Brisbane dentist wins Queensland Pearcey tech award

The Pearcey Foundation has awarded the 2026 Queensland Pearcey ICT Entrepreneur Award to Dr Padma Gadiyar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Smilo.ai, recognising her work in health technology in Queensland.

Dr Gadiyar, a Brisbane-based dentist and entrepreneur, founded Smilo.ai in 2019 after identifying gaps in oral health access, cost and continuity of care. The company has developed a digital oral health platform that uses artificial intelligence and smartphones to support early detection, remote monitoring and patient engagement.

The award was presented in Brisbane by Steve Minnikin, Queensland's Minister for Customer Service and Open Data and Minister for Small and Family Business. Judges described the selection process as close.

The foundation said the panel focused on Dr Gadiyar's move from clinical practice into technology entrepreneurship, as well as the commercial progress and health-system relevance of the Smilo.ai platform. It said the business had combined regulatory approval, patent protection and clinical validation with market traction.

Smilo.ai offers virtual dental consultations in Australia and is designed to connect with broader healthcare systems. The platform supports preventive remote monitoring and aims to identify oral health issues at an early stage.

In comments posted on LinkedIn, Dr Gadiyar described the business as being in a period of expansion.

"To be recognised alongside founders and entrepreneurs who have built, scaled and contributed so much to Queensland's technology ecosystem is an incredible privilege. It also made me reflect on what this year has meant for Smilo.ai. 2026 has been a year of growth, expansion and recognition, far beyond awards," said Dr Gadiyar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Smilo.ai.

"We have grown the business, expanded into new healthcare settings and continued our fundraising journey as we prepare for the next stage of growth. Our research has also been strengthened through NHMRC and MRFF funding, helping us validate and expand our work into real-world healthcare," she said.

Rebecca McDonald, Queensland Chair of the Pearcey Foundation, said the judging field included nominees from a broad range of sectors.

"This year, we received nominations from a diverse field of entrepreneurs working across a wide range of technology and industry sectors. Padma exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit the Pearcey Awards celebrate. She has combined deep clinical insight with technological innovation to address a genuine healthcare challenge and build a platform with the potential for significant social impact. Her originality, determination and ability to translate an ambitious idea into a scalable solution make her an outstanding recipient of the 2026 Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur Award," said McDonald.

Rising star

At the same event, Dr Ming Jin of Griffith University received the 2026 CICTA Pearcey Rising Star Award. He is an Assistant Professor in the School of Information and Communication Technology.

The Rising Star Award is administered, judged and funded by CICTA. The judging panel said Dr Jin emerged as the clear leading candidate across all five selection criteria in a competitive field.

Judges cited his research in time-series artificial intelligence, including work known as Time-LLM and Time-MoE, as well as the international uptake of that research through open-source channels. They also pointed to applications in battery safety for e-bike swap networks and environmental monitoring projects, including CSIRO AquaWatch and seagrass flood-plume work relevant to Queensland.

Dr Jin completed his PhD in 2024. The foundation said his selection reflected the award's focus on early-career researchers whose work is already reaching live operational settings.

Health focus

The Queensland result continues a broader pattern in this year's state-based Pearcey honours, with several recipients linked to health technology and applied artificial intelligence. In Western Australia, the entrepreneur award went to Professor Girish Dwivedi, a cardiologist and health technology entrepreneur, while Victoria's award recognised Leigh Jasper, Co-founder of Aconex and Firmable.

The Pearcey Foundation was established in 1998 to promote Australia's information and communications technology sector and recognise contributions across the industry. Its state awards have become a fixture on the local technology calendar, highlighting founders, researchers and executives working across software, data, healthcare and other fields.

In Queensland, the foundation said this year's decision reflected both the competitiveness of the field and the growing overlap between clinical practice and digital product development. Judges highlighted Dr Gadiyar's record in translating healthcare experience into a business built around oral health access and monitoring.

They also pointed to Dr Jin's combination of academic research, open-source work and deployment in practical systems, including battery safety and water-quality monitoring, as evidence of a strong pipeline of early-career artificial intelligence talent in the state.

Dr Jin stood out for what the judging panel described as a rare combination of field-defining research, global open-source adoption and technologies already delivering real-world benefit in micromobility safety and environmental monitoring in Queensland.