Dr Olga Boichak has been named a 2025 Westpac Research Fellow, one of only two researchers in Australia to receive this year’s prestigious award.
This recognition comes with significant funding and support to advance her groundbreaking work in digital security and resilience.
Dr Boichak’s research focuses on strengthening Australia’s digital sovereignty and ensuring the resilience of networked communication systems in the Asia Pacific region.
Her work explores how secure, autonomous digital infrastructures can withstand future conflicts and prevent the weaponisation of communication networks.
Developing a thriving tech sector in Australia should include key considerations on the weaponisation potential of our internet infrastructures, and I am grateful to Westpac Scholars Trust for the opportunity to contribute to this important mission.
Dr Olga Boichak
Establishing interdisciplinary collaborations
“The systems that govern digital sovereignty are not only technical – they are also social, cultural, and institutional," Dr Boichak said.
"This fellowship will allow me establish interdisciplinary collaborations between academics from various fields, industry, and government, to foster resilient communication ecosystems that are less prone to adversarial attacks, whether coming in the form of disinformation, cyberattacks, data leaks, or deliberate damage to undersea cable communications.
“Developing a thriving tech sector in Australia should include key considerations on the weaponisation potential of our internet infrastructures, and I am grateful to Westpac Scholars Trust for the opportunity to contribute to this important mission.”
Dr Boichak’s fellowship is part of the Westpac Scholars Trust’s commitment to investing in research that addresses Australia’s most pressing challenges.
She will receive flexible funding over five years, leadership development opportunities, and access to the W100 Scholars Network—a global community of changemakers dedicated to shaping a better future.
Amy Lyden, CEO of the Westpac Scholars Trust, praised the impact of the 2025 scholars.
“The work these researchers are undertaking is vital to our nation’s progress. By investing in them, we’re investing in Australia’s future.”
This year, 19 Westpac Scholars, including Dr Boichak, will share $3.44 million in funding to drive innovation in sustainability, technology, and social change.
Westpac Scholars Trust’s is committed to awarding 100 scholarships a year. Since 2015, the Trust and its university partners have awarded $47.6 million to 989 scholars.
Each scholarship combines funding with leadership development and membership in a thriving community of changemakers dedicated to building a better future for Australia.
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