This award, which recognises outstanding doctoral work in applied mathematics published at an Australian or New Zealand University, will comprise of a certificate and a waiver of the registration fee for the following ANZIAM conference.
Eligibility
To be eligible for consideration for the outstanding thesis award, individuals must have been awarded their PhD in applied mathematics (i.e., a final decision made by the awarding university, but not necessarily graduated) in the 12-month period ending on ending on 31st July in the previous year and starting on 1st August the year before. The degree must have been awarded by an Australian or New Zealand University, and candidates must be ANZIAM members for the consecutive twelve-month period immediately prior to the date of submission of their thesis.
ANZIAM Outstanding PhD Theses Awardees
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2026 Dr Elizabeth Harris, Dr David Morselli, Dr Sandy Spiers
Citation for Dr Elizabeth Harris
Institution: The University of Newcastle
Thesis Title: Leverage Score Sampling for the Minimum Volume Covering Ellipsoid Problem
Elizabeth’s thesis developed new theoretical insights and practical algorithms that make the Minimum Volume Covering Ellipsoid problem scalable for large, high dimensional datasets. This problem has applications across: statistics; control theory; computational geometry; computer graphics; and engineering. Elizabeth’s work combined mathematical analysis, algorithm design, and extensive computation, showing how modern randomised methods can be applied to classical optimisation problems with a broad impact.
Citation for Dr David Morselli
Institution: Swinburne University of Technology and Politecnico di Torino
Thesis Title: Improving the effectiveness of oncolytic virotherapy: insights from mathematical modelling
David’s thesis used mathematical modelling to study Oncolytic viruses. Which are viral particles that specifically infect cancer cells, while mostly preserving healthy tissues. The main aim of David’s work was to develop mathematical models to study the spatial dynamics of infections by Oncolytic viruses, with a special emphasis on the role of stochastic events. This modelling work will help to evaluate phenomena which currently affect the use of Oncolytic viruses as a cancer treatment.
Citation for Dr Sandy Spiers
Institution: Curtin University
Thesis Title: Exact cutting plane methods for quadratic programming problems with applications
Sandy’s thesis sought to bridge the methodological divide between, concave and non-concave optimisation problems. This was achieved by adapting cutting plane methods, which are usually reserved for concave problems, for use on nonconcave mixed-integer quadratic programming problems. The work also opened up new avenues for advancements in cutting plane methods in general. These new methods were applied to the important application of maintenance scheduling for refinery operations.
Call for nominations for the 2027 ANZIAM Outstanding PhD Theses Award
To be eligible you must have had your PhD awarded between the 1st August 2025 and 31st July 2026. Nominations can be made by any ANZIAM member who satisfies the eligibility criteria and should consist of a portfolio which includes:
- A short executive summary (no more than two pages including figures and references) outlining the key outcomes of their research. This could include details of papers and talks which have resulted from the thesis, but this is not a requirement.
- A pdf version of the thesis.
- A letter from the academic supervisor or Head of School outlining why the PhD is considered outstanding (including a synopsis of any relevant comments from the examiners) which indicates the extent to which the high quality of the thesis is due to the student’s own effort and innovation rather than the supervisor(s). This letter may include a brief statement stating any special effort made by a student from a non-English speaking background.
Nominations should be sent to the ANZIAM Secretary by Friday 16 October.
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