By Georgia Barrington-Smith.
As the year draws to a close, AINSE reflects on another highly successful year, marked by exceptional student engagement, impactful events, and high-quality research undertaken by our outstanding scholars across Australia and New Zealand.
Expanding partnerships and opportunities
This year, AINSE was excited to welcome AtkinsRéalis as a new Industry Member. We look forward to working closely together in the coming year to strengthen collaboration and connectivity across the nuclear science and engineering sector.
AINSE also launched a new scholarship initiative in 2025: the Visiting Scientist Award. This opportunity supports researchers from AINSE member universities and research institutions seeking to access world-class infrastructure at ANSTO. One Visiting Scientist Award was granted during the year, marking an important step in expanding research engagement.
Supporting students and researchers
In 2025, AINSE proudly supported new and continuing students from our 43 university, research, and industry members across Australia and New Zealand, through the provision of:
- 25 new Pathway Scholarships for Honours and Masters students
- 123 PhD students were supported through 2025
- 6 new research exchange internships through the SAAFE (Scholarship AINSE ANSTO French Embassies) program
- 17 new Early Career Researcher Grants, supporting researchers working with ANSTO during the early stages of their careers
- 340 students participating in AINSE education events, including online and hybrid schools such as Winter School, Postgraduate Orientation Week, the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School, and the WISE Mentorship Program
Celebrating research excellence
In May, AINSE formally awarded its prestigious Gold Medals for Excellence and Impact in Research to two outstanding scholars:
- Dr Rebecca Duncan (University of Technology Sydney), for her research on the how climate change is impacting the polar marine food web.
- Dr Hayden Robertson (University of Newcastle), for his research advancing how soft matter interfaces using polymer brushes and neutron reflectometry.
The Gold Medals were presented at AINSE’s annual networking dinner, an event that brings together leaders and representatives from across the Australian nuclear science and technology sector. Attendees included AINSE members from Australia and New Zealand, the AINSE and ANSTO Boards, representatives from the Embassy of France in Australia, Science and Technology Australia (STA), the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA), ARPANSA, the Sydney West Radiation Oncology Network, Women in Nuclear (WiN) Australia, AusYGN, AINSE alumni, and ANSTO researchers.
Held at NSW Parliament House, the evening featured an engaging conversation between Gold Medal recipient Dr Rebecca Duncan and AINSE President Professor Ian Gentle, during which Dr Duncan shared insights into her AINSE-supported research. The event also marked the launch of AINSE’s new promotional video, highlighting the breadth of support services offered to members and scholars.
Education and engagement highlights
AINSE delivered an extensive program of online and in-person events throughout 2025, with 340 students engaging across our education schools.
In July, 142 students from 35 AINSE member institutions participated in the online component of the 2025 AINSE Winter School. Over seven days, students heard from leading ANSTO and university researchers about ground-breaking research enabled by ANSTO’s unique scientific infrastructure and other AINSE-supported facilities, including the Centre for Accelerator Science, the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, environmental monitoring facilities, and nuclear materials characterisation laboratories. These sessions generated valuable discussion and laid the groundwork for future postgraduate collaborations.
Following the virtual program, 52 students took part in in-person visits to ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus in September. Delivered across a series of three-day visits, these experiences provided rare, hands-on exposure to day-to-day research operations. Networking breakfasts further enabled students to connect directly with ANSTO researchers and potential co-supervisors.
In October, 13 students from the 2025 PGRA and RSS cohorts, along with 24 prospective applicants, attended the online AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week, held alongside Nuclear Science Week. The program featured engaging panel discussions, in-depth presentations, virtual facility tours, and the popular two-minute thesis competition.
To close out the year, AINSE delivered its 9th Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School, welcoming 64 students from 25 member institutions for a week of inspiration, learning, and community building. The WISE program supports women pursuing careers in STEM—particularly nuclear science and engineering—by providing targeted professional development and access to leading researchers, professionals, and mentors.
Students heard from an inspiring lineup of speakers, including Associate Professor Caroline Tiddy (University of South Australia), international human rights lawyer Kali Goldstone, and Angela Salcedo, STEM professional, entrepreneur, and founder of science-inspired jewellery brand Salceology, among many others.
In addition to the three-day online program, 22 WISE participants visited ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus for two days of workshops, panel discussions, and networking activities. A key component of the WISE program is its year-long mentorship scheme, launched during a “Meet the Mentors” networking event that connected students with their ANSTO mentors.
Looking ahead
Several AINSE programs are already open for applications. Applications for the AINSE Pathway Scholarship opened on 11 December and will close on 15 March 2026 for Honours and Masters students. The next rounds of PGRA and RSS scholarships will open in February 2026 for PhD students collaborating with ANSTO. Applications for the SAAFE Research Internship Program opened on 27 November and will remain open until 1 July 2026.
Finally, the AINSE team extends our warmest wishes to all scholars, supervisors, mentors, and supporters for the festive season. We wish you a safe and happy holiday and look forward to supporting and celebrating even more scholar successes throughout 2026 and beyond.
