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 Australian Academy of Science on 1 September 2025.
Mabel's compelling pitch, 'breaking the wall of forever chemicals', not only earned her first place but also secured her the People's 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.
"It's an incredible honour to share my work on such a stage," Ms Day said. "I hope it inspires more people to think about the long-term impact of forever chemicals."
Second place was awarded to Dr Auriane Drack of Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute at the University of Melbourne, for her work on 'breaking the wall of heart failure'.
Khoi Nguyen from Burnet Institute took third place for his pitch on 'breaking the wall of antimalarial discovery'.
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's 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's 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's 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 'walls' in science and society are the next to fall.
Falling Walls Lab Australia is organised by the Australian Academy of Science, in partnership with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Australia and supported by event partners Merck Group and EURAXESS Worldwide.
