From uncovering the Universe’s first light to investigating emerging contaminants in the environment, four remarkable early-career scientists have been awarded prestigious 2026 Forrest Fellowships.
Created to draw the brightest minds to Western Australia, the Forrest Fellowships drive research innovation tackling critical challenges and the world’s most pressing questions.
Dr Josef Richmond will join the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space and the School of Molecular Sciences at The University of Western Australia.
Dr Richmond’s research focuses on creating a scalable and efficient device to generate plasma-activated water, a nutrient-rich solution that supports agriculture in extreme environments.
Currently a Trottier Fellow at McGill University's Trottier Space Institute, Dr Aman Chokshi will start his Forrest Fellowship at Curtin University.
His research centres on detecting the Universe’s first light by employing new techniques that integrate astrophysics, aerospace engineering and satellite-based tools.
Dr Rhiannon Boseley will also join Curtin University, where she will investigate the chemical changes occurring in the brain during neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders using synchrotron methods.
The synchrotron, which produces light 10 billion times brighter than the sun, will enable her to explore the chemistry of biological samples using x-rays. Dr Boseley will return to her home state of WA after a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford.
At UWA, Dr Nishita Narwal aims to advance biochar-based strategies to mitigate microplastics in soil. Her interdisciplinary research combines environmental biotechnology, nanotechnology and soil-plant sciences to understand how contaminants accumulate in soil and crops to develop sustainable mitigation strategies.
Professor James Arvanitakis, Director of the Forrest Research Foundation, highlighted the exceptional calibre of talent that the Forrest Fellowships have attracted.
“We received an exceptionally strong and competitive pool of applications from across Australia and globally, reflecting the Foundation’s reputation as a world leading centre for groundbreaking research,” Professor Arvanitakis said.
“This year’s Fellows exemplify the values that define this program – scientific excellence, intellectual ambition and a deep commitment to advancing solutions to pressing global challenges.”
The four awardees will join the more than 50 researchers living at Forrest Hall which is becoming recognised globally as a centre of excellence, collaboration and creativity.
“We are proud to work across WA’s universities to support exceptional researchers whose work represents the forefront of scientific discovery, creativity and innovation,” Professor Arvanitakis said.
Image above: Drs Nishita Narwal, Josef Richmond, Aman Chokshi and Rhiannon Boseley.