University’s young achievers celebrated

Staff member Dr Dhani Dharmaprani, along with alum Tiahni Adamson, and current students Amelie Parker, Fiona Goodsite, Amber Brock-Fabel and Zoe Velliaris were all honoured in the awards which acknowledge, encourage and promote the positive achievements of young people under the age of 30 throughout Australia. 

Dr Dhani Dharmaprani was awarded The University of Adelaide STEM Award.

As a biomedical engineer at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at University of Adelaide, Dr Dharmaprani is revolutionising cardiac health as she combats global heart disorders such as cardiac fibrillation. 

Her work has led to Australia's first 'virtual hearts' and new metrics for personalised treatments. 

She has received over $2.3 million in research funding and over 20 accolades as she helps advance cardiovascular science. 

Tiahni Adamson was awarded the Department of Human Services Aboriginal Achievement Award. 

Adamson is a wildlife conservation biologist and an advocate for First Nations people and women in STEM.  

She is currently working to mitigate agricultural methane through sustainable aquaculture production of a native seaweed at CH4Global. 

Awarded the 2024 South Australian Young Australian of the Year, Adamson is a board member for Green Adelaide and collaborates with CSIRO on Indigenous education. 

Adamson is a public speaker voicing the intersection of First Nations and Climate Justice to over 1 million people. 

Amelie Parker and Fiona Goodsite were awarded the Sweat Female Tech Entrepreneur Award. 

Parker and Goodsite founded the Tutbob - an AI tutor tool, which helps university students understand, engage with, and retain lecture content.  

The tool empowers students and educators, supports students’ mental health, and revolutionises learning where it offers personalised, accessible learning tools such as real-time transcription, note-taking, and quizzes.  

Tutbob has earned accolades from its advancements in the education technology industry, coming first place in the University of Adelaide’s Australian eChallenge. 

Amber Brock-Fabel and Zoe Velliaris from the South Australian Youth Forum were awarded the Spirit Super Connecting Communities Award.  

Amber Brock-Fabel founded the South Australian Youth Forum when she was 17 years old. It aims to empower voices of the youth by providing a platform for young leaders to connect with decision makers and advocate for change.  

The forum holds workshops, monthly meetings, and creates projects to confront issues affecting young people, creating a safe space for important conversations and engagement.  

Four University of Adelaide students, three alumni, and three staff members were nominated for this years’ South Australian 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards. 

The awards were presented at a gala dinner held on 17 May 2024 at Stamford Grand Adelaide. Category winners received a prize package including 1-on-1 mentoring with Jess Taylor Consulting, as well as a trophy.