The following awards were presented at the Coasts & Ports 2025 Conference dinner on 20 August. Congratulations to all our winners.
D.N. Foster Award
In recognition of Doug Foster’s contribution to Australian coastal engineering, the National Committee on Coastal & Ocean Engineering created the Doug N. Foster Memorial Fellowship Fund in September 2001. The award is presented to encourage engineering students to pursue career opportunities in coastal and/or ocean engineering. Up to four Awards will be offered to students who are in their final two years of their first engineering degree. The award provides the opportunity for students to attend the Australasian Coasts & Ports Conference.
Award presented by James Carley, Principal Coastal Engineer at UNSW Water Research Laboratory.
2025 winners:
L-R in above pic: Rose Lehane, Mechanical Engineering student, UWA; Jane Ginger, Environmental Engineering student, UWA; Simone Gloag, Civil Engineering student, UQ; Advaita Nitturkar, Environmental and Humanitarian Engineering student at UNSW
Kevin Stark Memorial Award
The Kevin Stark Memorial Award was established in 1993 in honour and memory of the Late Professor Kevin Stark of James Cook University whose untimely death in 1989 ended a most remarkable career which, amongst many other achievements, greatly contributed to the advancement of coastal and ocean engineering within Australia.
The award aims to foster and encourage excellence in coastal and ocean engineering across the range of professional practice, research and teaching.
Award presented by Prof Andrew Pomerioy, Chair NCCOE, Engineers Australia
2025 Winner: Ryan Lowe, UWA
Ryan is Professor & Head of School, Oceans Graduate School, UWA Oceans Institute.
Professor Lowe’s research focuses on the study of the physical drivers of coastal processes and hazards, including how nearshore processes govern coastal flooding and erosion risk that threaten coastal populations and infrastructure, as well as how these processes are modified by coastal ecosystems. A major area of research is also on developing novel solutions to mitigate wave-driven coastal hazard risk, with a particular emphasis on integration of natural and nature-based features. His research utilises a wide range of field studies, laboratory (physical modelling) experiments and numerical models.
Prof Lowe’s paper presented at Coasts&Ports2025: Performance of hybrid oyster reefs for coastal protection: from design to implementation.
PIANC Young Authors Award
The PIANC Young Authors Award has traditionally been awarded at the Australasian Coasts and Ports Conferences since 1988. It is awarded for the best paper by a Young Professional YP at a conference related to PIANC issues and activities.
Award presented by Luke Campbell, Chair of PIANC AU-NZ
2025 Winner: Christopher Watson, Baird
Paper presented at Coasts&Ports2025: C.Y O’Connor Artificial Reef – Analytical comparisons of different numerical modelling approaches
Chrisopher is currently working as an intern coastal engineering consultant at Baird Australia, while studying a Masters of Professional Engineering (Environmental) at UWA. He has a Bachelor in Advanced Science (Chemistry).
Women in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering (WICGE) Award
The Women in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering (WICGE) is an international initiative that encourages, recognises and promotes the achievements of women in coastal geoscience and engineering. This award, sponsored by UNSW Water Research Laboratory, aims to highlight the impact that excellent research and/or application by women has on changing the culture of our discipline. This award aims to foster positive commitment to equity within our discipline and encourage women in our field to pursue/ continue a career in the coastal/ocean/port engineering and geoscience disciplines.
Award presented by Francois Flocard, Director- Industry Research at UNSW Water Research Laboratory.
2025 Winner: Charlotte Uphues, Flinders University
Dr Uphues is a coastal engineer at Hatch. Her paper presented at Coasts&Ports was based on her recently completed coastal engineering PhD research at Flinders University on ‘Field measurements of morphodynamic responses of pocket beaches to seasonal forcing.’
