The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Sydney. As of 2023, the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 students, an alumni base of more than 176,000 [LC1] and over 2,400 staff members including 16 Distinguished professors.
Wombarra is a northern seaside suburb of Wollongong, on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Its main street is Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Wombarra is a Dharawal term meaning "Black Duck".
Vanessa Badham is an Australian writer and activist. A playwright and novelist, she writes dramas and comedies. She is a regular columnist for the Guardian Australia website.
Shellharbour Hospital is a major district hospital located in the Shellharbour area of New South Wales. It is part of the Southern network of the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, and receives students from the University of New South Wales and University of Wollongong.
Alexander ‘Alex’ Zelinsky, is an Australian computer scientist, systems engineer and roboticist. His career spans innovation, science and technology, research and development, commercial start-ups and education. Professor Zelinsky is Vice-chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle joining the university in November 2018. He was the Chief Defence Scientist of Australia from March 2012 until November 2018. As Chief Defence Scientist he led defence science and technology for Australia's Department of Defence.
The Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) is an independent health and medical research institute based in Wollongong, New South Wales.
Dion's Bus Service is an Australian bus company operating services in Wollongong.
Sara Dolnicar is a social scientist trained in Austria who researches market segmentation methodology, sustainable tourism, Airbnb, public acceptance of recycled water, and a range of social marketing questions, such as how to identify and attract high-quality foster carers. Since 2013, she has been a research professor of Tourism at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. She has been recognised by the Republic of Slovenia for her research achievements.
Justin John Yerbury was an Australian molecular biologist who was spurred to follow a career in biological research when he discovered that his family has the genetic form of motor neurone disease (MND). He held the position of Professor in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Wollongong. He was diagnosed with MND himself in 2016, but continued to research until his death from the disease in 2023.
On 29 November 2017, Victoria became the first Australian state to pass legislation allowing assisted suicide. The law gives anyone suffering a terminal illness, with less than six months to live, the right to end their life. The law had an 18-month implementation period, and came into effect on 19 June 2019.
Eileen Anne McLaughlin is a Scottish molecular biology academic working in Australia. As of 2021 she is a professor at the University of Wollongong.
Faye Beverley McMillan is an Australian academic and pharmacist known for her work on improving Indigenous healthcare. In 2023 she was awarded the Australian Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy and Practice. She is a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity, as well as being a Senior Fellow with Advance HE. She is a founding member of Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and was a board member of IAHA from 2009-2017. She joined UTS in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in the Higher Education Sector and over 30 years in the health sector.
Dr. Natalie Matosin is an Australian scientist known for research into the impacts of the human brain in health and disease, and particularly stress and its role in mental illness. Matosin's research has been published in prestigious academic journals, as well as on The Conversation. Matosin spoke at TEDx Hamburg in June 2017 and is the 2021 Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellow. She was previously a National Health and Medical Research Council CJ Martin Early Career Research Fellow, and Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. In 2017, Matosin was listed as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Europe in the category of Science & Healthcare, placing her in the top 1% of innovators worldwide.
Kate Swaffer is an Australian civil rights campaigner, and activist for the rights of people with dementia and older persons globally, and for dementia to be managed as a disability. This is to enable equal access to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), of people with dementia who are people with acquired disabilities. She was awarded Australian of the Year for South Australia in 2017, and was announced the 2018 Global Leader of the 100 Women of Influence in Australia.
Lindsay G. Oades is an Australian wellbeing public policy strategist, author, researcher and academic. He is the Director of the Centre for Wellbeing Science and a professor at the University of Melbourne. He is also a non-executive Director of Action for Happiness Australia, and the Positive Education Schools Association. He is a former co-editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing.
Lezanne Ooi is an Australian neuroscientist who is Professor and Head of Neurodevelopment at the University of Wollongong. Her research considers the development of cellular imaging techniques to understand neurodegenerative disease.
Theresa A Larkin is an associate professor, medical science educator and researcher, science communicator and regular radio presenter, and Superstar of STEM from Science Technology Australia, in the 2023–24 cohort.
Kathleen Frances Clapham is an Indigenous Australian anthropologist and health researcher, who was the recipient of an Order of Australia, for services to "indigenous community health and tertiary education". She is the founding director of both the Ngarruwan Ngadjul: First People's Health and Wellbeing Research Centre as well as Professor of Indigenous Health at the University of Wollongong.
