2026 Westpac Research Fellows: Shaping Australia’s Future

Two of Australia’s most promising emerging research leaders have been named as 2026 Westpac Research Fellows by Westpac Scholars Trust.

 

Awarded annually, the two highly competitive Research Fellowships form part of the Trust’s commitment to supporting 100 scholarships each year, backing early‑career researchers whose work is advancing outcomes critical to Australia’s future.

 

The Research Fellowship brings together long‑term, flexible funding with leadership development and industry connection, supporting Fellows to translate academic excellence into real‑world impact.

 

Each Fellow receives a minimum of $400,000 over three to five years, enabling them to pursue ambitious research while building the leadership capability and networks required to influence policy, practice and public outcomes.

 

2026 Westpac Research Fellows

 

One of this year’s Westpac Research Fellows is Dr Claire Leppold, a disaster public health researcher at The University of Melbourne. Her work focuses on how Australia’s emergency management and recovery systems respond to repeated or overlapping crises to improve long-term mental health, housing and wellbeing outcomes for affected communities.

 

Claire’s work builds on experience that began in Fukushima after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, and continued through research on Australia’s 2019–20 bushfires and successive flood events.

 

“Children born today will face up to seven times more climate disasters than the current generation,” Claire explains. “My research looks at how we can meet the needs of people facing these disasters, especially when they repeat or overlap.”

 

The second Research Fellow is Dr Xanthe Croot, an experimental physicist at The University of Sydney and Director of the Superconducting Quantum Circuits Lab. Her research addresses one of the central challenges in quantum computing by developing new superconducting qubit designs that reduce errors and enable more efficient error correction, accelerating the potential of quantum technologies across medicine, security, advanced manufacturing and national capability.

 

“This Fellowship will support my scientific efforts to solve the problem of error in quantum computers, as well as my growth as a researcher through leadership training and professional development,” she says.

 

Backing Research Leadership

 

Westpac Scholars Trust CEO Amy Lyden said the Fellowship reflects both the calibre of researchers supported and the growing importance of investing in research at a critical career stage.

 

“We’re incredibly proud of the calibre of researchers supported through the Westpac Research Fellowship,” says Amy.

 

“The program backs both hard science and social research, reflecting our belief that Australia’s future depends on deep expertise across disciplines working together.

 

“Globally, we’re seeing how short-sighted underinvestment in research can be. In Australia, early-career researchers are often in insecure roles, spending enormous time chasing funding instead of advancing ideas that could deliver real benefit to the community. This Fellowship is about changing that equation by providing stability, leadership development and connection, so researchers can focus on the work that will shape Australia’s future.”

 

Full scholar profiles available at westpac.com.au/our-scholars.