Key Highlights
- Professor Allen Cheng AC was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia
- Professor Claire Smith AO received an Officer of the Order of Australia
- The late Professor Lyndall Ryan AO was posthumously honored for her distinguished service
Flinders University is proud to announce and celebrate its 2025 Australia Day Honour recipients as the institution honours 12 staff members, alumni, and associates for pioneering achievements in education, research, and medicine. Honours represent the efforts that make the institution strive and push boundaries that can make the world a better place.
Among the recipients is a leader in infectious diseases, Professor Allen Cheng AC, PhD, who will become a Companion of the Order of Australia for his outstanding service to medicine and public health.
Among the recipients is Flinders Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Stirling, who said, “Flinders people are our greatest asset, showing our University’s fearless commitment to advancing knowledge and transforming lives globally.”. He did excellent epidemiology work with research in infectious diseases and shaping global health policies, especially while the COVID-19 pandemic has been prevalent, to get the topmost award. He was very amazed while receiving this award and hoped that his achievement would help society understand that, to overcome unprecedented conditions, there will always be great experts ready from various disciplines.
Distinctive work: Professor Claire Smith AO is the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professor appointed at Deakin University. As a leading specialist in archaeology, she has worked with indigenous communities for more than 30 years across many culturally significant sites. Her contribution has greatly bridged gaps over Indigenous health, education, and employment. Efforts made throughout her work help bridge gaps among Aboriginal communities and academia. Moreover, she has been the academic secretary of the 10th World Archaeological Congress to take place in Darwin in 2025.
Professor Lyndall Ryan AO was the former professor of women’s studies at Flinders. The posthumous grant of an Officer of the Order of Australia honours her contribution towards Indigenous history and colonial settlement studies. She transformed the subject quite substantially with the work that happened through her research and publications.
Margaret Burn AM was also appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to library and information science and to her community.
