International award for NDRI early career researcher

A paper by NDRI Early Career Researcher Emma Vieira has been recognised with a prestigious award at an international conference.

Emma was awarded the Ole Jørgen Skog Early Career Researcher Award at the 2025 Kettil Bruun Society Conference in Glasgow in mid-June. The prize is awarded each year for the best paper by an early career researcher.

It is only the third time the award has been won by an Australian researcher in its 20-year history. Emma’s paper was chosen over early career researchers from England, Scotland, Canada and the USA.

Emma’s paper, Investigating Gender Convergence in Young Adults’ Drinking in Australia, analysed three national surveys to explore how drinking patterns had changed for Australian young adults in the past 20 years. She found reasonably consistent evidence that the gap between men’s and women’s drinking had narrowed, but this was driven by declines in men’s drinking rather than increases for women.

“There was one paper that stood out for its methodological rigor, sharp analyses, clear presentation of results and providing a fresh perspective on an important question about how drinking trends are changing among young adults,” the award judges said.

“Using over two decades of national survey data, the study revealed that yes, gender convergence is happening to some extent – but it’s mostly because young men are drinking less and doing so faster than women. However, men’s drinking still remains consistently higher.

“This nuanced finding invites us to explore deeper questions: What’s behind this shift? What does it mean for gender norms, health promotion, and future policy?”

Emma’s paper was presented at KBS 2025 and is expected to be published later this year

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Posted on: 1 Jul 2025

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