Alumni Updates

April Van Der Kamp – Turning research into solutions

2020 Playford Trust Honours Scholarship

Having completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours), I am now undertaking my PhD in the Bacteriophage Research Innovation Lab at Flinders University. I plan to enter into research commercialisation to aid in the translation of academic research into real-world solutions.

I was inspired to study science so that our amazing research reaches the community and helps save lives.

The biggest challenge I faced during my studies was balancing work and study. As a rural student, I was traveling every day to university, which became extremely expensive due to mechanical costs and fuel. I needed to work to be able to afford the travel costs.

The Playford Trust Scholarship made a huge difference to my study experience as I was able to focus more on my studies rather than work. It improved my mental health by removing the worry about whether I could afford to travel to university.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude for this amazing opportunity that had such a significant impact on my academic life.

 

 

More Alumni Updates

Fei Wang – Networking and Cyber Security

2023 Playford Trust/TAFE SA Award in Modern Industy and New Technologies
Driven by determination and a belief that women can excel in STEM, Fei embarked on her IT journey after working as a bank teller for five years. Her Playford Trust Award gave her confidence and opened doors…

Rhona Hamilton – Exploring the brain with lasers

2020 Playford Trust Honours Scholarship
Rhona’s research interests have transitioned from laser physics to laser applications in biology, a field that has opened up new and exciting avenues for exploration. She’s currently in Scotland…

Viv Naidu – Mining and much more

2015 AusIMM/Playford Trust Honours Scholarship in Geoscience, Mining Engineering and Chemical Engineering
When I was awarded the AusIMM/Playford Memorial Trust Scholarship, one of the supporting partners was Hillgrove Resources. After I finished my degree, I was fortunate enough to secure a Graduate Mining Engineering role with them.

Brooke North – Exploring what’s possible in exploration

2020 OzMinerals/Playford Trust Honours Scholarship
Since graduating with Honours in 2020, I’ve gained experience across two different industries, each with a shared focus: exploration. Following my student position, I worked as an Exploration Geologist with OZ Minerals and later BHP…

Bradley Kirk – Material scientist in sustainable energy

2018 Playford Trust Honours Scholarship / 2020 Playford Trust PhD scholarship
Bradley is a material scientist who currently specialises in the development of organic and inorganic-based semiconductors specifically geared towards energy production.

Alison Gill – Plant scientist for Earth and beyond

2020 Playford Trust PhD Scholarship
Alison received her scholarship for her work in investigating industrial hemp drought tolerance, water use efficiency and plant physiology. She revealed that hemp can survive when water is scarce by regulating photosynthetic behaviour, offering valuable insights for Australian producers.

Susan Lee – Environmental pioneer

2006 Playford Trust PhD Environmental Scholarship
I was the first student to receive a Playford Trust Environment Scholarship in 2006. Studies in the environment tend to include a lot of fieldwork and trips away from civilisation, so the scholarship really helped me with these costs!

Lucas (Tuan) Tran – Energy Engineer

2021 Playford Trust/Cooper Energy Petroleum Engineering Scholarship
In 2017, I came to Australia as an international student from Vietnam to pursue a world-class education in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Adelaide. After finishing my Honours degree, I began my PhD project…

Robert Trott – Exoskeleton and physiological measurement

2017 Playford Trust PhD Scholarship
Robbie is now working as a Research Fellow at the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute (AITI) – a national leader in industry and workplace innovation research – and he’s based at Flinders University.

SHARE YOUR STORY

We love to hear from our alumni and to share their news. To let us know where your studies have taken you, email an update and a picture to admin@playfordtrust.com.au