UNSW community recognised with Australia Day Honours
2025-01-26T08:00:00+11:00
Scientia Professor Megan Davis has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).
Photo: UNSW Sydney
Renowned constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate Professor Megan Davis leads the list of UNSW Sydney recipients of 2025 Australia Day Honours.
Scientia Professor Megan Davis, UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Society (PVCS), heads the list of UNSW academics, alumni, staff and members of the University鈥檚 community recognised in this year鈥檚 Australia Day Honours.
Prof. Davis has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for eminent service to the law and to social justice, to the national and international advocacy of the rights of Indigenous peoples, and to the community.
鈥淭his recognition is an honour. My global work including United Nations service and constitutional recognition work was all conducted from UNSW. This is not only a personal achievement but is the achievement of many who have helped me, including and especially my mother, Dawn and my family,鈥 Prof. Davis said.
Professor Bronwyn Fox and Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla have been appointed Officers of the Order of Australia (AO), highlighting the leadership of UNSW women driving change in their fields.
UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs congratulated all members of the UNSW community who received awards.
鈥淭hese honours are a testament to your remarkable achievements and contributions to the nation. Your dedication to advancing knowledge, equity, and innovation is inspiring, and we deeply thank you for your commitment to improving the lives of all Australians and drive to have a positive meaningful impact on the world.鈥
Professor Brungs also applauded Prof. Davis鈥檚 appointment as an AC.
鈥淭his is a well-deserved recognition of Megan鈥檚 unwavering commitment to scholarship, justice, and equity. Her leadership, academic excellence and tireless advocacy for the rights of First Nations and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the past two decades is inspiring. My heartfelt congratulations to Megan on this outstanding honour.鈥
Prof. Davis has worked on constitutional recognition at UNSW Law & Justice for over 20 years. She designed the dialogue process and the First Nations National Constitutional Convention that led to the and the Voice to Parliament.听
Her work extends internationally, through roles at the United Nations (UN), focusing on global Indigenous rights. In this capacity, she was elected by the UN Economic and Social Council to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and then elected by the UN Human Rights Council to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples based in Geneva.
鈥淯nited Nations (UN) expert roles are unpaid, and the UN system depends on universities, like UNSW, to accommodate this important human rights work,鈥 said Prof. Davis.听 聽
鈥淎lso, the journey to constitutional recognition was twelve long years and much of my scholarship and advocacy for reform was done from the Indigenous Law Centre, UNSW.
鈥淯NSW supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the vision for a fairer, more inclusive Australia. This journey is far from over, and I remain committed to ensuring that the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are heard in Australian democracy, and our people are recognised in our nation's founding document.鈥
Prof. Davis is currently visiting Harvard University as the Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair of Australian Studies and has been made a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School for the 2024-2025 academic year.听
Prof. Fox, UNSW Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise has been recognised for her distinguished service to public administration, scientific research and development, advanced manufacturing, and to tertiary education.
鈥淭o be recognised in the Australia Day Honours has come as a huge surprise to me, and I feel very humbled and grateful to be named,鈥 Prof. Fox said.
鈥淚 love what I do. I had a fantastic experience contributing in my previous roles to the federal government and the CSIRO, and I particularly love working in universities where we change lives. I鈥檓 an engineer and a scientist and find that energising 鈥 it鈥檚 really all about working creatively in teams to solve challenges that will have a positive impact on society, and that's very rewarding.
鈥淚'm proud of my students who have gone on to work all over the world, leading major research initiatives and starting their own companies, creating new industries, and transforming the communities they live in.
鈥淢y mother has been a source of inspiration to me. Mum taught specialist maths in a low SES school, and I've witnessed the transformative power of education in enabling people to reach their potential, and that has spurred me on every step of the way.鈥
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, founding Director of the , has been recognised for her distinguished service to science as an engineer and inventor, sustainable materials research and technology and waste management.
