Australian of the Year Awards: all the winners

PROFESSOR Michelle Yvonne Simmons, one of the world’s top scientists, has been named the 2018 Australian of the Year.

SCIENTIST Michelle Yvonne Simmons has been named the 2018 Australian of the Year for her pioneering work in quantum physics.

Professor Simmons, who leads a team developing a silicon quantum computer able to solve problems in minutes rather than thousands of years, is passionate about encouraging girls to pursue a career in science and technology.

“Seeing women in leadership roles and competing internationally is important. It gives them the sense that anything is possible,” she said.

Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons is the 2018 Australian of The Year. Picture Kym Smith

The British-born scientist, who was named the Australian of the Year in a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra, has transformed the University of NSW quantum physics department into a world leader in advanced computer systems.

Professor Simmons leads a team developing a silicon quantum computer able to solve complex problems in minutes rather than thousands of years Their work has the potential to drive seismic shifts in drug design, weather forecasting, self-driving cars and artificial intelligence.

Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

A global trailblazer, she hopes to shatter expectations of what careers women ought pursue and what they can achieve.

“I think one of the important things — and the message I hope to get out there — is to defy those expectations,” Professor Simmons said.

“Don’t live your life according to what other people think. Go out there and do what you really want to do.” In 2012, Professor Simmons and her team created the world’s first transistor made from a single atom and the world’s thinnest wire.

The breakthrough has placed Australia at the forefront of what she describes as the space race of the computing era.

Earlier, Samantha Kerr, the 24-year-old who has taken the soccer world by storm, has been named Young Australian of the Year.

The second honour of the night went to Eddie Woo, the inspirational mathematics teacher who is revolutionising education.

Samantha Kerr has been named Young Australian of the Year.

The Sydney maths teacher was named the 2018 Australia’s Local Hero.

One of Australia’s most eminient scientists, Dr Graham Farquahr AO, was named the 2018 Senior Australian of the Year.

The prize-winning biophysicist’s work focuses on food security and how the world will feed growing populations into the future.

In 2017, Graham became the first Australian to win a Kyoto Prize — the most prestigious international award for fields not traditionally honoured with a Nobel Prize.

Australia's Local Hero for 2018 is Sydney maths teacher Eddie Woo. Picture Kym Smith

In her speech, Kerr said she was “truly humbled”.

“It is a massive honour. Australia Day means a great deal to me and my family and being Australian is something we are all very proud of,” Kerr told the audience.

“For me, personally, nothing gives me a greater sense than pulling on the No. 20 jersey for the Matildas. I truly view this award not just for me but rather as an endorsement of the achievements of the Australian women’s football national team and more broadly, Australian women’s football and women’s sport in general.”

Kerr, from Western Australia, is the biggest name in Australian soccer — of either gender. When her dream of playing Aussie Rules in the AFL for the West Coast Eagles was shot down because of her sex, Kerr switched to another football code — soccer.

The Australia Day council described Samantha Kerr as “a young woman whose achievements serve as motivation for girls to aim high and chase their dreams”.

By the time she was 15, she was representing Australia in the Matildas. Now aged 24, she has played for Sydney FC and Perth Glory and now competes in America’s National Women’s Soccer League, recently becoming its all-time leading goal scorer. In 2017, she was named a finalist for FIFA Female Player of the Year.

The National Australia Day council described Kerr as “an inspirational sportsperson, a champion of equality and a young woman whose achievements serve as motivation for girls to aim high and chase their dreams”.

Teacher Eddie Woo is changing the lives of his students.

Eddie Woo, the inspirational mathematics teacher who is revolutionising education, has been named the 2018 Australia’s Local Hero at the Australian of the Year awards.

The head mathematics teacher at Cherrybrook Technology High School in Western Sydney started posting videos online in 2012 for a student who was ill with cancer.

Wootube now boasts more than 100,000 subscribers and has attracted more than eight million views.

Graham Farquhar has been named Senior Australian of the Year. Picture Kym Smith

In his powerful acceptance speech, Woo told the audience how education can “can radically change the trajectory of a child’s life”.

“It can transform the possibilities of what a child can become and achieve. That can change a life, a family and a community forever. Five years ago, I started posting my lessons online to

help other people learn about maths.

“But when I did, I learned something about maths too. I’ve learned that while mathematics is hard, it’s something everyone wants to understand.”

Woo said he was honoured to receive the award.

“Mathematics is for everyone. It’s the key to unlocking a universe of beautiful patterns, practical solutions and surprising connections. That universe beckons to all of us if we will just embrace it. I’m honoured to receive this award.

More to come

Originally published as Australian of the Year Awards: all the winners