Game Changer Awards
Game Changer Awards Ambassadors are champions of science, technology and innovation in Western Australia. Lending their expertise, networks and public profiles to the program, they promote the Awards to schools, industry and government, mentor the young innovators who take part, support judging and event delivery, and advocate for the value of STEM education right across the community.
Their involvement is vital to the program: it gives the Game Changer Awards credibility and reach, opens doors and opportunities for participating students, and connects the next generation of game changers with the leaders, researchers and innovators shaping Western Australia's future. We are proud to have these outstanding West Australians standing behind our program.
Ambassador · Scientist & Parliamentarian
At 10, I asked a simple question: how are we all connected? I never imagined it would lead me to map the DNA of quokkas and Gilbert’s potoroos — and help protect species we could lose forever. That’s the power of following a question.
The Game Changer Awards give young people the confidence to do exactly that. From clean water to biodiversity loss, students are turning big challenges into real solutions. Their ideas deserve more than applause. They deserve a chance.
I’m proud to champion a program that takes young people from ‘what if?’ to ‘why not?’, to ‘let’s do it’.
The Hon. Dr Parwinder Kaur FTSE MLC is an award-winning scientist, biotechnologist and Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. She began her career in agriculture, completing undergraduate and masters degrees at Punjab Agricultural University in India, before winning an international scholarship to undertake a PhD at The University of Western Australia, which was awarded in 2010.
As an Associate Professor at UWA, Parwinder spent more than two decades leading cross-disciplinary genomics and biodiversity research, using genomic technologies — and more recently artificial intelligence — to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species. She founded and led DNA Zoo Australia, the Australian chapter of a global genomics consortium producing high-quality genome assemblies for species around the world, and is a biotechnology entrepreneur through her company Ex Planta, combining technology with bio-engineering solutions.
2021–2022
Inducted 2023
Elected 2026
Ambassador · Board Director & Venture Capitalist
I spend my days backing founders, and every one of them started with a problem they couldn’t stop thinking about. I see that same curiosity in Game Changers students, right from Year 3.
When girls and young people from every background get to tackle real problems early, they start to see themselves as people who can shape the world we live in, and take on its biggest challenges with boldness and imagination. That’s why I’m proud to be a Game Changer Awards Ambassador.
Pia has been instrumental in building WA’s STEM innovation ecosystem. A former commercial lawyer in Sydney and Perth, she moved into the innovation space, helping innovators commercialise new ideas and grow them into thriving ventures. As co-founder and General Partner of Fund WA, a Perth venture capital fund, she finds and backs “game changers” every day. She serves on the WA Science and Technology Council, and on boards across the health, energy, education and technology sectors.
A past Chair of WiTWA, Pia was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2023 for service to technology, innovation and women in STEM, and also named WA’s Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year.
2023 King's Birthday Honours
2023
Backing Western Australia
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