We are incredibly proud to celebrate Laura, who has been named the only Australian PhD student to receive the 2024 Acta Student Award for her publication in Acta Biomaterialia:“Liver click dECM hydrogels for engineering hepatic microenvironment.”

Laura’s journey from her days at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School to becoming a nationally recognised Biomedical Engineering researcher has been marked by excellence, leadership, and curiosity. Graduating in 2016 with an extraordinary ATAR of 99.95, Laura was Runner-up to the Dux, Science Captain, and Debating Captain—early signs of the dedication and intellectual passion that would define her future career.

Now nearing the submission of her PhD at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Laura is contributing to world-leading innovation in predictive health and drug discovery. She is developing novel drug-testing platforms designed to accelerate therapeutic development and improve the translation of scientific discoveries into real-world treatments.

Her groundbreaking research includes the development of a liver dECM click-chemistry hydrogel and the Localised Microenvironment Well Insert (LM-Well)—cutting-edge technologies helping to engineer more accurate disease models and advancing the future of personalised medicine.

After graduating from St Aidan’s, Laura completed a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Biomedical Science) at The University of Queensland, where she was honoured as Valedictorian of the UQ School of Biomedical Sciences. She then pursued postgraduate research, partnering with Brisbane-based biotech company Gelomics, immersing herself in Australia’s biotechnology landscape and strengthening her drive to translate research into meaningful medical solutions.

Across every step of her academic journey, Laura has been recognised for exceptional scholarly achievement and research excellence, receiving:

• Centre for Biomedical Technologies Top-up Scholarship (QUT) – awarded twice for outstanding PhD research potential Valedictorian, UQ School of Biomedical Science
• Runner-up Best Pre-Confirmation Presentation, QIMR Berghofer MRI – for her early research into the effects of bushfire smoke on microglial inflammation
• Denton’s Honours Scholarship, awarded to outstanding Honours students in mental health and neuroscience

From her achievements as a student leader at St Aidan’s to her international recognition in biomedical engineering, Laura continues to embody the values, integrity, and ambition that define our St Aidan’s community.

We are immensely proud to see a St Aidan’s graduate leading the way in scientific innovation and contributing knowledge that may one day transform health outcomes around the world.

Congratulations, Laura—your St Aidan’s community is cheering you on!

🔬 Read Laura’s award-winning article: https://lnkd.in/gzPikkJC
📘 More about the Acta Award: https://lnkd.in/gAcZx-4a
👩‍🔬 Affiliated Authors: Laura A. Milton, Jordan Davern, Luke Hipwood, Jacqui McGovern, Dietmar W. Hutmacher, Dr Christoph Meinert, GAICD, and Yi-Chin Toh.

#StAidans #StAidansAlumni #StAidansOldGirls #StAidansCommunity #CBTResearch #QUTResearch #WomenInSTEM #STEMLeadership