Shiye Su (2015)
Pushing the boundaries of excellence
At Speech Day in her final year at Brisbane Girls Grammar, Shiye Su’s dedication, curiosity and academic excellence were recognised through a remarkable number of awards, including the Hilda Florence Neville Grant Prize for Physics, the Joan Tuffney Prize for Chemistry, the Prize for Mathematics C, the Sophia Beanland Prize for German, and the Lady Lilley Silver Medal.
So, it’s probably no surprise—yet still a stunning achievement—that ten years on, this former Brisbane girl is now based in the US at the heart of the AI research and development, after studying Physics and Computer Science at Princeton, Cambridge and Stanford universities.
In July, she began an internship with Google’s world-leading DeepMind in Montreal, Canada, taking time out from PhD studies at Stanford.
`I’ve been a longtime fan of their work, so I’m excited to work and learn there,’ she said.
As pioneers in machine learning and neural networks, DeepMind is pushing the frontier in using AI to unlock and fast track scientific discovery.
In 2024, Deep Mind’s AlphaFold system won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for solving a decades-old research speed hump, using AI to predict the 3D structure of proteins in minutes, replacing months of lab work. A newer AI agent, AlphaEvolve, deploys Large Language Models (LLMs) to work on fundamental and complex problems in maths and computer science.
`I’m excited to see how the success story of language models plays out for non-text modalities, enabling multi-modal intelligence that interacts more naturally with the physical world and for science,’ Shiye said.
Despite being immersed in technology every day of her working life, Shiye credits Girls Grammar’s `holistic philosophy’ with instilling a broader outlook.
`At Girls Grammar, I found many great teachers, talented peers and an emphasis on community and leadership.’
Year 12 Music Captain
While she topped the traditional academic pillars of Maths C, Physics, Chemistry, she was also an accomplished violist who served as Music Captain in Year 12. The teacher she credits as her greatest influence was Director of Instrumental Music Mark Sullivan, who retired in 2017 after 20 years in the role.
`He taught and conducted me since I first set foot through the white picket fence. The conviction, dedication and joy with which he approached music education always impressed me, and I’ve benefitted so much from his example and his friendship.’
Shiye’s outstanding achievements at BGGS were a springboard to the world, gaining entry to study Physics at Princeton, in New Jersey, shortly after graduating. Exploring computational and theoretical condensed matter, she went on to trade with legendary New York-based hedge fund D.E. Shaw—one of the first `quant’ firms to begin applying advanced computing and quantitative research to investing in the late 1980s.
`During this time, I became increasingly interested in AI from the perspective of both its technical and societal impacts and decided to make it my focus.’
In 2023 she crossed the Atlantic to complete a Master of Philosophy in Computer Science at the University of Cambridge, then returned to the US where she is currently completing a PhD in Computer Science at Stanford.
Although she initially decided to study overseas for `character development’, Shiye said she quickly realised engaging with different people and cultures broadened her outlook and ambitions.
`My perspective is enriched by experiences in many different work environments, academic philosophies as well as travelling and hostelling abroad.’
Walking in Spanish footsteps - on the Camino Trail
One of her most memorable life experiences was a month spent walking the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail across northern Spain. It reinforced the importance of reflection, nature and human connection.
To that end, Shiye has committed to mentoring young women in STEM and fostering links with fellow expats in the US, organising the inaugural ANZ in AI Forum at Stanford in March.
As the name suggests, the conference brings together US-based Antipodeans working in AI and entrepreneurship, with panellists included Grammar Woman Kathryn Zealand (2008), cofounder and CEO of Skip, a San Francisco-based company pioneering wearable robotic mobility aids.
`It was particularly lovely to reconnect with Kathryn, who had given me some helpful career advice.’
As for offering career advice to others, Shiye said that rather than focussing on jobs that seem `safe’ from AI’s sweeping impact, it was better for students to hone their abilities to learn, focus and adapt.
`Work on something difficult and practice self-motivated learning,’ she said. And be inspired, rather than intimidated, by excellence.
`Surround yourself with people who are better than you at something you care about and cultivate good working relationships with them. These people reappear throughout your life.
The people around me have done a lot for my aspirations and sense of possibility.’