TRAILBLAZER | Bianca Tasevski (Class of 2025) continues to achieve incredible success following her graduation. Bianca’s Science Extension project, completed during her final year, asked a simple but powerful question: “What is actually in tattoo inks sold in Australia?” What began as a school research project quickly grew into a collaboration with researchers at UNSW, helping analyse the chemical composition and safety of tattoo inks available in Australia.
Since graduating in 2025, Bianca’s work has gone from strength to strength. Her research has now been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, where she is listed as a co-author at just 18 years old. The study analysed tattoo inks sold in Australia and found toxic metals and carcinogenic compounds.
Bianca’s research has attracted national media attention, with interviews and coverage across television, radio and major news outlets, including 7NEWS, The Guardian, Illawarra Mercury, WIN News and the UNSW media channel.
More recently, Bianca was also awarded the 2026 Rising Star Scholarship at the Illawarra’s International Women’s Event, recognising her outstanding achievements and supporting her transition into university.
We are incredibly proud to see Bianca’s curiosity and dedication to science making a real impact.
You can read more about the research and watch the UNSW feature video here:
https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/01/toxic-metals-and-carcinogens-found-in-australian-tattoo-inks
#FutureScientist #WomenInSTEM #ClassOf2025 #CollegePride
