Prizes
Celebrating the achievements of UWA's finest researchers.
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize is a highly prestigious international award that recognizes outstanding contributions for humanity.
Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology
Awarded in 2005, Professor Barry J Marshall with the late Professor Robin Warren showed that Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of stomach and duodenal ulcers. This discovery was the first step in developing more effective treatments for ulcers and in understanding the causative link between H. pylori and stomach cancer.
Thanks to the pioneering discovery by Professor Marshall and Dr Warren, peptic ulcer disease is no longer a chronic, frequently disabling condition, but a disease that can be cured by a short regimen of antibiotics and acid secretion inhibitors.
-
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal is awarded to recognize outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement.2018 - Professor Akshay Venkatesh
For his synthesis of analytic number theory, homogeneous dynamics, topology, and representation theory, which has resolved long-standing problems in areas such as the equidistribution of arithmetic objects. -
Highly cited researchers
Highly Cited Researchers are identified by Clarivate and are defined as the preeminent individual researchers, in each of 21 subject categories, who have demonstrated great influence in their field as measured by citations to their work.2023
Dr Frank Arfuso
Cross-FieldProfessor Jacqueline Batley
Plant and Animal ScienceProfessor Fiona Bull
Social SciencesDr Elisabete Lima da Cunha
Space ScienceProfessor Dave Edwards
Plant and Animal ScienceProfessor Hans Lambers
Plant and Animal ScienceProfessor Ryan Lister
Cross-FieldProfessor Zed Rengel
Cross-FieldAdjunct Professor Sergey Shabala
Plant and Animal ScienceProfessor Kadambot Siddique
Agricultural Sciences
Plant and Animal ScienceProfessor Hongqi Sun
ChemistryProfessor Gerald Watts
Cross-FieldProfessor Thomas Wernberg
Cross-Field -
ARC Laureate Fellows
The Australian Research Council's Laureate Fellowships scheme aims to attract and retain outstanding researchers and research leaders of international repute.The scheme, and the Federation Fellowships scheme, which it replaced in 2009, is also intended to:
- build and strengthen world-class research capability in Australia
- provide an excellent research training environment and exemplary mentorship to nurture early-career researchers
- expand Australia's knowledge base
- forge strong links between researchers, industry and the international research community
- support research that will result in economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits for Australia
ARC Laureate fellows
2023 - Prof Jacqueline Batley
School of Biological Sciences2022 - Prof Simon Driver
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)2022 - Prof Pete Veth
School of Social Sciences2020 - Prof Harvey Millar
School of Molecular Sciences2019 - Prof Enrico Valdinoci
Mathematics and Statistics2017 - Prof Colin MacLeod
School of Psychological Science2016 - Prof Sharon Parker
(Kathleen Fitzpatrick Award)
Management and Organisations, Business School2014 - Prof Ian Small
ARC Centre of Excellence Plant Energy Biology2013 - Prof Mark Cassidy
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems2012 - Prof Malcolm McCulloch
School of Earth and Environment2009 - Prof Mike Tobar
School of Physics2009 - Prof Richard Hobbs
School of Plant Biology2007 - Prof Cheryl Praeger
Centre for the Mathematics of Symmetry and Computation2007 - Prof David Pannell
Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy (CEEP)2005 - Prof Mark Randolph
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems2004 - Prof Leigh Simmons
Centre for Evolutionary Biology2004 - Prof Steven Smith
ARC Centre of Excellence Plant Energy Biology -
WA Fellowships
The Western Australian Fellowship Program is managed by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. This science funding program attracts internationally prominent researchers from interstate or overseas to Western Australia.
Fellows build and lead world-class research teams in the State and contribute to the development of the State’s science capability and capacity. The Fellows have delivered a range of economic, environmental and social benefits for the State.
UWA's Current Fellows
There are currently two Fellows undertaking Western Australian Fellowships, one at UWA:
2014 Inductee - Professor Mark Jessell
Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET)
Professor Mark Jessell, a structural geophysicist, commenced his Fellowship in October 2013. He is advancing 3D modelling of Western Australia’s geology, enabling more efficient mineral exploration.
