Alumni Updates

Rhona Hamilton – Exploring the brain with lasers

2020 Playford Trust Honours Scholarship

In 2020, I was awarded a Playford Trust scholarship to support my honours project in laser physics. This helped with allowing me to focus my time fully on my studies, and I was awarded the David Sutton Memorial Prize for the highest marks in an experimental physics project that year.

After graduating from the University of Adelaide I have pursued a career in scientific research. Since receiving the Playford Trust scholarship, my research interests have transitioned from laser physics to laser applications in biology, a field that has opened up new and exciting avenues for exploration. 

Currently, I am pursuing a PhD at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where my research focuses on using advanced microscopy techniques to study fluid circulation in the brain. This work holds significant implications for our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.

My PhD is supported by a John Monash scholarship, which has been a crucial resource in advancing my research. The process of applying for the Playford Trust scholarship also provided valuable experience that greatly assisted me in securing my current funding.

 I am deeply grateful for the support I’ve received, and I look forward to finding where my research journey will take me.

More Alumni Updates

Brooke North – Exploring what’s possible in exploration

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…

Alison Gill – Plant scientist for Earth and beyond

Alison received a 2020 Playford PhD Scholarship for her research 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.

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.

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.

Bec Pedler – R&D technician, Clean Seas Seafood

2019 Playford Trust Regional Science & Engineering Scholarship
Marine mollusc extracts represent an almost entirely unexploited source of broad-spectrum antivirals against human viruses. My Honours project involved assessing the hemolymph (blood fluid) from the Greenlip abalone and Pacific oyster for antiviral activity against Human Coronavirus…

Alexander Makarowsky – Maths modelling and energy

2018 Codan/Playford Trust Engineering Scholarship
The year after winning his scholarship, Alex joined the company that sponsored him – Codan/Minelab Electronics. There he used mathematical modelling to optimise the geometry of metal detector coils.

Joe Kupke – Man of the trees

2018 Playford Trust/TAFE SA Award
At the time Joe received his Playford Trust Award, he was employing just two staff in his arborist business, Adelaide Hills Tree Services. Now there are 10 on the team…

Phiala Shanahan – Professor of Physics at MIT

2011 Scantech/Playford Trust scholarship
In 2020, respected Science News magazine named Phiala one of its Top 10 elite young scientists ‘pushing the boundaries of scientific enquiry’. All of those honoured…

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