Every day, millions of people scroll through news feeds, share messages, ask voice assistants for directions, and make decisions based on information that flows through screens and algorithms. Most rarely pause to consider why they believe what they read, or how technology quietly shapes their choices. Dr Mehwish Nasim does. A senior lecturer in computer science at The University of Western Australia, Nasim has devoted her career to understanding the complex space where human beings and machines meet. She researches artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and online misinformation, and she does so with a deep appreciation for the human factors that make these modern challenges so urgent. Her work has recently earned her a Business Events Perth 2026 Aspire Award, specifically The University of Western Australia Aspire Award, and it will take her to the 65th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics in Kyoto, Japan, in 2027. It is a fitting honour for a researcher whose work sits at the intersection of technology and human behaviour. While the conference is a major event for computational linguistics, for Nasim it represents more than an academic milestone. It is a chance to connect with colleagues from around the world, to share what her team has learned, and to return to Perth with new ideas about how to build artificial intelligence that is safer, more reliable and more aligned with human values. In an age where misinformation spreads faster than fact-checkers can keep up, and where AI systems increasingly influence everything from social media feeds to national security decisions, her research could not be more timely.
Nasim is the founder of the Network Analysis and Social Influence and Modelling Lab, known as the NASIM Lab, part of UWA’s School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing. The lab’s work brings together artificial intelligence, computational social science and behavioural science in a bold attempt to understand how people interact with information, technology and AI. This is not research conducted in isolation. It tackles real-world problems: how misinformation spreads across networks, how social influence shapes political beliefs, how individuals make decisions in high-stakes settings, and how AI systems can be designed to support rather than undermine human judgment. One of her most compelling interests lies in large language models, the powerful systems behind chatbots and automated content generation. She wants to know how these models affect human personality and behaviour. It is a question that has become increasingly urgent as people turn to AI for emotional support, creative inspiration, medical advice and even friendship. “I’m particularly interested in how large language models interface and influence human personality and behaviour. This understanding will help us develop AI systems that are safer, reliable, and trustworthy,” Nasim said. Her work acknowledges that the fundamental challenge of AI is not just technical. It is human. A model may be mathematically brilliant, but if it reinforces prejudice, persuades users to take dangerous actions, or quietly alters the way people think, it cannot be considered successful. By studying the relationship between humans and machines, Nasim and her team are working toward a future where technology serves humanity with care, transparency and accountability.
The recognition from Business Events Perth marks a significant moment in her career. Business Events Perth is an organisation dedicated to attracting conferences and professional events to Western Australia, and its Aspire Awards celebrate local researchers and professionals who are making a difference on the world stage. The 2026 awards recognised ten researchers, academics and professionals, including four associated with UWA. For Nasim, the award provides travel funding to attend a conference of her choice, removing financial barriers and allowing her to build international connections. It also sends a powerful message that her research matters, not only inside the university but in the broader community. Professor Anna Nowak, UWA’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), expressed this clearly. “Her work couldn’t be more relevant and essential at a time when we are seeking to understand and keep up with rapidly changing technology that is affecting every aspect of our lives, from the everyday and personal all the way through to decisions of global import,” Professor Nowak said. That reflection captures the significance of Nasim’s research. AI is no longer something abstract from science fiction. It is embedded in daily life, in the recommendations we see, the voices we hear, and the decisions we make. Understanding how it works, and how it shapes us, is one of the most pressing questions of our time. Nasim’s journey to Kyoto is therefore about more than attending a conference. It is about ensuring that Western Australia remains part of the global conversation about the future of technology, and that the insights developed in Perth can influence how AI is built and used around the world.
