BHP announces 2025 John Monash scholar recipient

Rhona Hamilton, a biophotonics postgraduate student, has been awarded the BHP John Monash scholar for 2025.

Hamilton will undertake a PhD at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, which will apply photonics techniques to further explain the biology of the brain and implications of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.

“In my PhD I will be using advanced microscopy methods to study the dynamics of fluid clearance in the brain, with the potential to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease,” Hamilton said.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity the PhD provides to transition from pure physics to a more interdisciplinary field, and the lab at St Andrews feels like it’s really well positioned at a nexus of both cutting edge physics and biomedical research.”

Hamilton’s approach will lead interdisciplinary research groups to answer crucial questions at the intersection of physics and biology to improve the health outcomes of Australians.

Since 2012, BHP has sponsored Australian students who are committed to driving innovation, scientific discovery and positive change as part of its long-standing partnership with the John Monash Foundation.

A total of 14 BHP John Monash scholarships have been awarded under the partnership, totalling 39 scholarship years that covered fields such as infrastructure strategy, biodiversity, mathematics, physics, engineering and law.

The scholarships are named after John Monash, an Australian civil engineer who served in the First World War.

“BHP believes in investing in people who push the boundaries of knowledge and technology to create a better future,” BHP said.

“We congratulate Rhona and all this year’s scholars, and look forward to seeing their contributions to science, society and the world.”

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