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The nation’s premier science awards recognise UNSW academics for excellence in research & innovation, leadership and science engagement.

UNSW Sydney researchers developing a recycling system for solar panels, generating electricity from infrared radiation at night and making genomic sequencing more accessible are among seven UNSW projects nominated for . ��

The researchers from the faculties of Science and Engineering have been selected as finalists for their exceptional achievements in the fields of innovative technology, science and sustainability.

Presented annually in partnership with some of the nation's leading scientific institutions, government organisations, universities and corporations, the Eureka Prizes raise the profile of celebrates outstanding scientific achievement.

The 2025 Eureka Prize winners will be announced on Wednesday 3 September��at an awards dinner held at the Australian Museum.

This year UNSW is sponsoring a new category at the Eureka Prizes – the UNSW Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science.��The Prize will be awarded to individuals or teams who, through partnership with industry, government or not-for-profit, transform their scientific research into practical solutions that address pressing global societal challenges.

UNSW also sponsors the Eureka Prize for Scientific Research for outstanding curiosity-driven scientific research.

The UNSW finalists are:

UNSW Night-Time Solar Team

Team lead: Professor Ned Ekins-Daukes

ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology

In a world-first achievement, the UNSW Night-Time Solar Team has generated electricity from the emission of light rather than its absorption, using a semiconductor device known as athermoradiative diode, similar to materials used in night-vision goggles. Because large quantities of the Earth’s heat are radiated as infrared light, it enables electrical power to be generated at night.��

“From the thermodynamics, it became clear to us that it should be possible to generate solar power at night by harnessing the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth as it cools down. However, the question was ‘How?’,”��team lead Prof. Ekins-Daukes said.

“In the end, we realised that a particular type of semiconductor diode would achieve this, and after quite a bit of experimentation, we managed to directly measure electrical power from the emission of infrared light for the first time.”

The most surprising application for this device is the ability to��generate solar power at night, but it also allows electronics to be powered from any source of heat.�� For example, the technology could provide enough electricity to power a wristwatch from body heat. ��

Members of the team include Prof. Ned Ekins-Daukes, Dr Michael Nielsen, Associate Professor Peter Reece, Dr Phoebe Pearce, Muhammad Hasnan Sazzad and Jamie Harrison.

Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi

Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

Modern genomic sequencing is transforming fields such as agriculture, medicine and ecology. However, it generally requires huge supercomputers and long processing times. Dr Gamaarachchi��from UNSW and The Garvan Institute of Medical Research has developed a new scalable, efficient and accessible computer processing system, allowing more people to unlock the potential of genomic sequencing.

“Modern genome sequencing technologies generate huge volumes of complex data, and the data analysis, even on large supercomputers, still takes a long time,” said Dr Gamaarachchi.

“Replacing the inefficient FAST5 format with our efficient SLOW5 was a game-changer. What used to take two weeks to process became possible to be done under 10 hours, and on standard computing hardware.

“My research has been to build open-source software, including those that run on portable computing systems, to make genomic analysis fast, affordable and accessible to everyone.”��

Scientia Professor Xiaojing Hao

UNSW Eureka Prize for Scientific Research

Prof. Hao’s research focuses on making solar panels more efficient and affordable, so that clean, green energy becomes accessible to everyone.��

Traditional silicon solar cells are close to reaching their theoretical efficiency limit, so the future of solar power lies in new types of solar cells - tandem cells, with the key challenge being to find the best top cell materials to pair with silicon.��

Utilising her platform to find and fix energy loss in thin-film photovoltaic cells, which are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity, Prof. Hao led her group to set��world efficiency records in wide bandgap kesterite solar cells, and is developing other forms of solar cells to create cheaper and greener solar technologies.��

“The research breakthroughs achieved over the past decade will accelerate the development of next-generation tandem solar cells,” Prof. Hao said.

“The tandem cell PV technology is expected to be worth more than $10 billion, reaching a market size of over 20 gigawatts a year by��2030.”