Nasim is by no means alone in receiving this recognition. The Aspire Awards celebrate a remarkable community of researchers whose work touches some of the most profound human experiences. Professor Gina Ravenscroft, from UWA and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, received the Harry Perkins Institute Aspire Award. Ravenscroft is the inaugural Patricia Kailis Chair in Rare Diseases at UWA and leads the Rare Diseases Genetics and Functional Genomics group at Perkins. Her research focuses on discovering and characterising genes that cause neuromuscular and neurogenetic diseases, conditions that can appear at any stage of life. She has a particular interest in disorders that present before or at birth, and her team has been responsible for identifying and understanding more than forty novel rare disease genes. For families who spend years searching for a diagnosis, such discoveries can be life-changing. Another recipient, Clinical Professor Nicholas Pachter, is a clinical geneticist at UWA’s Medical School and Genetic Health WA. His clinical and research interests focus on inherited cancer and inherited cardiac disorders. He has worked on high-profile projects such as Mackenzie’s Mission, an internationally acclaimed research project piloting a national reproductive carrier screening program for rare genetic disorders. He also served as clinical lead for a team that helped establish universal testing of colorectal cancers for Lynch syndrome in Western Australia, one of the first jurisdictions in the world to introduce such testing. Then there is Adjunct Associate Professor Alma Fulurija, from the UWA School of Biomedical Sciences and The Kids Research Institute Australia, who won The Kids Research Institute Australia Aspire Award. As Head of the Strep A Vaccines program at The Kids, she works at the front line of immunology and vaccine research. Her focus is on translating scientific discoveries into vaccines and immunotherapies, particularly accelerating the development of a Strep A vaccine and understanding immune responses to infection in order to prevent rheumatic heart disease. These are not niche academic pursuits; they are efforts to ease suffering, save lives, and give people a chance at healthier futures.
The Aspire Awards program is designed to do more than simply hand out acknowledgements. It gives Western Australian experts the opportunity to share knowledge, connect with peers, and collaborate with industry leaders at business events across the globe. Recipients receive travel funding to attend a conference of their choice, giving them a platform to showcase their discoveries and to strengthen international engagement. In doing so, the program highlights Western Australia’s expertise on an international stage and creates pathways for these events to be hosted in the State in future years. There is a strategic and generous vision behind this approach. When a researcher like Nasim travels to Kyoto, she carries with her the reputation and curiosity of her university and her State. She meets others who share her interests, learns about cutting-edge developments, and builds relationships that can lead to future collaborations. When those partnerships flourish, they can bring new projects, students and conferences back to Perth. This cycle of exchange is vital for a place like Western Australia, geographically isolated but intellectually ambitious. The Aspire Awards ensure that world-class talent in the State is not hidden away, but rather connected to the global networks where knowledge grows and innovation thrives. The recipients become ambassadors, not only for their disciplines, but for a region that is quietly becoming a hub of research excellence.
Taken together, the stories of Nasim and her fellow award recipients reveal something deeply human at the heart of research. Behind every algorithm, every gene discovered, every vaccine developed, there is someone who chose to spend their career asking difficult questions. There are late nights in laboratories, messy data, failed experiments, and moments of doubt. But there are also moments of breakthrough when a pattern emerges, when a diagnosis becomes possible, when an idea transforms into a tool that helps others. The Aspire Awards honour that persistence and creativity. They remind us that research is not a solitary pursuit but a communal effort, built on curiosity and carried forward by support and recognition. For Nasim, the journey to Japan will be a chance to stand before the global computational linguistics community and share the work of her lab, gaining feedback, inspiration and perhaps new collaborators. For the families touched by rare diseases, for patients at risk of inherited cancer, and for communities waiting for a Strep A vaccine, the recognitions won by these researchers are not abstract. They are stepping stones toward better futures. As technology continues to evolve and challenge our understanding of identity, truth and safety, the need for researchers like Nasim will only grow stronger. Her work, and the work of those recognised beside her, is a reminder that at the heart of every great scientific achievement lies a simple desire: to understand the world a little better and, in doing so, to make it a little safer and more humane for everyone. Through conferences, collaborations and the quiet conversations that happen between sessions, that desire travels outward, carrying the best of Western Australia to the world and bringing the world back to Perth.