Orygen PhD candidate Josh Nguyen has been recognised at the 2026 Victorian International Education Awards for building "an extraordinary life in Victoria as a researcher, clinical psychologist, community leader and PhD candidate, driven by a passion for creating meaningful changes in mental health systems, particularly for marginalised communities".
The prestigious Victorian Government awards celebrate the state's most outstanding international students and recent graduates, and recognise the impact and contribution of these students on the community.
Nguyen was recognised with both the International Student of the Year – Research award, and the Premier's International Student of the Year award, the highest honour awarded. The Premier's Award recipient is selected from winners across the individual categories and recognises the student judged to have demonstrated the strongest overall contribution across the award criteria.
The awards acknowledge Nguyen's outstanding work in researching how artificial intelligence can predict and prevent suicidal behaviours in young people, as well as advancing new approaches to suicide prevention and LGBTQIA+ mental health. Recognising the need for greater culturally responsive mental health support, he also founded the Asian Mental Health Professional Network, which now connects more than 200 clinicians across Australia.
The Hon. Natalie Suleyman presented the award at a ceremony at the Investment Centre Victoria
Nguyen said receiving the awards was an honour – and also gave him a sense of responsibility to continue his work to support young people and help pave the way for the next generation.
"Since coming to Victoria from Vietnam as an international student 10 years ago, I've built my work across research, clinical psychology and community leaderships, with a strong focus on advocating for a safer and more inclusive mental health system for marginalised communities, particularly LGBTQ+ and multicultural communities," Nguyen said.
"My research focuses on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to better identify young people at risk of suicide and create opportunities for earlier prevention, particularly for populations that have historically been underserved by mental health systems.
"I hope to translate and test these models into real-world clinical settings over the next few years, so that clinicians can identify and respond to suicide risk earlier and more accurately, and ultimately improve care for young people."
Josh Nguyen and supervisor Professor Lianne Schmaal from Orygen