Professor Jessell relocated from France to take up a position at The University of Western Australia’s Centre for Exploration Targeting.Recent UWA Fellows
In addition to the current Fellows, nine Fellowships have been supported since the establishment of the Program in October 2003, six of them at UWA:
Professor Andrew Whiteley
School of Earth and EnvironmentProfessor Shaun Collin
Sensory Systems of VertebratesProfessor Malcolm McCulloch
Coral ReefsProfessor Peter Quinn
Radio AstronomyProfessor Klaus Regenaur-Lieb
GeologyProfessor Ian Small
Plant Molecular BiologyProfessor Lister Staveley-Smith
Radio Astronomy -
Prime Minister's Prize for Science
The Prime Minister's Prizes for Science are the nation's finest awards for excellence in science and science teaching. The five prizes awarded annually are:
- Prime Minister's Prize for Science
- Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
- Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
- Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
- Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Prize winners
2020 Prime Minister's Prize for ScienceEmeritus Professor David Blair
Emeritus Professor David Blair is a pioneer in gravitational wave research in Australia. Working on methods for their detection for more than 40 years, Professor Blair also founded the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre. This centre became a Western Australian node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, OzGrav.
2019 Prime Minister's Prize for Science
Senior Honorary Research Fellow
Centre for the Mathematics of Symmetry and Computation2014 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Professor Ryan Lister - Future Fellow
ARC Centre of Excellence Plant Energy Biology2013 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Professor Mark Cassidy - Director
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems2012 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Professor Eric May - Chevron Chair in Gas Process Engineering
UWA Centre for Energy2005 Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Professor A. Harvey Millar - Centre Director
ARC Centre of Excellence Plant Energy Biology -
Fulbright Alumni
The Fulbright Program has more than 370,000 alumni
from over 160 countries worldwide.Fulbright alumni include 33 current or former heads of state or government, 54 Nobel Laureates, 82 Pulitzer Prize winners, 29 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors.
Five thousand of those alumni belong to the Australian-American program and received their Fulbright awards from the 1950s on.
There are over 100 Fulbright alumni from The University of Western Australia and more than 60 with UWA as the primary host institute.
Fulbright alumni with:
UWA as the home institute
Full Name Award Year Home Institute Primary Host Institute Jamie Bellinge 2024 UWA Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School Brittany Suann 2024 UWA Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Jacqueline Alderson 2023 UWA Stanford University Simon Young 2023 UWA University of Wisconsin Eric Alves 2023 UWA Vanderbilt University Medical Center Benjamin Turner 2023 UWA University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Hannah Etchells 2022 UWA University of California Wesley Moss 2022 UWA North Carolina State University Jack Rudrum 2022 UWA Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ruby J. Wright 2022 UWA Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Astrophysics Yun Young (Vanessa) Cho 2022 UWA The University of Maryland James Dingley 2021 UWA Johns Hopkins University Anastazja Gorecki 2021 UWA Johns Hopkins University Jamie Maraj 2021 UWA Johns Hopkins University Martin Ebert 2020 UWA University of Wisconsin (Madison) Paul Branson 2020 UWA Pacific Marine Energy Centre (PMEC), Oregon State University Arman Siahvashi 2020 UWA U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Francesca Cary 2020 UWA University of Hawaii, Manoa Liam Tay Kearney 2020 UWA Columbia University Michael Lukin 2020 UWA Yale University Isaac Ward 2020 UWA University of Southern California Holly Ransom 2019 UWA Harvard University Taryn Foster 2019 UWA California Academy of Sciences Joshua Dunne 2019 UWA Georgetown University Joshua Mylne 2017 UWA University of Minnesota Jessica Kretzmann 2017 UWA University of Massachusetts, Amherst Hannah Etchells 2017 UWA University of California Berkeley Simon Jankowski 2017 