The John C. Harsanyi Medal for Innovation can be awarded to an individual or group. To be eligible for the 2026 Innovation Medal, an individual or at least one member of a group must:
It's tempting to chase perfection, but that mindset often does more harm than good. Sometimes, good enough is perfect.
Dr Edward Yang is a biomedical engineering researcher and entrepreneur affiliated with both the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. Dedicated to restoring quality of life for patients with cardiovascular disease, Edward specialises in translating biomedical research into impactful medical technologies.
He currently leads the development of the RenalWave Denervation Catheter, a novel device designed to treat medication-resistant hypertension. Edward brings together engineers, clinicians, and industry partners to accelerate device prototyping, develop commercialisation strategies, and guide the product towards its first-in-human clinical trial in Australia.
His translational work has attracted significant government and university commercialisation funding. Edward graduated top of his cohort in the 2024 PERIscope Commercialisation Program, Brandon Capital’s BioCatalyst Ventures, and the Cicada Innovations Fast-Start program, sharpening his skills as a MedTech entrepreneur.
With a passion for cutting-edge research, clinical impact, and venture creation, Edward is committed to bridging the gap between academia and industry – turning scientific discovery into real-world solutions for healthcare professionals and patients.
The University of Sydney gave me a rare space where engineering, medicine, and commercialisation genuinely intersect. I had the privilege of working across faculties and hospitals, which taught me that solving real-world problems means going beyond your own discipline. Programs like the PERIScope Commercialisation Award were especially pivotal - they encouraged me to think beyond research outputs and consider commercialisation, stakeholder engagement, and real-world implementations. I learned to ask not just "is this technically possible?" but "Is this clinically needed - and can it scale?" That shift in perspective - from researcher to translational innovator - was foundational.
I'm leading the spin-out of RenalWave, a first-in-class microwave ablation system designed to treat medication-resistant hypertension. We're preparing for first-in-human trials and actively building partnerships to accelerate patient access globally. Alongside RenalWave, I'm also helping develop the Aurora microwave system for treating complex ventricular tachycardia, and LesioLogic, a tissue characterisation platform for improving ablation outcomes in real time.
In the long term, I want to help foster a culture of innovation at UYSD that brings together engineering, medicine, and business. I'm already working toward this by mentoring engineering honours students whose projects not only generate new knowledge but also lay the foundation for future start-ups. Creating an environment where cross-disciplinary collaboration is the norm, not the exception, is the next challenge I'm excited to tackle.
Dr. Grant Lynch serves as the Commercialisation and Industry Engagement Theme Lead at the Heat and Health Research Centre (HHRC) within the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health. His work focuses on advancing heat and health policy, as well as climate change and health research. His current projects aim to quantify human heat adaptation and identify effective cooling interventions to shape public policy on extreme heat.
Grant is leading the centre’s first commercial venture, EMU Systems, which helps companies monitor and manage heat stress risks for athletes and workers. His efforts have earned him numerous accolades, including the PERIscope Commercialisation Award and the Stanford Australia Foundation Award, which he won for outstanding innovation potential as part of the CSIRO ON Accelerate program. This award will enable him to complete an executive business course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also received the People’s Choice Award at the Sydney NanoPitch STEM event for his innovative contributions.
Amber Linz is a start-up whiz-kid. While undertaking her Bachelor of Design Computing, she seized every opportunity to get involved in designing innovative solutions for today’s problems, taking part in the University of Sydney Business School’s flagship startup accelerator, Gensis. She won the Student Innovation Award for Planetary Impact, before going on to win SmartCompany’s early-stage startup competition, the Pitch.
Lava, the latest evolution of Amber’s idea, provides brands with a unique way to connect with digital creators and translate video engagement directly into sales. This year, Lava joined US-based startup accelerator, Neo, receiving $625K in pre-seed funding to continue to scale their operation internationally.
Dr Vimallan Manokara is the Head of the MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) Institute, driving applied research and innovation in disability services. Dr Manokara completed his PhD in the development of a framework for sustainable employment for persons with disabilities. Since then, he has led the establishment of a Special Interest Research Group on Employment and worked collaboratively with various government agencies to drive research and innovation across the disability sector in Singapore.
Joseph Bennett co-founded Foster the Future (FTF), a charity that provides university tutors the opportunity to help children in out-of-home care. FTF aims to provide educational support to address high youth unemployment rates. He has helped 40 high school kids in care access individual weekly tutoring for free. FTF won the prestigious University of Sydney campus Hult Prize in 2018 and has s expanded to provide online tutoring to children in out-of-home care in regional areas.
Dr Mo’ayyad Suleiman is the CTO of DetectED-X – an interactive program that improves the diagnostic efficacy of radiologists and other clinicians around the round. DetectED-X was awarded the Australasian Start-up of the Year for Community and Social Good by StartCon in 2019. Most recently, he was a part of the team that adapted this software to help radiologists detect COVID-19 in the lungs (CovED). Dr Suleiman’s research focuses on radiation dose optimisation for screening mammography. Dr Suleiman commends his two most influential lecturers, Professor Patrick Brennan and Professor Mark McEntee.
John Charles Harsanyi (MA ’53, DScEc ’95) was a Hungarian-Australian-American economist who won the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in economics (with John Nash and Reinhard Selten). A Holocaust survivor and Hungarian refugee, he emigrated to Australia in 1950 and put himself through postgraduate evening classes at the University of Sydney to graduate with a Master of Arts in 1953.
John is best known for his pioneering and innovative contributions to the study of game theory, decision theory, utilitarian ethics and the philosophy of mathematics, and the practical application of these concepts to economics, sociology, political science, and political and moral philosophy.
Explore the annual Alumni Awards, featuring six Graduate Medals and six Alumni Awards.