MSPS Awards Night 2026
Congratulations to all prize recipients celebrated on Wednesday, 6 May 2026 at our annual Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences Awards Night!
The evening began with a warm welcome from Head of School, Professor Kristen Pammer, who marked the School’s 80th anniversary alongside the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences’ 150th anniversary. Dr Emily Harris then made an excellent debut as MC, guiding the evening with great energy and warmth.
Professor Amy Jordan delivers the Occasional Address.
A recurring theme throughout the night was the diverse and often unexpected pathways into careers in psychology, alongside the power of partnerships across disciplines and organisations. Many speakers reflected on how careers can evolve in surprising ways, often bringing people back to psychology from other fields.
Professor Amy Jordan delivered the Occasional Address, sharing her unusual pathway from studying physiology to psychology. She spoke about being drawn to the field by the friendliness and passion of the faculty and encouraged students to pursue what excites them most – reminding us that even when challenging, work is far more rewarding when it’s fun.
Our undergraduate and graduate diploma award winners.
Award winner and undergraduate/Graduate Diploma representative Morgan Galea reflected on his own non-linear path. He first encountered psychology through Mind Brain and Behaviour 1 as a breadth subject while studying commerce, before rediscovering his passion years later while working in risk consultancy.
While presenting the Elgin Prize to Jessica Polhill, Associate Professor Judi Humberstone shared her transition from maths teacher and principal to clinical psychology, driven by a desire to better understand students’ challenges. Dr Patricia Molloy paid tribute to Dr Maureen Molloy’s legacy as she presented the Molloy Medal to Katia Lepore, honouring her famously multidisciplinary achievements – from being one of the first women to study physics at university, to later pursuing psychology and even completing a Juris Doctor in her 80s.
Outstanding Graduate Research Supervision Award recipient Professor Andy Perfors spoke candidly about developing supervision as a skill over time, while Dr Andrea Putica shared the more unexpected aspects of psychological research, including the practicalities of collecting and transporting frozen saliva samples.
We were also delighted to hear from Jessica Polhill, Katia Lepore and Dr Daniel Yeom.
Once again, congratulations to all of our prize winners, and thank you to everyone who joined us in celebration. A full list of winners is available on the Awards Page or in the program .