UWA United States Geological Survey, California Water Science Center Craig McCormack 2016 UWA University of Houston Ursula Salmon 2016 UWA Stanford University Shraddha Kashyap 2016 UWA NYU/Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture Matthew Crowley 2015 UWA Federal Trade Commission in DC and NY Briony Swire-Thompson 2015 UWA Massachusetts Institute of Technology Zdenko Rengel 2014 UWA Kansas State University Joanna Vincent 2014 UWA Yale University Jean-Paul Hobbs 2014 UWA, James Cook University University of Hawaii - Manoa Roxanne Moore 2013 UWA New York University Tiago Tomaz 2013 UWA University of Illinois Stephen McAnearney 2011 UWA Columbia University Anna Rakoczy 2011 UWA Stanford University Hugo Leith 2009 UWA Yale University Alexander Wyatt 2009 UWA University of California, San Diego Julie Owen 2007 UWA Arizona State University Karel Hartlieb 2007 UWA ClarksonUniversity Andrew Nicol 2007 UWA Harvard University Billie Giles-Corti 2007 UWA Stanford University Martin Soh 2005 UWA University of Minnesota Andrea Ang 2004 UWA Harvard University Jonathan Paget 1997 UWA Eastman School of Music Matthew Hollingworth 1997 UWA Massachusetts Institute of Technology Giacinta Parish 1996 UWA University of California - Santa Barbara Amanda Bower 1995 UWA Columbia University Louise Egerton-Warburton 1994 UWA University of California - Riverside Rowan Davies 1993 UWA Carnegie Mellon University Dhammika Dharmapala 1993 UWA University of California - Berkeley Andrew Johnston 1992 UWA University of Minnesota Patrick O'Brien 1991 UWA University of California - Berkeley Neil Levi 1990 UWA Columbia University Robert Lindner 1990 UWA University of California - Davis Gilbert Chiang 1989 UWA Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kelvin Willoughby 1988 UWA University of California - Berkeley Robert Wilson 1987 UWA Cornell University David Clarke 1987 UWA Princeton University Stephen Anderson 1987 UWA University of California - Berkeley Louis Moses 1985 UWA Stanford University David Beard 1983 UWA University of Arizona William Macklin 1982 UWA University of Washington Richard Higgott 1981 UWA Harvard University Ian Birch 1978 UWA Harvard University Peter Kenyon 1977 UWA University of Virginia Gordon Reid 1977 UWA Colin White 1976 UWA University of Wisconsin - Madison Johannes Wajon 1975 UWA Harvard University Christopher Adam 1974 UWA Harvard University John Melville-Jones 1974 UWA Princeton University Bruce Wright 1974 UWA Various Institutions Neil R Lynch 1973 UWA Chidrens Asthma Research & Hospital George Winterton 1973 UWA Columbia University Darrell Turkington 1973 UWA University of California - San Diego Bryan Burke 1971 UWA University of California - Los Angeles David Andrich 1971 UWA University of Chicago Neville Hoffman 1971 UWA Various Institutions Geoffrey Soutar 1970 UWA Cornell University Terrence Nicholas 1970 UWA University of California - Santa Barbara Evan Morgan 1969 UWA Columbia University Anastasios (Ray) Petridis 1969 UWA Duke University Byron Kakulas 1969 UWA Harvard University Leslie Little 1969 UWA University of Wisconsin - Madison Brian Figgis 1968 UWA University of Arizona George Osborne 1968 UWA University of Southern California Wayne Millen 1967 UWA University of California - Los Angeles Donald Watts 1967 UWA University of Southern California Trevor Redgrave 1967 UWA Noel Cant 1966 UWA Carnegie Mellon University Allan Fels AO 1966 UWA Duke University D K Foot 1966 UWA Harvard University Hugh Collins 1966 UWA Harvard University John Mahony 1966 UWA Harvard University Neville Fowkes 1965 UWA Harvard University Alan Parker 1965 UWA University of California - Los Angeles Charles Kuiper 1965 UWA University of Chicago Barry Wilson 1964 UWA Harvard University Mervyn Austin 1964 UWA Iowa State University John Wager 1964 UWA Purdue University Wilfred Simmonds 1964 UWA Rockefeller University H D Evans 1963 UWA Harvard University Imre Kaldor 1963 UWA University of California - Berkeley Neville Stanley 1963 UWA University of Notre Dame Aubrey Yates 1963 UWA University of Wisconsin - Madison Judge Bevan 1962 UWA Arizona State University Vincent Di Lollo 1962 UWA Indiana University Basil Balme 1962 UWA New York University Neil Rickert 1962 UWA Yale University Harris Levey 1961 UWA Harvard University K J Carter 1961 UWA Yale University Laurie Mashford MBBS MSc FRACP 1960 UWA Harvard University John Bloomfield 1960 UWA University of Oregon Douglas White 1959 UWA Stanford