Meet Nalini Joshi, Indian-origin mathematician named NSW Scientist of the Year 2025

Indian-origin mathematician Nalini Joshi has been named 2025 NSW Scientist of the Year, becoming the first mathematician to receive New South Wales' highest honour for scientific endeavour - a milestone that places her among Australia's most influential scientific figures.

The award was announced on Wednesday as part of the NSW Premier's Prizes for Science at Government House in Sydney.

Born in 1958 in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma (Myanmar), to an Indian-origin family, Joshi spent her early childhood there before emigrating to Australia. That journey, from South-East Asia to Sydney, would shape a career that bridges deep theoretical mathematics with some of the most urgent technological challenges of the modern world.

A world-leading mathematician, Joshi's work has transformed the field of integrable systems. She was also the first woman to be appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney, where she currently serves as Chair of Applied Mathematics.

Professor Joshi is now applying her expertise in mathematics to the urgent question of quantum cryptography, according to The University of Sydney. "The development of quantum computers offers great promise for drug design, advanced materials science and solving computing problems beyond that of classical computers."

"Twenty years ago, we didn't have smartphones. Now we rely on them for almost every part of our lives, from paying for coffee to checking our bank balances. In 20 years, we will be walking around with quantum-enabled devices filled with quantum money. But our industry base has very little knowledge of how to protect us in that future, and Australia has less than a dozen citizens with the expertise needed to help them," she said.

While quantum computing promises breakthroughs in drug design, advanced materials science and solving problems beyond the reach of classical computers, Joshi has repeatedly warned that it could also render existing cybersecurity systems obsolete, exposing the digital economy to unprecedented risks.

Her academic journey began in Sydney. She attended Fort Street High School, earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Sydney in 1980 and completed her PhD at Princeton University in 1986.

Over the years, Joshi has built an international profile. She was the first Australian Vice-President of the International Mathematical Union from 2019 to 2022, is an elected honorary member of the London Mathematical Society, and was a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in 2021. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

In 2016, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to mathematics.

Beyond research, Joshi is widely regarded as a mentor and advocate for women and minority groups in science. She gives significant time to mentoring students and early-career academics and was awarded the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentorship of Young Researchers in 2018.

Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green wrote on X: "Indian-origin mathematician Nalini Joshi AO has been named NSW Scientist of the Year 2025 - the first mathematician to earn the honour. From climate science to fibre optics, her groundbreaking work is transforming our understanding of complex systems."