Queensland's 2015 Rhodes Scholar is Bachelor of Mathematics graduate Brody Foy.
Mr Foy will put his maths mastery to good use by helping advance our understanding of lung cancer.
A straight 7s student, Mr Foy is the fourth Rhodes Scholar from QUT in the past five years.
Having topped off his degree with an Honours in Computational Mathematics this year, Mr Foy plans to take a PhD at Oxford University in Mathematics, modelling the spread of lung cancer.
"Throughout my entire education, I've always seen the potential for mathematics to be used to tackle really massive problems in the world, and lung cancer kills so many people, so I think using mathematics in a medical context is going to be incredibly exciting," Mr Foy said.
In the meantime, he is off to Colombia with fellow QUT students to work on a project that incorporates science, technology, engineering and mathematics expertise to improve life for locals.
Although he gained the highest possible grades for all his units, Mr Foy found time to be involved in many on and off-campus activities aimed at helping and inspiring fellow students and others.
His considerable contributions to university life were recognised last year with the QUT Student Leader of the Year title and the award for QUT Volunteer of the Year.
While studying for his Honours this year, Mr Foy volunteered with SPUR, a men's mental health organisation and, as an undergraduate, was a QUT Student Ambassador promoting tertiary study to high schoolers, and working as a campus life leader for the Science and Engineering Faculty.
Mr Foy, from Maleny on the Sunshine Coast, began at QUT in 2011 as a recipient of a QUT Vice Chancellor's Scholarship.
He was a volunteer tutor for first-year maths students, revived the dormant QUT Mathematics Student Society and also mentored QUT College of Excellence students.
He was also state director of the Left Right Think Tank - a national non-partisan think-tank of young minds on a mission to involve young people in public policy.
A talented acoustic guitarist, Mr Foy has performed at many QUT functions.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake warmly congratulated Mr Foy on his achievement.
"We celebrate Brody's achievement and recognise his outstanding contribution as a student leader, both to QUT and the community," Professor Coaldrake said.
"As a Rhodes Scholar he will have a rare opportunity to use his considerable talents to achieve his dream of using mathematics to help solve the world's problems."
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media, 07 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.
