Support Physics

Join the many donors worldwide who are funding science scholarships and research at the University of Melbourne.

We invite you to be one of our valued philanthropic supporters and be part of the next generation of donors who view basic and applied research in Physics as an investment in the future with a strong multiplier effect.

To discuss opportunities to support scientific research, scholarships for students, or early career researchers, please contact us by email or call +61 3 8344 3792.

Donate online

Amatul Firdausya Nur, standing in front of a mural of space

The N.D. Goldsworthy Scholarship for Physics (PhD) 2025 has been a transformative experience for Amatul Firdausya Nur, enabling her to pursue a PhD and further develop her path as a researcher in astrophysics.

This scholarship has given me the motivation and confidence to pursue my work with greater aspiration and purpose. Thank you for supporting my journey.Amatul Firdausya Nur

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How our support helps our students and researchers

Financial support is crucial for enhancing the cultural and intellectual life in the School of Physics. See some of the funds and scholarships funded by our generous benefactors.

    • A A H Pierce Scholarship
    • Dieul-Kurzweil Scholarships
    • Dixon Scholarships
    • Dr Alan Kenneth Head PhD International Research Award
    • Helen R Freeman Scholarship – women in physics
    • John Tyndall Scholarship
    • Klein Prize In Experimental Physics
    • Lyn McDowell Scholarship
    • Margaret M. Loughnan McCutcheon Prize
    • McKellar Prize in Theoretical Physics
    • Muriel Ramm Science Bursay and Ramm Prize in Experimental Physics
    • N D Goldsworthy Scholarship For Physics
    • Professor Kernot Research Scholarship
    • Robert D Hill Scholarship
    • Women In Physics Award

    • The Dwight Prize offered to students who achieved the highest mark for first-year Physics subjects.

    • Haasz Family Fund
    • Jacob Haimson and Beverly Mecklenburg Fund
    • Sir Thomas Lyle Fellowship in Physics
    • Thomas Baker Chair in Physical Biosciences
    • Thomas Baker Fellow in Medical Accelerator Physics
    • Thomas H Laby Chair of Physics
    • W. E. and C. H. H. Cook Memorial Fund
Student walking past the Old Physics Building

Spotlight: The Laby Foundation

Jean and Betty Laby were fearless pioneers for women in science. Their legacy is supporting talented physicists and researchers in perpetuity. Their father was revered physicist Professor Thomas Laby, Head of the School of Natural Philosophy (now Physics) from 1915–44, and they grew up surrounded by academia. Dr Jean Laby (1915–2008) followed her father’s lead and became a noted physicist. Jean’s work took her as far afield as South Africa, Brazil and the USA, where in 1972 she was commissioned to help with one of the earliest large-scale examinations of the effects of chloroflurocarbon on the Earth’s atmosphere. Jean’s work was highly regarded at both the University of Melbourne and the Royal Australian Air Force Academy. She was the first woman to receive a physics PhD from the University (1959). Betty followed her sister into optical munitions, before running a laboratory that ran data projects for University staff and researchers. The University awarded her an honorary Master of Science in 1985.

Their legacy is the Thomas H. Laby Chair of Physics, which will support an area in experimental or observational physics. In addition, their bequest to the Laby Foundation, which the sisters established in the 1980s, continues to support several School of Physics initiatives. Their lives and extraordinary bequest ensure a legacy that will enable future physicists to thrive.

  • Travel bursaries for early career researchers, PhD students and visitors
  • The opportunity to be part of the technical team for an annual Antarctica charter flight over Antarctica
  • Seed funds to support special research initiatives
  • Funding for advanced experiments in the undergraduate laboratories and lecture demonstrations
  • Support for the annual Women in Physics program
  • Support for the vacation scholars program
  • Bursaries for students in need
  • Facilities in the Laby Ideas Centre, a place where undergraduates have a home in the School of Physics

How you can support our work

Help students succeed with the Narrm Scholarship Program

Now, more than ever, we need university graduates who are drawn from every walk of life, to lead towards a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world. With support from the community, the Narrm Scholarship Program is providing an opportunity for talented students from diverse background to accept their offers and thrive at the University of Melbourne.

Donate now

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Have a conversation with our team

The faculty’s fundraising team has extensive and diverse experience as your trusted adviser to help you navigate your gift discussion through to the Faculty of Science. We take time to understand your needs, and goals, so we can connect what is most meaningful to you with the right area of research or student service in the Faculty of Science or elsewhere in the University.

We’re here to help - chat with our friendly team to explore your giving options or learn more about giving as a bequest.

Talk to us