Last December, we shortlisted six inspirational high school girl mathematicians, whose commitment, intelligence and flair for the subject earned them a place on our game-changing nationwide scholarship program for 2026–27.
The two-year AMSI Specialist Maths High School Scholarship for Girls aim to address persistently low participation rates of girls studying Specialist Mathematics. It is open to students who intend to study Specialist Maths in Years 11 and 12.
Today marks the next step in their scholarship journey. Each recipient will be paired with a renowned Australia-based mathematics researcher who will assist with their progression through Specialist Maths by providing mentorship and resources.
Let’s meet our mentors…
Celia Dowling (they/she), The University of Melbourne | Mentee to Abigail McCallum
Celia is a PhD candidate, tutor and course assistant at the University of Melbourne. They have a Master of Science, specialising in mathematical biology. Their research pertains to building and testing mathematical models of biological systems including migrating whale pods, frogs in patchy habitats, nanoparticle delivery to cells, and tumour spheroid growths.
Agnes Boskovitz, Australian Natonal University | Mentee to Abigael Cordero
Agnes says she is “thrilled” to share her love of maths with an AMSI high school scholar. She graduated with a first class honours degree and a Research Master’s Degree in Pure Mathematics, where she researched category theory.
For many years she has worked in government and for a consulting firm — applying her mathematical skill set to diverse fields such as railway engineering, roads maintenance planning, school funding models, wheat transport, the Commonwealth budget, IT planning, demography, and urban transport modelling. She also completed a PhD in Data Editing and Logic at ANU. There, she has tutored maths and designed online maths assignments.
Kimberley Dennis, The University of Sydney | Mentee to Alice Navarre
Kimberly is a Master of Mathematical Sciences student studying pure mathematics. She is also a physics tutor and a postgraduate teaching fellow at the University of Sydney.
A lifelong learner, Kim aims to create an environment in which students feel safe to explore their curiosity and to help them become versatile problem-solvers. Kim has a Master’s by Research in Physics from the Australian National University (ANU).
Dr Indu Wadhawan, Queensland University of Technology | Mentee to Chloe Mahony
Indu is a Lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics at Queensland University of Technology. She has over 22 years of academic experience across different universities.
Her research interests lie in quantitative data analysis and the optimisation of transportation and allocation problems. Her exemplary teaching record has been recognised by Senior Fellow and Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges) awards from the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in the United Kingdom.
Narges Shabgard, University of New England | Mentee to Emily Ngo
Narges is a PhD candidate in Applied Mathematics at the University of New England, where she also teaches mathematics to undergraduate students. Her research focuses on numerical analysis of partial differential equations, particularly free boundary problems motivated by ecological applications. She is passionate about supporting and encouraging young women to pursue careers in maths.
Chengfan Gu, RMIT University | Mentee to Sylvia Ho
RMIT University Researcher and Tutor Chengfan is an expert in materials research and simulation. Her materials research focuses on fundamental issues associated with metallic alloys and soft tissues in order to establish advanced structure analysis and properties characterisation methodologies in the micro/nano space.
During COVID-19, she helped to develop a simulation concept while working as a research scientist at the Centre for Smart Health in Hong Kong, which enabled interactions between data measurement, modelling and practical applications. This concept enabled systems to respond to changing real-world conditions; capturing condition data in real time.
