The University of Western Australia has a continual roll call of awards, scholarships and prizes presented to staff and students.

To recognise these achievements, an article is published on the UWA news page on the website and in UWA Forward on the first week of every month. If you know of great awards or achievements across the University please email [email protected].

Name: Jason Beringer

Achievement:  Professor Jason Beringer, from UWA School of Agriculture and Environment and Centre for Water and Spatial Science, has retired. His research focused on understanding how ecosystems and the services they provide respond to climate change and disturbance to enable a fundamental basis for their future management. Professor Beringer developed and led the Land-Ecosystem-Atmosphere Processes and Interactions group, which is a skilled multidisciplinary team undertaking a research program to determine how the Australian terrestrial biosphere will respond to climate and land use change. The focus is on the major ecosystem cycles (water, carbon, and nitrogen), biotic composition and ecological community structure for understanding changes in the provision of ecosystem services and the impacts of people and a changing climate.

Name: Albert Farrugia

Achievement:  Clinical Professor Albert Farrugia, from the UWA Medical School, became the first Australian to receive the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) International Award for Outstanding Service. Established in 2010, the award is given to an individual or an organisation who has demonstrated outstanding service to the WFH and the bleeding disorders community. Professor Farrugia is a globally respected expert whose work has helped shape the safety and regulation of blood and blood products. Originally from Malta and now based in Australia, he has dedicated his career to strengthening systems that ensure safer treatment for patients – work that is also deeply personal, as he lives with mild hemophilia A and lost his brother to hemophilia 57 years ago. He played a pivotal role in the development of the Australian Blood Transfusion Services. The award was presented during the opening ceremony of the WFH 2026 World Congress.

Name: Australian Plant Phenomics Network, Biodiversity Genomics, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space

Achievement:  The University of Western Australia’s ‘Wild Plants, Big Harvests & Cosmic Super Crops’ stall won the  Silver Medal for Best in Show at the Perth Garden Show. The stall was a cross-disciplinary effort that showcased the importance of climate-resilient urban green spaces, sustainable plants in space and on Earth, and ways to tackle real-world agricultural challenges. The event highlighted the importance of plant science capturing the public's imagination and sparking conversations about the future of food, sustainability and exploration. Congratulation to everyone involved in designing, building and communicating the engaging and forward-looking display.

Name:  Fiona Wood

Achievement: Professor Fiona Wood AM, from UWA Medical School, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Burns Association. The award is in recognition of her more than three decades as a burns surgeon and researcher and was presented in Orlando, Florida at the American Burns Association 2026 annual meeting. As Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia, she has been a leader her field and is recognised internationally in burns care.  In 2002, Professor Wood became a household name when she led the Royal Perth Hospital team to treat victims of the Bali bombings with a spray-on skin solution she developed. Professor Wood is a consultant plastic surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital, co-founder of the first skin cell laboratory in WA and co-founder of the Fiona Wood Foundation.

Congratulations UWA staff, alumni and students.