Congratulations to our 2025 Crawford Fund Conference Scholars
July 15, 2025
The Crawford Fund is very proud to announce today the 34 Annual Conference scholarship winners from universities and organisations across Australia.
The Conference Scholar Program is a unique learning, networking and mentoring opportunity for young students and scientists with a genuine interest in international agricultural research and development.
The Scholar Program is an integral component of our ‘nextgen’ activities to encourage students and early career researchers in their study, careers and volunteering in agriculture for development.
The Crawford Fund has been supporting the next generation of Australians with an interest in food and nutrition security and agricultural science and development to attend our annual conference and special Scholars’ Days activities through our Conference Scholar Program for 15 years. This year’s group takes the total scholar cohort to around 485 since the program commenced in 2010.
With a keen interest in learning more about international agricultural research, these dynamic and enthusiastic recipients come from degrees and work areas involving agroforestry; aquaculture; biotechnology; climate change impacts, adaptations and resilience; consumer behaviour; crop science; environmental, agricultural and resource economics; gender; horticulture; international development; nutrition; soil health; sustainable agriculture and sustainable food systems; social research and more!
Interest in these highly regarded scholarships continues to grow with fantastic feedback received year after year from the scholars, their supporters and conference attendees. Our past scholars have found this conference scholarship experience to be both personally rewarding and professionally valuable. You can read the reflections of our 2024 cohort here.
A key component of the success of the scholar program is matching the scholars with a dedicated and experienced mentor who helps them make relevant and interesting connections at the event and shares experiences of benefit to the scholar’s research and career.
We are so pleased to find that many scholars pursue careers as ACIAR graduates, or working on developing country projects, or as volunteers in our own or other overseas projects.
Special Thanks
Thirty-one recipients are being supported by the Crawford Fund’s Committees, with a further three scholars funded by external Scholar Sponsors, acknowledged on our website.
The Fund also thanks those individuals who have made donations to our scholar program as they registered for our conference, listed here.
Once again, we are lucky to have members of the Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID) Network to help run the scholarship activities on 11 and 13 August, and a special thank you to them all, especially Mikayla Hyland-Wood and Jessica Fearnley, President and Vice President of RAID.
And another special thank you to those who have put up their hand this year to mentor one of the scholars! If you haven’t yet registered for the conference and would like to be considered as a mentor to a scholar, please make sure you ‘tick the box’ to do so. You will be needed in Canberra by 12pm on Monday, 11 August and be on hand for your scholar through to 5pm on Tuesday, 12 August. Not sure? Contact [email protected]
Drum Roll..
The successful 2025 Crawford Fund scholar recipients are listed below, under the Crawford Fund Committee or other institution supporting their involvement:
WITH CRAWFORD FUND SUPPORT…
ACT Committee
Diksh Preet Kaur Raina, Australian National University/CSIRO
Nicola Roysmith, Australian National University
NSW Committee
Bethany Ellis, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Annalise Magill, University of Sydney
Elizabeth Markie, University of Sydney
Maximus Pollard, University of Sydney
Sophia Thach, Applied Horticultural Research
NT Committee
Jyothi Bhandari, Charles Darwin University (RINA)
Danielle White, Charles Darwin University
QLD Committee
Francesca Earp, James Cook University
Lucy Southworth, James Cook University
SA Committee
Zane Marks, University of Adelaide
Trang Nguyen, University of Adelaide
Shreya Nidumolu, University of Adelaide
Mahsa Rahmani Dizgah, University of Adelaide
TAS Committee
Ava Christie, University of Tasmania
Emi Benic, University of Tasmania
Sarah Fulton, University of Tasmania
Usman Ijaz, University of Tasmania
Fahad Khan, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania
Shilpa Koirala, University of Tasmania
Finlay Walton, University of Tasmania
VIC Committee
Brandon Conway-Rusk, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Ellie Maeve Gerhardy, Deakin University
Sneha Rajackal Senthil Vel, The University of Melbourne
Gracia Sie, The University of Melbourne
WA Committee
Rutwik Barmukh, Murdoch University
Stephanie Boyce, CSU/DPIRD WA
William Mutton, University of Western Australia
Luke Pilmer, Murdoch University/DPIRD WA
Sneha Sharma, DPIRD WA
WITH EXTERNAL SUPPORT…
AARES
Md. Monirul Islam, CSIRO
Gardiner Foundation
Monique Berkhout, LaTrobe University/Agriculture Victoria
Ian Hodge, University of Melbourne
