Australia’s intellectual and creative talent will light up the global stage in 2025 and beyond. The 18 exemplary John Monash Scholars announced today will expand their leadership and academic excellence, embarking on inspiring and nation-defining journeys.
Awarded annually, following a highly competitive nationwide selection process, the 2025 scholars were selected from a record number of applicants for their academic excellence, leadership potential and commitment to public service.
They are named in honour of General Sir John Monash, a celebrated Australian with a passion for education, leadership and service. This is Australia’s homemade, unique and most prestigious national postgraduate Scholarship award. It enables outstanding Australian students to undertake postgraduate study at an overseas institution.
Chairman of the General Sir John Monash Foundation, Jillian Segal AO, said: “The scholars join a thriving community of John Monash Scholars contributing to critical issues in Australia and globally. Thank you to all our funding partners for making these scholarships possible. We are delighted that the Western Australian Government has joined us as a perpetual funder.”
Awarded through the General Sir John Monash Foundation, the Scholarships pursue a bold mission, to uplift the capabilities of Australia’s brightest individuals through global engagement and deep academic exploration. The program is a pillar of Australia’s engagement in international education, an exemplar of what can be achieved through a carefully designed cluster of excellence.
The John Monash Scholarships are supported by Australian governments, companies, universities, trusts, foundations and individuals, including the Australian Universities’ Consortium, the John and Anna Belfer Trust, BHP, the Commonwealth Bank, the Commonwealth Government, Tim Fairfax AC, Helen and Michael Gannon, Lee Liberman Charitable Foundation, the New South Wales Government, John Roth and Jillian Segal AO, the Queensland Government, Rio Tinto, the Victorian Government, the Susan and Isaac Wakil Foundation, Wesfarmers and the Western Australian Government.
Chairman of the Foundation’s National Selection Panel, Professor Paul Wellings CBE, said: “The 2025 scholars are an outstanding group of Australians. They stood out as leaders in their fields, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve during and after their studies. It was especially rewarding to see the emergence of so many exceptional women in STEM.”
And exceptionally talented they are. Alumni from more than 9 Australian universities, representing 5 states and a territory will undertake PhD, Doctoral and Masters programs. They will study in a range of fields of critical importance to Australia’s future, including engineering, physics, artificial intelligence, photonics, defence, public policy, medicine, law, sign language and linguistics, education, conservation and sustainability.
This year’s cohort includes the 2025 Geoff Gallop John Monash Scholar, awarded for the first time after the Western Australian Government joined the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian governments. It will provide a perpetual scholarship to support graduates from WA universities.
Anish Badgeri is the inaugural Geoff Gallop John Monash Scholar. With a Master of Teaching (Secondary) from the Australian Catholic University and a Bachelor of Philosophy (Hons) from UWA he is an outstanding advocate for social mobility through education. Further testament to Australia’s commitment to and regard for international experience, Anish is one of three 2025 John Monash Scholars who studied in the Indo-Pacific as New Colombo Plan Scholars during their undergraduate degrees.
Head of Learning Community at Shenton College in WA, Anish has a decade-long track record championed LGBTQIA+ youth advocacy and access to educational opportunities. His footprint of influence as an Associate of Teach for Australia and through the Board of Directors for UN Youth Australia underpin an ambition that will see him shape future curricula and drive policy architecture in the Australian education system.
Identifying as a gay person of colour, Anish believes education has the power to enrich Australia’s diverse society. He will pursue a one-year Master of Education Leadership (In-Service) at University College London, with the vision to build and lead a not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes mentorship for young and early career teachers.
Among the diverse 2025 scholar cohort community are; an aspiring world-leading quantum researcher, an aeronautics engineer and space communicator, an interventional cardiologist looking to improve cardiac therapies and ensure equitable access to treatment for all Australians, an engineer using photonics and nanotechnology to further explain the biology of the brain and understand Alzheimer’s disease and a medical practitioner pursuing policy formulation to lead a renewed and informed dialogue on First Nations health in Australia.
The Foundation’s CEO, Paul Ramadge, said: “We are confident that the 2025 John Monash Scholars will be key influencers and changemakers for the nation, in their chosen fields and more broadly.” Cultivating this cross-disciplinary community aligns with the spirit of General Sir John Monash who believed education is not given for individual benefit, but for the higher duties of citizens who seek to advance society. It encourages, extends and integrates academic pursuits, aiming to foster the growth of leadership qualities and harness the collective talents of scholars. The program is an outstanding commitment to building Australia’s future capability.
Spread across more than 12 globally iconic academic precincts, the scholars will attend institutions that include St Andrews in Scotland, down to Oxford and Imperial College London, into Europe and the Technical University of Munich and Ulm University, then through Peking University and across the Atlantic to Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University. This year a number of Scholars will undertaking dual masters, enabling them to draw on a variety of knowledge across different cultures and combine global pockets of expertise.
“This announcement brings the number of Australians who have been awarded a John Monash Scholarship to 282, all of whom will benefit from being part of the John Monash Leadership Academy, our initiative to support scholars throughout their careers.” said Mr Ramadge. The Leadership Academy is an initiative designed to provide ongoing professional development. It ensures Scholars are best equipped to respond to the most important challenges facing Australia; harnessing and growing the knowledge gained for the benefit of the broader Australian community.
In recognising these scholars today, the Foundation and supporters continue a bold commitment to and focus on impact investment. At the heart of international education is the generation, capture and sharing of new knowledge. This global ecosystem of magnificent minds bought together by the Foundation is an iconic contribution that will assist address some of Australia’s, indeed the globes, intractable problems.
So, there are 18 reasons why Australia’s global share price shot up again today. Our social, cultural and intellectual capital is in capable hands.
Profiles of the 2025 Scholars are available here
