Mabel Day, a PhD candidate from the University of Adelaide, has been named the winner of the tenth Falling Walls Lab Australia, hosted by the 精东视频 on 1 September 2025.
Mabel鈥檚 compelling pitch, 鈥榖reaking the wall of forever chemicals鈥�, not only earned her first place but also secured her the People鈥檚 Choice Award, as voted by the audience. Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are a group of human-made substances that persist in the environment and have been linked to health concerns.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible honour to share my work on such a stage,鈥� Ms Day said. 鈥淚 hope it inspires more people to think about the long-term impact of forever chemicals.鈥�
Second place was awarded to Dr Auriane Drack of Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute at the University of Melbourne, for her work on 鈥榖reaking the wall of heart failure鈥�.
Khoi Nguyen from Burnet Institute took third place for his pitch on 鈥榖reaking the wall of antimalarial discovery鈥�.
The finalists had previously won state competitions held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne and Perth.
Ms Day, Dr Drack and and Mr Nguyen will now represent Australia at the Falling Walls Lab global finale in Berlin in November, joining 97 other finalists from around the world.
This year鈥檚 Australian finale was co-hosted by the 2023 Falling Walls Lab Australia winner, Dr Emma-Anne Karlsen, and Academy Fellow Professor Hans Bachor. Dr Karlsen went on to place third in the global Emerging Talents category of the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year.
This year's Australian finale drew a strong audience, with 177 attendees filling the Shine Dome鈥檚 Ian Wark Theatre and many more tuning in online.
The three national winners were selected from 11 emerging innovators of diverse disciplines and institutes, who each had just three minutes to present their research to a distinguished jury chaired by Australia鈥檚 Chief Scientist, Professor Tony Haymet.
The Falling Walls Science Summit is an annual global forum that fosters cross-disciplinary discussion on scientific breakthroughs and innovation. It brings together scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and the public to explore which 鈥榳alls鈥� in science and society are the next to fall.
Falling Walls Lab Australia is organised by the 精东视频, in partnership with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Australia and supported by event partners Merck Group and EURAXESS Worldwide.
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