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High-performing teams and individuals honoured at DMTC Awards

Research with real-world impact, efforts to build the capacity of Australia’s small businesses and breakthroughs in technology development have been recognised with Awards for Excellence at the DMTC Annual Conference for 2024.

Awardees were honoured in seven categories, with each demonstrating commitment to excellence and collaboration across a diverse portfolio of programs and projects.

Often described as the MVP Award, the Collaboration Award was presented to the CEO of Australian biotech company Sementis Limited, Dr Anne Collins. Read more about Dr Collins’ award here.

Award winners clockwise from top left: Yen Truong, Zoe Kristall and Anne Collins

Zoe Kristall from Planet Innovation took out the Project Leadership Award for successfully harnessing the efforts of a team developing bio-threat detection technologies and integrating them into a wearable sensor.

Zoe’s project management expertise has ensured the project has remained on track while responding to changing priorities and stakeholder demands.

Welding specialists Ashley Bell and Daniel Fosdike from BAE Systems Maritime Australia were honoured with the Research Partnership Award for providing critical industrial leadership and context to inform the application of research outcomes.

Welding technology and equipment installed at the Osborne Naval Shipyard represents a step change in shipbuilding technology. The project partners from BAE, ANSTO, the University of Wollongong and DMTC are working together to apply R&D outcomes and maximise the capabilities of the shipyard.

Dr Alessandro Carcione from The University of Queensland was presented with the Industry Partnership Award for his invaluable and long-standing contributions to both technology development and technology transfer projects managed by DMTC.

Alessandro has also made a huge impact as a key member of the team that delivers DMTC’s Smart Enough Factory (SEF) program – a practical, hands-on technology solution that has been universally well-received across the defence industry sector, particularly by small to medium enterprises.

Joanne Allard from the Department of Defence took out the Early Career Researcher Award for her contribution to a collaborative project between DSTG, the University of Queensland and DMTC to develop a cost effective, broad spectrum, medical countermeasure that has potential to deliver significant global breakthroughs in the combating of deadly nerve agents.

Joanne has undertaken the bulk of the scientific work to progress this project to date, as part of both her employment with Defence and in pursuit of a PhD in protein production and engineering.

Dr Karren Plain was presented with the SoldierOn Award, for a ‘quiet achiever’ who embodies DMTC’s values and has a strong work ethic. Karren is a post-doctoral researcher working at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI), and has been a key member of the project team working to produce a new, more effective vaccine against Q Fever for use in humans.

Karren has made enormous contributions to the team’s progress in a role that is both physically demanding and technically challenging. Her work has resulted in a robust and reproducible process for the growth of bacterial matter, an integral step for the creation of novel vaccine material.

The collaborative team addressing a known capability gap in protection of personnel against chemical, biological or radiological threats (relating to a lack of aerosol protection in air-breathable protective suits) was presented with the Capability Improvement Award.

The project team consists of Bruck Textiles, the Defence Science and Technology Group, RMIT, NanoLayr and Proxenus and is capably led by Yen Truong from CSIRO.

The team successfully progressed the multilayered, air-breathable textile technology solution from lab scale fabric (TRL4) to production scale (TRL6) in a period of 15 months.

Award winners clockwise from top left: Karren Plain, Alessandro Carcione, Michael Stephenson (representing BAESMA) and Joanne Allard

This year’s DMTC awards were handmade by Aboriginal Steel Art founder Wayne “Liwingu” McGinness. Wayne’s work blends contemporary aboriginal art and the use of steel in both two and three dimensions.

More information on the DMTC Conference can be found here.