UNSW celebrates 2026 Alumni Awards winners

From advancing AI security to transforming health care, this year’s UNSW Alumni Awards recipients are tackling some of society's biggest challenges. 

UNSW Sydney has announced the recipients of its 2026 Alumni Awards, recognising graduates whose leadership, innovation and service are creating positive impact across Australia and around the world. 

This year's winners include researchers, entrepreneurs, educators and advocates working across health care, sustainability, engineering, sport and the arts. Through their work, they are improving lives, strengthening communities and helping address challenges facing society today.

UNSW Sydney Chancellor Warwick Negus AM extended his congratulations to all the award recipients and nominees.

“It has been truly inspiring to learn more about your stories and achievements, and I am delighted to celebrate and recognise your impact,” Mr Negus said.

“Each of you has made a lasting contribution to the University and to the communities you serve. Your achievements reflect the spirit of service that we are proud to recognise.”

UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs thanked and congratulated this year’s outstanding award recipients. 

“Our alumni award winners have made an exceptional contribution across a wide range of fields: art and culture, community service, innovation and entrepreneurship, social impact, research and education excellence,” he said. 

“Their achievements are wonderfully diverse, but they share a common commitment to using their expertise, leadership and opportunities to make a meaningful difference. They reflect the very best of UNSW, and the kind of impact we hope every graduate will aspire to make.”

The 2026 Alumni Awards winners are:

Art & Culture: Adele Schonhardt OAM

Adele Schonhardt OAM is the Executive Director of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and has spent almost three decades connecting people through music.

A Melbourne Conservatorium of Music graduate, she holds an Executive MBA from AGSM, UNSW, and previously held roles with Musica Viva Australia, Germany’s classical music sector and the League of American Orchestras in New York.

In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-founded the Australian Digital Concert Hall, which streamed more than 1000 performances and generated more than $4 million for artists and arts organisations. A recipient of multiple awards, Adele was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the arts in 2024.

“The arts are so important, because when you think about what you did during the pandemic, during those dark years where you were stuck at home, you turned to music and you turned to books and literature and art,” Ms Schonhardt said. 

Community Service: Ben Farinazzo

Vincent Allen is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of SunDrive, a solar technology company launched while completing his PhD at UNSW. He helped develop breakthrough copper-based solar cells and has led their progression from university research to pilot-scale manufacturing. 
 
SunDrive replaces silver in solar panels with abundant, lower-cost copper, enabling more scalable production, in a bid to accelerate the transition to a solar powered electric world. In 2021, the company set a world record for commercial-size silicon solar-cell efficiency and in 2024 built the world’s first fully automated direct-copper-plating heterojunction pilot line – an assembly line to manufacture next-generation solar cells. 
 
“We are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change, but we may also be the last generation to do something about it,” Mr Allen said.  
 
“If we can make meaningful progress in terms of capturing the energy from the sun, I think we can really propel humanity's progress going forward.”

Professional Achievement: Professor Jane Catherine Ngila

Professor Jane Catherine Ngila is the Executive Director of the African Foundation for Women and Youth in Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, advancing quality education and mentorship for women and youth in STEM.

An expert in analytical and environmental chemistry, she has conducted award-winning research focusing on water quality, nanotechnology and wastewater treatment. She also serves on the UNESCO Global Multistakeholder Advisory Committee for Women and Girls in Science and the United Nations University Council.

Prof. Ngila's research and advocacy are shaped by her early experiences in Kenya, where limited access to safe water and educational opportunities for girls inspired her commitment to improving lives through science and education.

“I grew up feeling that I just needed to get out of this situation, and I said education is going to be my tool, my ticket,” Prof. Ngila said.

“I want to help my community so that they can rise up, to go further, to be the best that they can be.”

Research & Education Excellence: Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO

Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO is an engineer and governance specialist whose career has spanned industry, design and construction, academia and leadership, helping shape engineering education and practice. 

Prof. Taylor was one of the few women studying engineering in the 1970s and her experiences at university and in the workplace inspired her commitment to creating more inclusive pathways into the profession. Through leadership roles in academia, accreditation and governance, she helped reshape engineering education to better reflect the diverse experiences and needs of students and communities.

Today, she is Chair of SmartCrete CRC and the International Engineering Alliance’s Governing Group and Sydney Accord. An Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia and Fellow of ATSE and AICD, she has been recognised among Australia’s 100 influential engineers and received Engineers Australia’s 2021 Peter Nicol Russell Career Achievement Memorial Medal. 

“The strength of having diversity in any situation is that the solutions are far more robust, far more appropriate to the situation rather than a singular view of the world.” 

Social Impact: ThinkMD

 ThinkMD is a pioneering medtech company working to create a world where everyone can access quality health care, regardless of where they live. It was co-founded by UNSW alumni Christopher Marr DSM, Dr Jacqueline Rabec and Rodney Davis. 

Its innovative clinical decision-support platform empowers frontline healthcare workers with the knowledge and tools to assess patients, support diagnoses and provide appropriate treatment, even in remote communities where doctors are scarce.

Designed to work online and offline, ThinkMD is helping strengthen local health systems and address global health inequalities. By combining clinical expertise, technology and machine learning, ThinkMD is transforming the way care is delivered and bringing hope, dignity and better health outcomes to communities around the world.

“ThinkMD is trying to solve one of the most urgent, meaningful and complex problems on Earth, which is how to scale health care in regions of the world without access to doctors,” Mr Marr said. 

Young Alumni Award: Harriet Farlow

Dr Harriet Farlow is an AI security researcher, entrepreneur, author and educator with more than a decade of experience across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, government, academia and industry. 

She is Founder and CEO of Mileva Security Labs, Australia’s first AI security company, helping organisations manage emerging AI risks through training, advisory services and technical education. After identifying the emerging field of adversarial machine learning during her studies, Dr Farlow dedicated her career to helping organisations develop and deploy AI securely.

Previously, Harriet served as Acting Technical Director of the AI Hub at the Australian Signals Directorate. She holds a PhD from UNSW Canberra, wrote the book Practical AI Security, speaks internationally on AI and cybersecurity, leads the HarrietHacks YouTube channel and serves on the board of the policy research and presentation organisation Good Ancestors.

“If my story inspires others in any way, it's that I hope that everyone embraces their unique gifts and abilities and fearlessly uses them to create some kind of positive impact in the world,” she said.

The Chancellor's Award in Memoriam: Doug Crawford

Doug Crawford (1933–2025) was a pioneering leader and servant of UNSW Sport. His connection with UNSW began in 1951 as an engineering student, founding member of the Boat and Rifle Clubs, and talented sprinter. After injury ended his Olympic aspirations, he became athletics team manager at the 1956 Melbourne intervarsity.

From 1954 to 1967, Doug served as secretary, treasurer and president of the UNSW Sports Association, remaining its longest-serving president. He helped establish the Injury Assistance Scheme, championed the Link Building and created the Ben Lexcen Scholarship.

“Doug Crawford stands as one of the most influential figures in the history of sport at UNSW,” said Mr Negus.

“His vision, generosity, and commitment have enriched the lives of countless students and strengthened the UNSW community for more than 70 years. He leaves a profound and enduring legacy.”