Dedicated teaching staff at Adelaide University have been recognised for outstanding contributions to student learning at the Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT).
The Awards, established in 1997, promote excellence in learning and teaching in all aspects of higher education by celebrating programs and practices that support students and enhance learning.
Among this year’s awardees was Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Crisp, a distinguished educator, who received AAUT’s Career Achievement Award.
“I am truly humbled by this recognition from the AAUT for this 2025 Career Achievement Award,” said Professor Crisp.
“I’ve worked in universities all my career, and I’ve enjoyed every day of this journey, because I’ve been able to work with and learn from many outstanding and dedicated colleagues and students.”
Professor Crisp, pictured above, was a recipient of the Stephen Cole the Elder Prize (Excellence in Teaching) in 1999, the Stranks Medal for Chemical Education in 2003 from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, and was awarded Australian Learning and Teaching Council Fellowships in 2006 and 2009.
Adelaide University Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips congratulated Professor Crisp on this national recognition.
“Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Crisp is a thoroughly deserving recipient of the AAUT Career Achievement Award,” Professor Phillips said.
“Professor Crisp has always aimed to provide opportunities for many different voices to come together to consider issues of fundamental importance in education, and the conversations he has stimulated will continue for years to come.
“I would also like to extend my congratulations to all of the brilliant educators from Adelaide University’s community who have been recognised in these awards.”
A further 11 Adelaide University representatives received a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning:
- Jill Bauer, Senior Winemaker in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, recognised for transforming wine education and shaping student pathways in oenology and viticulture through sustained leadership; embedding global mindset, innovation, professional identity, and authentic industry engagement.
- Dr Paul Corcoran, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, recognised for providing an exemplary approach to personalising first-year students’ transition into the Bachelor of Environmental Science and Bachelor for Geospatial Science.
- Dr Chris Della Vedova and Dr Sarah Davey, recognised for their innovative interactive oral assessments replacing traditional laboratory reports, significantly improving student engagement, learning outcomes and authentic skill development in genetics education.
- Professor Alistair McCulloch, Dr Wendy Bastilich and Dr Cassandra Loeser, recognised for the conceptualisation, development and implementation of a model of higher degree by research transition that facilitates the student socialisation and identity change involved in research degree study.
- Associate Professor Elissa Pearson, Dr Amanda Richardson and Dr Brianna Le Busque, recognised for building real-world skills in first-year psychology education and enhancing student well-being through fostering connection with nature in a fully online course.
- Dr Sithara Walpita Gamage, a Program Director in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, recognised for empowering engineering students to elevate their problem-solving skills through collaborative prototyping projects, while nurturing and cultivating creative mindsets
For more information about the AAUT Awards recipients, see the website.