University R L Taylor 1959 UWA University of Minnesota Albert Blakers 1958 UWA Dartmouth College Andrew Cole 1958 UWA Massachusetts Institute of Technology Murray Littlejohn 1958 UWA University of Texas - Austin Arnold Cook 1957 UWA Harvard University Henry Morris 1957 UWA University of Southern California Raymond Storer 1956 UWA Brown University William Compston 1956 UWA California Institute of Technology Peter Fisher 1956 UWA Purdue University Brian Grieve 1955 UWA California Institute of Technology John Ferres 1955 UWA Louisiana State University Brian Bolto 1955 UWA Purdue University Daryll Wheeler 1955 UWA San Francisco State University Horace (Harry) Waring 1955 UWA Allan Wilson 1954 UWA Indiana University Eion McRae 1953 UWA Florida State University Joseph Miller 1953 UWA University of California - Berkeley Rhodes Fairbridge 1953 UWA University of Illinois Arthur McLean 1952 UWA University of Chicago William Edwards 1952 UWA John Swan 1951 UWA University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign Peter Dunlop 1951 UWA University of Wisconsin - Madison Jack Loneragan 1950 UWA University of California - Berkeley Albert Main CBE FAA BSc (Hons) PhD 1950 UWA University of Chicago UWA as the host institute
Full Name Award Year Home Institute Primary Host Institute Cristin Millett - Senior Scholars 2020 The Pennsylvania State University UWA Dr Gary Reger - Senior Scholars 2020 Trinity College UWA Wendy Nicole Nembhard 2015 University of Arkansas UWA Scott Stephens 2013 University of California - Berkeley UWA Mike Joyner 2010 Mayo Clinic UWA Jessica Boynton 2006 Eastern Michigan University UWA Per Henningsgaard 2005 Other UWA Surya Singh 2005 Stanford University UWA Michael Zalich 2003 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University UWA Cara Weisbrod 2001 South Dakota State University UWA Jordan Furnans 2001 University of Texas - Austin UWA David Lilja 2000 University of Minnesota UWA Hasker Davis 1999 University of Colorado UWA Rebecca German 1997 University of Cincinnati UWA Stuart Marsh 1996 University of Arizona UWA Rodney Eichenberger 1995 Florida State University UWA Nancy Heger 1993 University of Texas - Austin UWA Beth Watzke 1990 University of Pittsburgh UWA Eric Pianka 1990 University of Texas - Austin UWA Sheila Fitzpatrick 1989 University of Texas - Austin UWA Williamson Chang 1987 University of Hawaii - Manoa UWA Gordon Rausser 1986 University of California - Berkeley UWA Thomas Buckley 1986 University of Tulsa UWA Emilia Martinez-Brawley 1985 Pennsylvania State University UWA Arthur Kaufman 1984 University of New Mexico UWA George Crumb 1984 University of Pennsylvania UWA Raymond Mohl 1983 Florida Atlantic University UWA Eunice Askov 1983 Pennsylvania State University UWA John Hallowell 1982 Duke University UWA John Connolly 1982 University of Nebraska UWA James Adair 1981 University of Florida UWA Lawrence Speck 1978 University of Texas - Austin UWA F Hodge O'Neal 1975 Duke University UWA William Thomas 1974 California State University UWA Lee Sackett 1972 UWA R Royall 1971 Johns Hopkins University UWA W R Dawson 1969 Michigan State University UWA W D Kemper 1968 Colorado State University UWA Harold Geering 1968 Cornell University UWA A L Pope 1967 University of Wisconsin - Madison UWA LeRoy Breunig 1966 Columbia University UWA William Weir 1965 University of California - Davis UWA Jerry Anway 1965 University of Nebraska - Omaha UWA George Carrier 1964 Harvard University UWA John McCaffrey 1964 Stanford University UWA Allen Spitzer 1963 Saint Louis University UWA Arthur Steinbrenner 1963 University of Arizona UWA R Cassady 1963 University of California - Los Angeles UWA Carl Allendoerfer 1963 University of Washington UWA H H Genoways 1963 UWA J A Kirsch 1962 UWA Arthur Harry Nash 1961 University of Michigan UWA Arnold Kluge 1961 University of Southern California UWA Alfred Putnam 1960 University of Chicago UWA Martin Wright 1960 University of Kansas UWA Wayne Packer 1959 Stanford University UWA W S Stewart 1959 UWA E H Herrick 1957 UWA Martin Black 1956 Duke University UWA Willard Pedrick 1956 Northwestern University UWA Graham Bell 1955 Louisiana State University UWA Harold Olmo 1955 University of California - Davis UWA Dean McHenry 1954 University of California - Los Angeles UWA Ernest Lundelius Jr 1954 University of Chicago UWA George Bartholomew 1953 University of California - Los Angeles UWA H Arlin Turner 1952 Louisiana State University UWA Martin Carroll 1952 University of Iowa UWA Harriet Creighton 1952 Wellesley College UWA John Spotts 1951 UWA -
