Professional Staff Prize 2025
The Prize this year has been awarded to five outstanding nominees: Dr Susan Ledger, Dr Tracy Nau, Ms Kathryn Price, Dr Yingying Su and Dr Jessica Tieng.
Established in 2024, the Charles Perkins Centre Professional Staff Prize honours the exceptional contributions of our hard-working and integral professional staff across our strategic program including research, education, clinical, technical and administrative domains.
Each year, we award five University of Sydney professional staff members who have supported a research group or initiative at the Charles Perkins Centre for the last 12 months. The Prize recognises outstanding contributions to our shared mission.
After careful review by the selection panel, five recipients were chosen based on the number and quality of their nominations. The Prize is valued at $250.
This year, 18 nominations were received from individuals and groups, nominating 12 professional staff. All nominees were of a very high standard, recognising exceptional commitment to collaboration and supporting the Centre’s research program.
We congratulate our 2025 recipients, listed alphabetically along with a combined statement from their nominees.
Professional Staff Prize 2025 recipients (left-right) | Susan Ledger, Tracy Nau, Kathryn Price, Yingying Su, Jessica Tieng
Charles Perkins Centre Professional Staff Prize 2025
Dr Susan Ledger
CPC-Qantas Research Partnership, Health and Wellness in the Air Project Node, InSync Study
“Susan Ledger is a PhD-trained plant biologist who brought her analytical expertise to human research when she joined the CPC–Qantas Partnership in 2017. As Research Officer, she played a pivotal role in feasibility studies that shaped the Partnership and laid the groundwork for its successful 2023 ARC Linkage Grant.
Now Study Coordinator for the InSync project, Susan demonstrates outstanding collaboration across a large, multi-institutional team spanning CPC, Monash, Washington State and Surrey Universities, and Qantas. Her innovation has been exceptional, identifying a critical sensor fault overlooked internationally and leading the development of Australia’s first LC-MS assay for circadian biomarkers with Sydney Mass Spectrometry. Susan’s problem-solving skills and professionalism underpin every aspect of the project, from complex ethics approvals to the logistics of international sample transport. She is an indispensable member of the team whose contribution exemplifies excellence in research coordination and collaboration.”
Dr Tracy Nau
Prevention Research Collaboration
“Tracy Nau has made outstanding contributions to collaboration, innovation, problem-solving, professionalism, and excellence. A valued member of the Charles Perkins Centre for six years and the ASAPa+ group for three, Tracy brings a rare blend of corporate legal expertise and public health insight. Her strategic and organisational skills have strengthened partnerships across transport, education, planning, sport, and health sectors, enhancing the reach and impact of our research. Tracy’s innovations include creative dissemination tools such as infographics and policy briefs, and the integration of legal perspectives into public health research. She anticipates challenges, devises practical solutions, and fosters a calm, collaborative working environment. In 2025, she contributed to five grant applications, securing one successful outcome and maintaining the highest professional standards throughout. Her reliability and leadership inspire confidence - when Tracy is involved, everyone knows the team will succeed!”
Ms Kathryn Price
James Lab
“Kathryn Price is nominated for her exceptional professionalism, efficiency, and contribution to the smooth running of the Charles Perkins Centre. Initially hired as an Executive Assistant, Kathryn’s role rapidly expanded to encompass full administrative support for the Neely group and several SOLES teams at the Centre. With calm professionalism, she has managed complex budgets, coordinated visitor visas, and de-escalated tensions between teams with diplomacy and grace.
Her organisational excellence is exemplified through her coordination of the BioDomain Seminar Series and the 2019 Asia-Pacific Diabetes and Obesity Study Group Meeting, held alongside the Australasian Diabetes Congress in Sydney. Kathryn also provides outstanding executive support to the Co-Interim Director, seamlessly integrating this role into her other responsibilities.
A trusted and highly capable administrator, Kathryn has been integral to the success of the CPC for nearly a decade and is truly deserving of this recognition.”
Dr Yingying Su
Sydney Microscopy and Microanalysis
“Dr Yingying Su is nominated in recognition of her exceptional professionalism, technical expertise, and longstanding support for the research community at the Charles Perkins Centre.
Based at Sydney Microscopy & Microanalysis, Dr Su has provided expert guidance and assistance to CPC researchers for more than a decade. She is renowned for her kindness, efficiency, and readiness to help, offering hands-on support across a wide range of microscopy platforms, including the Nikon C2 Confocal, Nikon Ti-E spinning disk, and multiple Leica microscopes.
Her deep technical knowledge has directly enabled stronger scientific outcomes and fostered collaboration between research groups. Beyond her technical role, Dr Su takes great care to maintain the highest laboratory standards, ensuring the sample preparation facilities are consistently clean, organised, and welcoming.
Dr Su’s expertise, reliability, and collegial spirit make her an invaluable member of the CPC community and a most deserving recipient of this award.”
Dr Jessica Tieng
Epigenetics and RNA Laboratory/ Wong Group
“Jessica Tieng is nominated in recognition of her exceptional contributions to collaborative research, technical innovation, and research excellence across the Centre.
A highly-skilled and generous Research Assistant, Jessica actively supports multiple research groups and core facilities, sharing her expertise in molecular biology and sequencing to overcome technical hurdles and accelerate project outcomes. Her initiative in establishing the AGRF drop-box has improved access to sequencing services and strengthened CPC’s research infrastructure.
Jessica is known for her professionalism, calm efficiency, and willingness to assist others, offering expert troubleshooting, sourcing reagents, and mentoring Honours, PhD students, and colleagues alike. As a superuser of key equipment and an active participant in level 4 RAG meetings, she ensures a safe and effective research environment.
Through her innovation, collaboration, and dedication, Jessica exemplifies the values of the Charles Perkins Centre and is a most deserving recipient of this award.”