Professor Yansong Shen

University of Sydney Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research

As millions of solar panels come to the end of their life, Prof. Shen has developed a recycling system for solar panels��that diverts all waste from landfill and provides materials for new panels and other purposes. The work has established a comprehensive collaboration with over 20 industry partners across the supply chain in Australia and overseas.

Prof. Shen leads an Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability.

“Photovoltaics solar panels play a vital role in global net zero targets. Inspired by metallurgical engineering, we have developed new highly efficient and viable technologies to recycle them at the end of their lives, using numerical experiments for technology design and selection, and physical experiments for verification and prototyping,” Prof. Shen said.

“The results have been published, patented and translated to industry, with measurable effectiveness and benefits, directly addressing Australia’s Net Zero Target and Waste Action Plan 2050.”

Dr Aaron Eger, UNSW and Kelp Forest Alliance

Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science

Kelp forests occupy a strange niche. The underwater marvels span one-third of the world’s coastlines. Sea dragons roost in their branches, and for tens of thousands of years, cultures have been shaped by their presence. Yet, kelp forests remain largely ignored – missing from conservation policies and the public imagination.

Dr Eger founded the Kelp Forest Alliance, uniting 340 organisations across 25 countries across the science, community and policy space. He aims to protect and restore four million hectares of kelp forests by 2040.

“The Kelp Forest Alliance is building a movement, from snorkellers to CEOs, united by a single goal: to help our kelp and protect the life it supports,” Dr Eger said.

“The challenges are immense, too big for science alone. Real solutions demand a blend of knowledge and creativity, where researchers work with artists, community leaders, businesses, and visionaries. We’re creating these connections through reciprocal pathways, where science serves society and society enriches science.

“When we unite science and society, we stand a real chance to turn the tide.”

Dr Jodi Rowley, The Australian Museum and UNSW

Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science

Dr Rowley helps the public connect with science and biodiversity through stories from the field – searching for frogs in remote places, uncovering rare species and sharing the thrill of discovery. With a strong media presence, including ABC Radio and The Conversation, she also leads the national citizen science app FrogID.��

“Through my public engagement, I strive to reveal the beauty and importance of frogs so that the public also falls in love with frogs, joining the fight to help save them,” Dr Rowley said.

“I strive to not only promote the understanding of science but inspire active participation in science.”

Dr Rowley’s passion for sharing the wonders of the natural world has also seen her featured on The Drew Barrymore Show, bringing frog science to international audiences. She appeared in the Apple TV+ documentary Earth Sounds and the ABC’s Australia’s Wild Odyssey, where her work highlights the crucial role frogs play in ecosystems and showcases Australia’s unique biodiversity.

Living Seawalls, Macquarie University, UNSW, and Sydney Institute of Marine Science

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Eureka Prize for Environmental Research

The Living Seawalls project addresses the growing biodiversity loss due to construction in our oceans.

Marine constructions destroy natural habitats and replace these with novel ‘built’ habitats. The typically flat and featureless surfaces of marine constructions provide little protection to marine life from predation and environmental stressors.��

Building on over 20 years of research, the Living Seawalls team has developed a modular system by which critical habitats for marine life can be added to marine constructions. Three-dimensional geometries mimicking the habitat features of natural shoreline ecosystems are cast into or retrofitted to marine-built structures in scalable mosaics.

“The complex surfaces increase the habitat area available for colonisation and growth of seaweeds, shellfish and other marine life. They also add protection to marine life from high temperatures and predators,” explains UNSW Scientia Associate Professor Mariana Mayer Pinto.

“Our vision is that no new marine construction proceeds without consideration of how it can be adapted to benefit both humans and nature.”

The Living Seawalls team includes A/Prof. Mayer Pinto from UNSW, Professor Melanie Bishop from Macquarie University, Professor Katherine Dafforn from Macquarie University and Dr Maria Vozzo from CSIRO. The Project Manager is Dr Aria Lee, from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.��