- Posted on 31 Jul 2025
- 5 mins read
Three UTS researchers have been named as finalists in the 2025 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the nation’s highest profile science awards.
A data scientist combating online misinformation, a team of forensic scientists improving understanding of illicit drug trends, and a civil engineer building more resilient drains and sewers.
The three UTS finalists in the 2025 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes have been recognised for applying science to address some of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
“Proving the adage that good things come in threes, the UTS finalists for the Eureka Prizes embody the very best in our research scientists who are deeply engaged in the world,” said UTS Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Professor Kate McGrath.
“Congratulations to our finalists – this is a great achievement for them and their teams. Everyone at UTS is proud of their ground-breaking scientific research.”
Dr Xuan Li: Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher
Dr Xuan Li has created the drainage systems of the future, proving they work in real infrastructure in Australia and overseas. They can accurately predict hospitalisations related to infectious diseases, reduce urban flood volumes and extend sewer life by 40 per cent through inexpensive antimicrobial agents embedded in the concrete.
“Urban drainage systems quietly protect us from contamination and disease. But they can be decades old so are often outdated and can be under great pressure. Through innovative engineering solutions and advanced modelling, my research transforms this ageing infrastructure into resilient smart systems. This extends the service life and transforms stormwater from a flood risk into a good resource as well as helping us use wastewater as a smart prediction tool for future infectious disease outbreaks.” Dr Xuan Li
Associate Professor Marian-Andrei Rizoiu: Department of Defence Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia
Associate Professor Marian-Andrei Rizoiu protects Australia’s interests through new models that detect digital threats. Replacing current effort-intensive processes to identify malevolent agents, his mathematical models analyse responses and reactions to harmful content. They also determine how consumption of misinformation can lead to violent extremist acts – vital for national security agencies.
“My research builds stochastic models which are models that approximate how information travels between individuals in the online environment. We use it to understand why, for example, certain types of information become popular why things go viral and why misinformation catches on. Successful solutions allow us to approximate the effectiveness of countermeasures and what works best to protect Australia.” Associate Professor Marian-Andrei Rizoiu
Innovation in Substance Use Intelligence Guiding Harm Reduction Through Traces: UTS and Australian Federal Police Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science
Through a multidisciplinary approach, researchers from the Centre for Forensic Science (UTS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) and the Australian Federal Police use forensic science to improve understanding of drug markets and drug use in Sydney. By analysing used syringes and developing rapid near-infrared technology, they uncovered emerging risks and enabled real-time responses that supported policing, community safety, harm reduction and public health.
“Our research is about reducing harm for people who are injecting drugs. We use a forensic science approach by analysing drugs before and after they are injected. Before injection, we are implementing a portable drug testing technology that could characterise drugs before they are consumed. After injection, we are analysing used syringes to get a better idea of the drugs that are injected , in order to feed this information back to people who inject drugs and key decision makers,” Harry Fursman (UTS) for the project team also including Marie Morelato (McNerney) (UTS), Scott Chadwick (UTS), Jared Brown (Ministry of Health), Marianne Jauncey (Uniting MSIC) and Natasha Stojanovska (Australian Federal Police).
About the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes
Spanning 20 categories, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the nation’s most comprehensive and high-profile science awards. The winners will be announced on 3 September 2025 at the annual black-tie awards ceremony which shines a light on the work of Australian scientists, researchers, communicators and students.