鈥淚 am so honoured to have been considered for recognition in the Order of Australia. It means so much and reflects on the many people who have been part of my journey. The feeling of leading a scientific field is profound, but this sort of recognition is next level. This just motivates me even more,鈥 Prof. Sahajwalla said.
鈥淚 speak to communities, governments and industries all the time, and if this award helps me to continue doing that and to motivate and inspire others, I am grateful for that. What drives me and the team at the UNSW SMaRT Centre is developing solutions for real world materials sustainability challenges that help deliver better social, environmental and economic outcomes.
鈥淚 thank all who have been part of my journey, and especially UNSW Sydney for enabling me to pursue my passion and dreams. Students and staff I鈥檝e worked with have been so inspirational to me and many of them have become champions of the field of science we have been pioneering, and for me knowing there are others taking the passion forward is satisfying. On a personal side, I deeply thank my family for their understanding of my ongoing focus and drive, as well as my occasional crazy fixations on solving waste problems.鈥
A list of Australia Day Honours received by members of the UNSW community can be found below.
-
The Honourable James Joshua Edelman, Honorary Conjoint Professor, UNSW Law & Justice, for eminent service to the law and to the judiciary, to legal education and scholarship, as a mentor to academics and legal practitioners in Australia and internationally, and to the community.
Emeritus Professor Gillian Doreen Triggs, Advisory Committee Member, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW from 2013-2019, for eminent service to humanitarian and human rights law, to international relations, to social justice advocacy, and to tertiary legal education and research.
-
The Honourable Justice John Basten, former Lecturer and Senior Lecturer from 1974-1982, UNSW Law & Justice, for distinguished service to the law as a judge, to legal education, to board and commission roles, and as a champion of Indigenous and human rights.
Emeritus Professor Andrew William Blakers, ARC Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow at UNSW from 1986-1989 and 1990-1991, for distinguished service to science in the field of solar cell development, and as an advocate for energy storage and renewable technologies.
The Honourable Justice Brian John Preston, member of the UNSW Judges and the Academy Advisory Committee since 2017, for distinguished service to the judiciary and the law, to legal academia, and to environmental and natural resources governance and education.
The Honourable Nicholas John Sherry, former Board Member, UNSW Risk and Actuarial Services Advisory Council 2013, for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia, to the governance and operation of the superannuation industry, and to the people of Tasmania.
-
Professor Joshua Byrne, former Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2017-2019, for significant service to conservation and the environment, and as a media presenter and author.
Professor Philip Tiet Chung, UNSW Law & Justice, for significant service to the law, particularly his contribution to public access to legal information, and to tertiary education.
Professor David Headon, former Senior Lecturer UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, for significant service to history preservation, as a historian, cultural advisor, and author.
The late Dr Daryll Raymond Hull, former Visiting Professorial Fellow, Australian School of Business and Adjunct Professor, UNSW Engineering, for significant service to the transport industry, and to tertiary education.
Professor Alun Conrad Jackson, Foundation Member of the National Centre for HIV/AIDS Social Research at UNSW, for significant service to health sciences, particularly as a researcher and academic.
Ms Wendy Susan Simpson, member of the Scientia Circle at UNSW for significant service to social welfare, to cultural and church organisations, and as a mentor.
Professor Julian Trollor, Director of the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health, UNSW Medicine and Health, for significant service to people with disability, particularly as a clinician and academic.
Emeritus Professor Joe Wolfe, Emeritus Professor of Physics, UNSW Science, for significant service to tertiary education, and to music.
-
Mr Phillip Helmore, former Senior Lecturer 1993-2019, Naval Architecture, UNSW Engineering, for service to naval architecture.
UNSW congratulates all the members of its community who received 2025 Australia Day Honours.
Find the full list of recipients on the .听
See a list of UNSW alumni who received awards.
Media enquiries
For enquiries about this story an interview requests please contact Yolande Hutchinson:
Tel: 0420 845 023
Email: y.hutchinson@unsw.edu.au
