Researcher who studies memory of domestic violence survivors wins Australian science prize
A University of Sydney researcher has won an Australian science prize for work showing how memories of repeated abuse are often perceived as less credible, with implications for how victim-survivors are heard in court.
Paterson's research shows that, compared with witnesses to a single event, witnesses to repeated events tend to report more gist-like details, describing what typically happens and what remains constant between episodes. They sometimes confuse one episode with another. She said defence lawyers often use such inconsistencies to argue that the whole memory is unreliable, but what these witnesses report tends to be highly accurate in that the events did happen to them; they may simply mix up in which episode an event occurred.
Her work has also found that repeated-event witnesses are perceived as less honest, less cognitively competent and less overall credible than single-event witnesses. Paterson called this concerning, because the more repeatedly someone is victimised, the less credible they appear to others. She hoped the award would help elevate the voices of victim-survivors, who, in her words, are often not given the support and encouragement they should have, and are not seen as credible as they should be.
Established in 1990, the Australian Museum Eureka prizes recognise Australian scientists and science communicators. Paterson received the award for excellence in forensic science, one of 19 categories.
Among the other winners was Jane Tiller, an associate professor at Monash University, recognised for driving national legislative change that bans life insurers from discriminating against people because of genetic test results. The ban was passed into law in April and will take effect on 8 October. Tiller said the legal change removes a critical barrier to genomic medicine, allowing scientists to find young people at high risk of preventable diseases and offer them screening and early treatment.
Georgina Long, who alongside the late Richard Scolyer was named Australian of the Year in 2024, won the Eureka prize for scientific research for her pioneering melanoma work. Other awards went to Australia's marine heatwaves forecasting tool, developed by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology; the Women's Microbiome Innovation Group, a Melbourne research collaboration that found bacterial vaginosis can be sexually transmitted between partners; and Yansong Shen at the University of New South Wales, who created a scalable low-cost process to recover valuable metals and silicon from used solar panels.
Kim McKay, director and chief executive of the Australian Museum, said this year's winners are tackling some of the greatest challenges, including protecting the environment and advancing healthcare. She said world-changing discoveries are built on years of dedication, collaboration and sustained investment.