Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences Celebrates University of Melbourne Excellence Award Recipients
We are proud to recognise the outstanding staff and students from the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences who have been named recipients at the 2025 University of Melbourne Excellence Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in research, education and innovation across the University, and this year, our department has been recognised across multiple categories.
Award for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research
Parkinson’s B-eye-omarker Team
The Parkinson’s B-eye-omarker Team has been awarded the Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research Award, recognising their collaborative work advancing the understanding of Parkinson’s disease through innovative eye-based biomarkers.
Congratulations to:
Senior researchers who lead across interdisciplinary fields of:
- Vision: Associate Professor Christine Nguyen, Dr Bao Nguyen, Prof Bang Bui, A/Prof Andrew Anderson, Dr Amanda Douglass, Prof Pete Williams, Prof Bruce Berkowitz,
- Neurology/Neuroscience: Prof Jane Alty, Prof Tissa Wijeratne, Prof Andrew Evans, Prof David Finkelstein, Prof Kevin Barnham
- Engineering and IT: Dr Greg Wadley, Dr Kris Ehringer, A/Prof Sam John
And the emerging leaders:
- Mid-Career Researchers: Dr Vickie Wong, Anh Hoang, Amelia Sedjahtera
- Early Career Researchers: Dr Pei Ying Lee, Dr Da Zhao, Dr Sydney Juan
With acknowledgements to our PhD and Master's students whose contributions have been integral to this work:
- Yaash Selwyn Richard
- Patrycja Solak
- Jingjing Lin
- Alena Hodzic
- Rui Zhang
- Grace Lim
- Georgia McGuffie
- Nicole Fernandes
“We are truly honoured to receive this award, which is a reflection of a highly interdisciplinary and integrated team across neurology, optometry/ophthalmology, basic and clinical research with a view to translation to real-world impact” - Associate Professor Christine Nguyen
Norman Curry Award for Innovation and Excellence in Educational Programs
Advancing Optometry Through Smart Education
The department has also been recognised with the Norman Curry Award for Innovation and Excellence in Educational Programs for the Advancing Optometry Through Smart Education initiative.
This award acknowledges the team’s commitment to ensuring our students are equipped with forward-thinking, evidence-based learning experiences.
Congratulations to:
- Associate Professor Kwang Cham
- Mr Keenan Hellyer
- Mr Chris Watt
- Dr Andrew Huhtanen
- Associate Professor Anthea Cochrane
- Mr Jonathan Ng
- Dr Selwyn Prea
- Dr Amanda Douglass
- Dr Jia Jia Lek
“Honoured to receive the Norman Curry Award. This recognition reminds me of what’s possible when we rethink how we teach and work together to shape smarter, more human‑centred optometry education.” - Associate Professor Kwang Cham.
Recognition Across Multiple Categories
A special congratulations to Dr Amanda Douglass and Associate Professor Kwang Cham, who were recognised across multiple award categories for their work in both research and education.
We extend our congratulations to all award recipients and acknowledge the significant work behind this recognition.