, late nights, and countless breakthroughs, Dr Hussain Ahmad recently celebrated his PhD graduation at the September 2025 ceremony. His journey from curious learner to University lecturer demonstrates that with passion and persistence, anything is possible.
Celebrating our colleagues: Yanyan Hong
Newly conferred PhD graduate Dr Yanyan Hong talks about her rewarding academic journey with us, her passion for volunteering, and sources of inspiration. “Bite every opportunity while you still have teeth,’’ she grins. “Stay positive, keep smiling, if you don’t succeed at first try again – and learn something each time so you can do better.’’
Celebrating our colleagues: Vikram Kenjle
A man in his garage with his sleeves rolled up getting grease on his hands at the weekend, tuning up high performance cars, is probably not the first image you might have of a sustainability expert.
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Celebrating our colleagues: Lidwien Verdegaal
Dr Lidwien Verdegaal’s adventurous spirit has taken her from veterinary practice in the Netherlands to Jordan’s Royal Jafaar Stables, saving bushfire-stricken animals and making ground-breaking discoveries about equine athletes. Growing up on a farm in the southern Netherlands, Lidwien was a “pony girl” at school, with a natural affinity for all animals but especially horses.
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Celebrating our colleagues: Brooke Zabrowarny
It’s not uncommon for Brooke Zabrowarny to smash out multiple live performances in packed theatres over a weekend, then find herself at home - in full stage makeup and hair - cooking a Sunday night roast and considering Monday’s to-do list for her role in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
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Celebrating our colleagues: Grayson Rotumah
Grayson Rotumah, Co-director of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music, discusses growing up as part of the Bundjalung community, his musical influences, and the enduring impact of the oldest Aboriginal music school in Australia.
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Celebrating our colleagues: Kimberley Clark
I've always been interested in biology and fascinated by how the human body works—and equally by how much we still don’t understand when it goes wrong.
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