The Simpson Prize 2025

The Professor Stephen J Simpson Prize for Research Communication (‘The Simpson Prize’) was established in 2025 in recognition of the Charles Perkins Centre Inaugural Academic Director. The Simpson Prize celebrates excellence in science writing and communicating complex research to non-academic audiences by two Charles Perkins Centre early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs).

The Prize is awarded to two 1500-word essays on topics related to the Centre’s mission, with each prize valued at $2,500. The judging panel also holds the right to award discretionary highly commended Prizes at $500 each. Each of the essays is promoted on the University and Charles Perkins Centre channels.

The Simpson Prize is awarded for excellence in writing about topics related to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and their related conditions. This year’s winning and highly commended essays cover topics from decreasing heart valve transplant rejection to food systems in the Pacific, eating disorders and ageing.

“The judging panel was greatly impressed by the quality of entries and breadth of topics covered in this, the Prize’s first year. All entries engagingly translated the mission of the Charles Perkins Centre, often in surprising ways,” said Professor Simpson. 

“The winning and highly commended entries all succeeded in bringing their work at the Charles Perkins Centre to life for a wider audience, showing how to bring our audiences with us, to explain what we do and why it is important.”

“All four of our winners and highly commended applicants illuminated the complexity and importance of their research, bringing their narratives to life through use of personal stories. Congratulations to all for their impressive essays,” he said.

Joint winning essay, Rethinking heart valve innovation: It’s not about what’s possible, it’s about what’s practical, by PhD student Mr Angus Grant, examines collaborative work to develop a coating that can be applied to existing bioprosthetic heart valves made from animal tissue. Instead of triggering immune cells to attack, the coating encourages the growth of healthy, native cells to grow onto the valve surface which means that the valve is not rejected, and therefore lasts longer in the human body.

“My interest in the field of Applied Materials, and working with the Group at the Charles Perkins Centre, comes from a deeply personal position. I’m so delighted to be joint winner of The Simpson Prize in its inaugural year: it has given me the opportunity to think about my research in a different way: to ‘tell’ it to a wider audience and to give my research and collaboration a personal provenance,” said Angus.

Joint winning essay, Trading tuna for tins: Chronic disease and the cost of disconnection, by Associate Professor Aaron Jenkins captures the paradox of Pacific food systems where globalised markets undermine local nourishment and the urgent need to reconnect ecological, cultural and human health.

“Health emerges from relationships – ecological, social and ethical,” said Aaron. “My essay explores the disintegration of traditional fishing practices in the Pacific where I have conducted research and worked for many years. I’ve witnessed, first-hand, the prevalence and insidiousness of global food systems impinging on local culture. The effects are deleterious. I’m grateful to The Simpson Prize for the opportunity to explore this research for a wider audience.”

Joint Interim Academic Directors of the Charles Perkins Centre, Professor David James and Professor Natasha Nassar are delighted at the interest in the inaugural year of The Simpson Prize.

“Not only is this wonderful acknowledgement of Steve’s legacy with the Charles Perkins Centre but spotlights both our stewarding of our EMCRs and recognition of the importance of research translation. We commend all entries and celebrate the two winners and highly commended awardees,” they said.

The Stephen J Simpson Prize for Research Communication 2025

Joint Winners

Mr Angus Grant

Charles Perkins Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health

Rethinking heart valve innovation: It’s not about what’s possible, it’s about what’s practical

Developing a coating that can be applied to existing bioprosthetic heart valves made from animal tissue – instead of triggering immune cells to attack, the coating encourages the growth of healthy, native cells to grow onto the valve surface which means that the valve is not rejected.

Associate Professor Aaron Jenkins

Charles Perkins Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health

Trading tuna for tins: Chronic disease and the cost of disconnection

Capturing the paradox of Pacific food systems where globalised markets undermine local nourishment and the urgent need to reconnect ecological, cultural and human health.

Joint Highly Commended

Dr Caitlin Andrews

Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science

What if ageing was negotiable

An exploration of how we can stem the biological ravages of ageing with diet, exercise and addressing systems of health with care.

Dr Emma Bryant

Charles Perkins Centre, InsideOut Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health

Rethinking psychiatry’s deadliest disorder: What if we’ve been wrong all along?

A very personal exploration of anorexia nervosa: from the nexus of lived experience to working as a researcher and academic in the field.