Scholarships fund researchers’ vision for the future

Three University of Queensland PhD candidates will receive up to $120,000 each plus leadership training after being named 2021 Westpac Future Leaders Scholars.   

UQ students Jessie Harper (agricultural science), Annika Luebbe (psychology) and Jacob White (STEMM) are among 17 students to receive the prestigious scholarship.  

Ms Harper, a PhD Candidate at UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences said she believed improving agriculture in developing countries could lead to positive social change through building the capacity of farmers and scientists.

“My goal as a researcher in agriculture is to help ensure global food security, mitigate climate impacts, and importantly, help raise small land-holders out of poverty,” Ms Harper said.

“The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship allows opportunities I did not know were possible.

“It provides the opportunity to gain valuable international experience and provides a platform that will help my research have a positive impact in people’s lives.”

Growing up in rural Queensland on her family’s farm instilled a love for agriculture in Ms Harper, which drove her to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) at UQ.

She said realised the importance of agriculture in alleviating poverty during a university study tour in Indonesia.

This mobility experience shaped Ms Harper’s career goals to pursue a PhD and become an agricultural scientist.

Ms Harper is also an elite athlete who represented Australia at the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy in Open Long Jump achieving 7th in the world.

In 2019 she also achieved third for Open Women’s Long Jump at the Australian Track and Field Championships.  

UQ Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship) Dr Jessica Gallagher said all three UQ students were worthy recipients.

 “It is clear that these passionate innovators will continue to challenge, explore and set new benchmarks in their fields,” Dr Gallagher said.

The Westpac Scholars Trust will award up to $4.7 million in scholarships in 2021 to outstanding postgraduate Australian students determined to find creative new ways to solve problems.

In May 2021, the Westpac Scholars Trust will celebrate its 500th Westpac Scholar, with a total investment in excess of $29 million in some of the brightest, most innovative young minds in the country.

Applications for 2022 scholarships open in June. Register your interest or nominate someone you know at www.westpac.com.au/scholarships.

Image above left: Westpac Future Leaders Scholar Jacob White

Image above right: Westpac Future Leaders Scholar Annika Luebbe

Media: Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Entrepeneurship) Dr Jessica Gallagher, j.gallagher@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 7366.