The Australian and New Zealand Optical Society (ANZOS) Postgraduate Student Prize recognises outstanding contributions by PhD students to the field of optics and photonics in Australia and New Zealand. Through this prize, ANZOS wishes to encourage participation in national and international conferences by postgraduate student recipients of this award. The prize is to be used as a grant for conference travel valued at up to $1500.

An application consists of a narrative description of a significant piece of research performed by the applicant that they would like to present at a conference, together with supporting documents and referee reports.

The Prize is judged by a committee appointed by the ANZOS Council. 

Applications from female candidates and members of other historically under-represented and disadvantaged groups in STEM are strongly encouraged. 

Selection criteria

1. Quality and significance of the presented research.
2. Accessibility of the description of the research to readers with a general optics background.
3. Nomination of a suitable recognised conference at which the work will be presented.

An applicant must be sufficiently advanced in their research project to have obtained significant results in optics or a related area, suitable for presentation at the proposed conference. Preference will be given to applicants who intend to use the prize to attend a major conference outside Australia and New Zealand. The successful applicant will be expected to write a summary of the conference for ANZOS News.

The prize may not cover the full cost of the applicant's attendance at the proposed conference. Applicants should identify any sources of additional funding for their travel costs, and provide evidence of such support (for example, in the supervisor's letter of recommendation).

Since the research supervisor's report is a major factor in the assessment process, supervisors should be prepared to rank their students against the selection criteria if contacted by the selection committee.

Eligibility criteria

1. The applicant and at least one of their supervisors must be current members of the Australian and New Zealand Optical Society, with the supervisor a current financial member. Non-members of the ANZOS may join the Society concurrently with their application for the prize.
   
2. The applicant must be enrolled in a postgraduate research degree, with a project in optics/photonics or a related area.  
   
3. The applicant must either be a) a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand, and/or b) be enrolled in a postgraduate degree in Australia or New Zealand. 
   
4. It is not essential that the results to be presented should have been accepted for the proposed conference at the time of application, but no payment of the prize will be made until evidence of such acceptance is provided to the Society.
   
5. The prize may not be awarded more than once to any individual.

Submission components

Applicants should provide:

  1. A two-page document prepared by the applicant providing

• A description (1/2-2/3 page) of the research project, accessible to a general reader in optics, including a summary of the research achievement to be presented and its significance.
• Brief details of the proposed conference including its status and its relevance to the project and optics/photonics in general.
• Title of submitted paper and acceptance status or expected outcome date
• A summary of predicted expenses, as well as other (probable or confirmed) sources of funding for attendance at the conference
• A statement confirming that the candidate meets the eligibility criteria listed above
• Statement of an agreement to write a summary of the conference for ANZOS News.
• Names and contact details of two referees, one of whom must be the candidate's research supervisor

  2. A copy of the submitted conference paper or abstract
  3. A brief curriculum vitae
  4. A current publication list including refereed journal articles, conference papers, theses and reports, etc

Submission 

1. Applications must be submitted by the applicant themselves via email to the ANZOS Secretary.
2. The two reference letters should address the selection criterion of quality and significance of the research and be sent directly by the referees to the ANZOS secretary. Applicants are responsible for ensuring the letters reach the secretary by the closing date.
3. For the 2022 award, all nomination materials must reach the ANZOS secretary by the closing date of 15 July 2022. 

     Previous winners of the Postgraduate Student Prize:

• 2020: Kirill Koshelev - Australian National University
• 2019: Gayathri Bharathan - Macquarie University and Kai Wang - Australian National University
• 2018: Rocio Camacho Morales - Australian National University
• 2017: Litty Thekkekara - RMIT University
• 2016: Dhruv Saxena - Australian National University
• 2015: Katie Chong - Australian National University
• 2014: Matthew Collins - The University of Sydney
• 2013: Michael Taylor - The University of Queensland
• 2011: Robert Williams - Macquarie University
• 2010: Sebastian Saliba - University of Melbourne
• 2009: Stephen Christopher Warren-Smith - University of Adelaide
• 2008: Michael Jones - Queensland University of Technology
• 2007: Felicity Cox - University of Sydney
• 2006: Kristy C. Vernon - Queensland University of Technology
• 2005: Aidan Brooks - Adelaide University
• 2004: Ilya Shadrivov - Australian National University and  Thomas White - The University of Sydney
• 2003: Joseph Hope - Australian National University
• 2002: Luke Maquire - University of Melbourne
• 2001: Winfried Hensinger - University of Queensland
• 2000: Saiedeh Saghafi - Macquarie University
• 1999: Daniel Day - Victoria University
• 1998: Marlies Fiese - University of Queensland and Justin Blows - Macquarie University
• 1997: Tanya Monro - The University of Sydney
• 1996: Andrew White - The Australian National University
• 1995: David Balaic - University of Melbourne
• 1994: Howard Wiseman - University of Queensland
• 1993: Duncan Butler - University of Melbourne