July 24, 2015

Graduation highlights: 23 July

Ceremonies for the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences and the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts were held on 23 July.

A married couple, Dr Abdurahim Alharbi and his wife Dr Asma Alharbi, from Saudi Arabia, received their doctoral degrees in Mathematics. The couple achieved the feat while raising three young children who were on hand to see their parents receive their degrees.

Abdurahim and Asma capturing the moment with their children Amma, Sereen and Mohammed.

Dr Nicolas Depauw (pictured below) is currently working in Boston but flew back to Australia to receive his PhD on Thuesday morning. His PhD was a study into the design of an imaging device and a fast dose calculation algorithm for proton cancer therapy. The Director of the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics at UOW, Professor Anatoly Rosenfeld, recommended Nicolas to IBA Belgium Company which is a vendor for proton therapy facilities. He was given a position at this company with secondment to the Proton Therapy Centre at Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School.

Nicolas is pictured with his parents Bernard and Marie-Helena (who flew out from their homeland in France) and wife Stephanie.

Lachlan MacDonald and Alexander Mundey, both from Shellharbour (pictured below), have both completed a four-year double degree Bachelor of Science-Bachelor of Mathematics with a major in Physics, followed by the Advanced Bachelor of Mathematics Honours degree. Both of their Advanced Honours projects were in areas of mathematics that are closely related to theoretical physics.

Dr Jane Lim received her PhD for her study on the use of social media by undergraduate Informatics students and faculties in Malaysia. Dr Lim is closely associated with Wollongong as Dean of UOW Programs at INTI Malaysia.

Dr Jane Lim, Dean of UOW Programs at INTI Malaysia

Ranjan Poudel was able to temporarily put the troubles of his homeland earthquake-devastated Nepal behind him to celebrate receiving his Masters degree at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences ceremony.

Dr Sha Li from Sutherland received her PhD for her study into the development and characterisation of advanced bio-compatible materials for energy storage devices.

Professor Jennifer Seberry from UOW’s School of Computing and Information Technology was made an Emeritus Professor for her outstanding contributions to computer security research and education. About Professor Seberry, Professor Chris Cook, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, said: "Jennifer Seberry is a remarkable researcher, educator and mentor who pioneered a path into fields historically dominated by men, carving out an impressive legacy and lighting the way for those who follow."

Joining the University in 1992, Professor Seberry’s time at UOW has encompassed research, course development, teaching and academic governance. A passionate researcher, she has published extensively in discrete mathematics, Hadamard matrices and combinatorial designs. She has written over 450 research publications and has also undertaken consultancy work for major industry clients.

Professor Jennifer Seberry was made an Emeritus Professor on 23 July

Professor Carl Chiarella is an internationally renowned expert in the areas of financial mathematics and economics received a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) at the 23 July morning ceremony. Professor Chiarella is an internationally renowned expert in the areas of financial mathematics and economics.

Professor Carl Chiarella and Adrian Chiarella

 

Mr Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the Ai Group, delivered the Occasional Address at the Thursday morning ceremony. He is pictured with Mr Noel Cornish, Deputy Chancellor.

 Described as a friend of UOW, Thomas Keneally was awarded a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) on 23 July during the morning graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts. Mr Keneally has worked tirelessly for the benefit of artists. He has served on the Australia Council, the Australian Society of Authors and supported imprisoned writers through the literature and cultural network Sydney PEN. Mr Keneally is also a teacher, an advocate of a just society and robust culture and a social critic.

Deputy Chancellor Mr Noel Cornish, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts Professor Amanda Lawson, Mr Thomas Keneally AO, Senior Fellow Paul Sharrad, Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE.

Dr Mark Loves was awarded a PhD at the Faculty of law, Humanities and the Arts ceremony for his study into the influences of culture on police corruption investigators and their management of pervasive occupational stigma. He is pictured with his wife, Janine, and son, Sean.

Sarah Willard Gray is a painter from the Southern Highlands and received her PhD in Creative Arts for her thesis, ‘The Cartographic Paradign in Contemporary Australian Landscape Painting: Concepts of Ownership, Belonging and Place’. Her thesis aims to explain the role of mapping in depicting place and identity in Australian Aboriginal art. Sarah has previously done her BCA and BCA Hons.

Sarah Willard Gray is pictured with her husband Barry and her daughter Carolyn, who flew in from Brisbane to attend the ceremony.