Eight outstanding researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and the Institute-led Broome STEM Festival are finalists in the 2025 Premier’s Science Awards.
Premier Roger Cook and Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson today announced 38 finalists across 10 categories, with the winners to be revealed at the Premier’s Science Awards ceremony in November.
The Premier’s Science Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding scientific research and engagement taking place in Western Australia, and are a keystone in the WA Government’s efforts to raise the profile of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in WA.
Congratulations to our finalists:
Associate Professor Glenn Pearson is a finalist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist of the Year. A/Professor Pearson is a Nyoongar and the Director of First Nations Strategy and Leadership, Head of First Nations Health and Equity Theme, co-team lead for the Strep-A Translation Team at The Kids and is an Associate Professor at The University of Western Australia. He has led the integration of Aboriginal health across all of the Institute’s research programs with the expectation that the health of Aboriginal kids is everyone’s business. His work involves ensuring that all researchers adopt robust and culturally-respectful processes, where Aboriginal people are not just considered in research but are drivers and leaders of the research affecting them and their families. He is an investigator for the Australian Alliance for Indigenous Genomics (ALIGN) and the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS), as well as the Indigenous lead of the Australia Strep A Vaccine Alliance (ASAVI) among a broader range of Strep A/RHD research projects.
Dr Jessica Buck is also a finalist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist of the Year. Dr Buck is a Kamilaroi woman and leads the First Nations Childhood Cancer Research team at The Kids, and is also an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at UWA. Using her background in neuroscience and cancer research, Dr Buck’s world-first research program aims to Close the Gap in outcomes for First Nations children with cancer. By combining her knowledge of cancer biology with an understanding of health through a First Nations lens, her research program sets the foundation for improved survival, quality of life, and culturally safe care for children with cancer. In addition to her research, Dr Buck is passionate about supporting and mentoring students and junior researchers, particularly women in science and First Nations students.
Professor Asha Bowen OAM is a finalist for Mid-Career Scientist of the Year. Professor Bowen is Head of the Healthy Skin & ARF Prevention team at The Kids, a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist at Perth Children’s Hospital, and Clinical Professor with the UWA Medical School. She has dedicated her career to reducing the burden of skin infections in Aboriginal children and is one of Australia’s leading clinician-scientists. Professor Bowen led the landmark SToP (See, Treat, Prevent) Skin Sores and Scabies Trial in partnership with nine remote Kimberley communities. SToP is Australia’s largest community-wide skin infection program, which successfully halved the prevalence of skin sores in remote Aboriginal kids. She also envisioned and led the National Healthy Skin Guidelines, first released in 2018 and updated in 2023, which has been downloaded more than 15,000 times worldwide and transformed how healthcare workers recognise, diagnose and treat skin infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
Professor Nick Golding is also a finalist for Mid-Career Scientist of the Year. Professor Golding is Head of the Infectious Disease Ecology and Modelling team at The Kids and Infectious Disease Modelling Chair at The University of Western Australia, and is internationally recognised for mathematical and statistical modelling for the control of epidemics and emerging infectious diseases. His modelling has guided Australia's response to COVID-19 and Japanese Encephalitis virus, Ebola policy in the UK and Sierra Leone and China’s H7N9 surveillance. His global models of vector-borne diseases are used by the World Health Organization and cited in reports and vector control guides. Professor Golding is committed to training the next generation of researchers as an active mentor and student supervisor and facilitator of communities of practice to build capacity among junior researchers.
Mx Shakara Liddelow-Hunt is a finalist for Student Scientist of the Year. Mx Liddelow-Hunt is a Wajarri person completing their PhD at The University of Western Australia and The Kids. They are recognised as a national leader in research focused on the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people. Their research is highly responsive to the priorities of their community, always focused on ensuring findings are communicated back to participants and communities in an appropriate and accessible way that makes a meaningful difference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ communities. Through building genuine partnerships, they elevate the voices of their community.
Ms Stephanie Enkel is also a finalist for Student Scientist of the Year. Ms Enkel is a PhD candidate at The Kids and The University of Western Australia, pioneering upstream, place-based responses to preventable infections like Strep A. Working alongside remote Aboriginal communities, she reframes disease prevention from a narrow biomedical lens to a whole-of-environment, culturally grounded approach that drives real policy action. Her research amplifies community voices, connects evidence to investment, and helps ensure that people in WA’s most remote communities benefit from research that translates into lasting change. Through her leadership, outreach and advocacy, Ms Enkel demonstrates that research can be both rigorous and deeply values-driven.
Mr Michael Dymock is also a finalist for Student Scientist of the Year. Mr Dymock is a biostatistician and PhD student based at The Kids and The University of Western Australia. He leads a program of research developing innovative statistical methods to increase the efficiency of clinical research through better use of resources and faster translation to policy and practice. Mr Dymock has implemented a novel clinical trial design that is applicable to any health context, including improving the evidence quality that informs Australian vaccine policy, which is the focus of his PhD, and improves the value of research for clinical decision-making. He is passionate about encouraging student engagement in mathematics and STEM more broadly in WA, and regularly volunteers for The Kids’ Outreach Program speaking to primary school students, often from lower socioeconomic areas that have limited opportunities and exposure to STEM activities.
Ms Taleah Ugle is a finalist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander STEM Student of the Year. Ms Ugle is a Menang-Ballardong Noongar woman, an Aboriginal Research Assistant with the Healthy Skin and Acute Rheumatic Fever Prevention Team at The Kids, and is completing a Bachelor of Science (Anatomy and Human Biology, and Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage double major) at The University of Western Australia. Ms Ugle started at The Kids after completing two Aurora Foundation internships and works on the Moorditj Marp (Strong Skin) project which focuses on creating culturally relevant and community-guided skin health resources for Aboriginal children living in urban areas. This role allows her to uplift community voices and improve representation and accessibility to skin health resources, improving health outcomes for community. Ms Ugle will complete her bachelor’s degree at the end of 2025 and intends to pursue Medicine in 2026 through the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) at UWA.
The Broome STEM Festival is a finalist for Science Engagement Initiative of the Year. Held annually since 2023, the Broome STEM Festival and follow-up incursions are co-designed with schools, local organisations, Aboriginal corporations and researchers. The festival has reached more than 4,600 participants. In 2025, the festival welcomed over 670 students from eight schools – including Beagle Bay, Derby and Bidyadanga - for our school sessions, and 600 community members for our community festival. The Broome STEM Festival is coordinated by The Kids schools and outreach team and Broome-based staff, and aims to build an inclusive STEM future by helping regional and First Nations students see themselves as scientists.
For more information on this year’s Premier’s Science Awards finalists, see the WA Government media release here.