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Celebrating the 2025 Australian International Junior Science Olympiad Team

Left to right: Max Xu, Chenhan Luke Xie, Felix Lee, Dr Tammy Humphrey, Suren Mendis, Zitong Jamie Hao, Cameron Wong and Sonasaha Abhayagunaratne.

On Monday, 17 November 2025, a ceremony was held to officially announce the team of remarkable young science students who have been selected for the International Junior Science Olympiad Australian team.

Carefully chosen after a rigorous selection process, the Australian team consists of six students who participated in the Junior Science Olympiad (JSO) program throughout 2025, which was delivered by Australian Science Innovations (ASI).

The following exceptional students have been chosen for the Australian team:

Sonasha Abhayagunaratne – Baulkham Hills High School, NSW
Zitong Jamie Hao – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
Felix Lee – Barker College, NSW
Cameron Wong – Scotch College Hawthorn, VIC
Chenhan Luke Xie – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
Max Xu – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW

Students who achieved outstanding results in the Junior Science Olympiad Exam held across Australia in June 2025 were considered for places at the JSO Spring School. During JSO Spring School in October, these 24 students undertook intensive sessions in biology, chemistry, and physics, plus other enrichment activities. They gained knowledge, skills and experience in a range of scientific areas, and sat a further qualifying exam to be selected for the team.

The International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) is a prestigious global competition, held every year, that brings together the most talented young science students from over 70 countries. Unfortunately, the Australian team will not be travelling to Russia in December, and no virtual alternative option is available. We prioritise student and staff safety and will only travel to locations DFAT advise to be safe and, as part of the planning process, we monitor the advice issued by them for all locations.

The Team Announcement Ceremony, affectionately known as the ‘blazer ceremony’, is an opportunity to officially announce the Australian team and present them with their team blazers. The team came together with their families and loved ones, officials and supporters to celebrate their achievements.

Vanessa Kates, ASI Executive Director, conducted the proceedings, congratulating the students and thanking all the teams and supporters involved. She introduced the attendees to Michelle Tea, Deputy Chair of ASI, who gave an inspiring welcome address, celebrating the team’s achievements.

“The International Science Olympiads are pretty much the pinnacle of scientific achievement for young people. While our students won’t be travelling this year, they’ve still proven themselves against the best young science minds in the country,” Michelle told the audience. “The IJSO represents this incredible opportunity for academic achievement and international connection.”

We were delighted to have The Hon. Emily Jane Suvaal, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Small Business, NSW Government, as our guest speaker. Ms Suvaal gave an amazing and inspiring speech. As a James Ruse alum, Ms Suvaal was pleased to see three students from her alma mater selected to the Australian IJSO team.

Suren Mendis, Co-Program Director, spoke of the dedication and talent of the exceptional students who were selected to represent Australia. Dr Tammy Humphrey, Co-Program Director, presented the students with their blazers during the ceremony. The team have also been supported throughout the Junior Science Olympiad program by dedicated staff, supporters and sponsors, many of whom were in attendance to congratulate the team.

Thank you to families, friends and guests who supported the team by attending the ‘blazer ceremony’. Thank you to our gracious hosts, Rydges Sydney Central.

Adding a dash of drama to the event, Cameron and his parents had their flights to Sydney cancelled at the last minute. Whilst Nurul, JSO Program Manager, was able to quickly arrange another flight for Cameron to attend the ceremony, his parents were unfortunately unable to attend. A video call was arranged so his parents could watch the moment live, as his name was called to receive his blazer.