The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia has announced the winners of the 2024 Paul Bourke Awards, recognising four of the nation’s most exceptional early-career researchers in the social sciences.
Academy President Professor Richard Holden congratulated the awardees for their impactful contributions across diverse disciplines and the role their work plays in advancing our understanding of complex societal issues.
‘These four remarkable scholars are advancing knowledge in anthropology, computational statistics, public health and cross-cultural communication. Their innovative work is helping us better understand and solve real-world challenges, from improving mental health outcomes for young children to transforming the way we analyse complex data,’ Professor Holden said.
‘The Academy is proud to highlight these rising stars of the social sciences, and we look forward to seeing how their research continues to shape our understanding of human behaviour and societal development.’
The 2024 Paul Bourke Award recipients are:
- Dr Claire Blewitt (Monash University): Dr Blewitt’s research in public health, particularly early childhood mental health, is shaping better mental health outcomes for young children.
- Dr Sophie Chao (The University of Sydney): Dr Chao’s anthropological research makes significant contributions to our understanding of ecology, health, capitalism and justice in the Asia-Pacific region.
- Dr Michelle Liu (Monash University): Dr Liu’s interdisciplinary research bridges linguistics and psychology to address key philosophical debates, with the potential to enhance cross-cultural communication and understanding.
- Dr Leah South (Queensland University of Technology): Dr South’s work in computational statistics has developed alternative methods for statistical modelling, enabling more effective analysis of complex data and improving decision-making across science, business and society.
Media contact: Bonnie Johnson, Communications Director | 0467 055 932
Read about the Paul Bourke Awards and previous winners.
