- Posted on 7 Apr 2026
- 4-minute read
The UTS Faculty of Design and Society (FDS) has celebrated outstanding achievement across research and engagement at its inaugural Research and Engagement Awards, held Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
The awards recognise excellence, leadership, collaboration and impact across research, supervision, professional support and engagement, reflecting the many ways staff and students contribute to the faculty’s research culture and external partnerships.
Deputy Dean (previously Associate Dean, Research) Professor Jua Cilliers, said the awards were an opportunity to recognise the depth and diversity of work taking place across the faculty.
“These awards highlight the depth of research excellence across the Faculty of Design and Society. They also recognise the commitment of our staff and students, and the important contribution their work makes to research culture, collaboration and positive social impact.”
Associate Dean, International, Associate Professor Susie Khamis added:
“This is a celebration of the many wonderful ways FDS engages students, industry and communities through projects and initiatives that are authentic, meaningful and high impact. In class or off campus, our colleagues are creating memorable and rewarding experiences for our stakeholders – and we couldn’t be prouder”.
Spanning 12 categories, the awards acknowledge contributions across the full breadth of faculty life, from HDR supervision and research excellence to community, industry and student engagement. They celebrate work that strengthens the faculty internally while also extending its impact through collaboration with industry, community and external stakeholders.
In the Engagement categories, Luke Tipene and Christina Deluchi received the Community Engagement Award for their work on the National Indigenous Art Fair, an industry-led collaboration with Indigenous partners across Australia. Dr Ian Stevenson was awarded the Industry Engagement Award for work with Transport for NSW to improve the safety of zero-emission public transport for passengers who are blind or vision impaired. The Student Engagement Award went to Emily McDaniel, Matte Ager-McConnell and Dr Endriana Audisho for their work involving Architecture students in the Architecture Biennale in Venice.
The Research awards recognised achievement across the academic career pipeline. Jesse Adams Stein received the HDR Supervisor of the Year Award, while Puzhou Wu was recognised with the HDR Student Publication Award. The Best Thesis Award was jointly awarded to Dr Linda Buhagiar and Dr Sonam Dorji. Dr Archie Thomas received the Early Career Researcher Award for External Funding, and Dr Caitlin Biddolph won the Early Career Researcher Award for Publications and NTROs.
The Inclusive Innovation Award was shared by Professor Nick Hopwood and Dr Samantha Donnelly, while Associate Professor Alireza Ahmadian Fard Fini was named Researcher of the Year. The Research Team Excellence Award went to the Australian Centre for Public History, Darlinghurst Public History Initiative team (Professor Anna Clark, Associate Professor Tamson Pietsch, Dr Sarah Gilbert, Sarah Angus, Gabrielle Kemmis, Dr Alana Piper). The final award presented for the evening - the Research Enabler Award recognised the FDS Research Office team: Claire Moore, Eva Garcia, Georgina Donovan, Lenka Pondelickova, Peter Lopez and Vanessa Artika Setiadi.
Together, the award winners reflect the strength, diversity and impact of work taking place across FDS, and the faculty’s contribution to research excellence, meaningful engagement and positive social change.
List of award winners:
Community Engagement Award - Luke Tipene & Christina Deluchi
Industry Engagement Award – Dr Ian Stevenson
Student Engagement Award - Emily McDaniel, Matte Ager-McConnell & Dr Endriana Audisho
HDR Supervisor of the Year – Dr Jesse Adams Stein
HDR Student Publication Award - Puzhou Wu
Best Thesis Award (joint winners) – Dr Linda Buhagiar and Dr. Sonam Dorji
Best Thesis Award (runner-ups) - Eleanora Cerqua and Cathy Liu
ECR (Early Career Researcher) External Funding Award – Dr Archie Thomas
ECR (Early Career Researcher) Publications and NTRO Award – Dr Caitlin Biddolph
Inclusive Innovation Award (joint winners) – Professor Nick Hopwood and Dr Samantha Donnelly
Researcher of the Year – Associate Professor Alireza Ahmadian Fard Fini
Research Team Excellence Award - Australian Centre for Public History, Darlinghurst Public History Initiative (Professor Anna Clark, Associate Professor Tamson Pietsch, Dr Sarah Gilbert, Sarah Angus, Gabrielle Kemmis, Dr Alana Piper)
Research Enabler Award – Faculty of Design and Society Research Office (Claire Moore, Eva Garcia, Georgina Donovan, Lenka Pondelickova, Peter Lopez & Vanessa Artika Setiadi)