WA Science Hall of Fame
The Western Australian Science Hall of Fame recognises excellent and sustained scientific achievement in Western Australia.2023 Inductee
Emeritus Professor Donna Cross OAM
Born in Western Australia, Professor Donna Cross OAM has spent most of her 40-year career working within the State. She is recognised as Australia's leading bullying prevention expert and one of the world's most respected researchers into bullying and cyber bullying. Donna Cross is currently Emeritus Professor and Senior Honorary Fellow at The University of Western Australia, and Chief Behavioural Advisor to the New South Wales Government.
Professor Cross's career has been dedicated to conducting rigorous research in real-life settings and translating evidence into policy and practice, to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Western Australian children and their families. Until her retirement from Telethon Kids Institute in 2022, Professor Cross led a multidisciplinary team of 42 staff and students, and was the WA Director of the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence — Children and Families over the Life Course, a seven-year, $32 million project focused on improving life-course outcomes for children and families experiencing deep and persistent disadvantage.
Professor Cross is an expert advisor on children's social development, bullying and aggression prevention for UNESCO, and for an array of international foundations, grant bodies and review panels.
Well-known internationally for innovative consumer and student-led bullying prevention research, and her ability to translate her research into practice, Professor Cross has actively campaigned for more than 20 years to demonstrate that bullying-related harm is common, severe and long-lasting, and that much can be done to extinguish this behaviour in children.
Every major school bullying prevention and most school wellbeing policies and curricula in Australia were driven, chaired by, or contributed to, by Professor Cross. She was a founding executive member of alliances (including the National Centre Against Bullying and Australian University Anti-bullying Research Alliance) which have driven government submissions leading to positive legislative change.
Professor Cross has been invited onto numerous state and national boards, and maintains substantial outreach engagement through mentorships at Edith Cowan University, Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia. She has also supervised 44 PhD and Masters students to completion. In 2022, in recognition of her work as an educator, public health researcher, and strong advocate for children's and adolescents' mental health and wellbeing, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia, was inducted into the WA Women's Hall of Fame, and received the National Leadership in Health Promotion Award.
2022 Inductee
Professor Richard Hobbs
Professor Richard J Hobbs FAA is a UWA professor, IAS Distinguished Fellow and an internationally renowned ecologist. The Australian Academy of Science Fellow was awarded an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship for his research into 'Intervention ecology: managing ecosystems in the 21st century'.
Over his career, he has worked with the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology in Western Australia and worked on the dynamics of fragmented ecosystems in the Wheatbelt, becoming the Officer in Charge of the Western Australian laboratory in 1997. In 2000 Professor Hobbs took up a Chair in Environmental Science at Murdoch University and was awarded an ARC Australian Professorial Fellowship in 2006.
2020 Inductee
Professor Mark Randolph
Mark Randolph has been Professor of Civil Engineering at UWA for over 30 years, becoming one of the most highly cited geotechnical engineers in the world.
Drawn to Perth by the challenges of designing foundations in the calcareous seabed sediments surrounding Australia, he established the world-leading Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at UWA in 1997 and in parallel was a Co-Founding Director of specialist consultancy Advanced Geomechanics. This symbiotic relationship between academia and industry led to involvement with almost all major developments on the North-West Shelf, as well as many novel design solutions for foundations, anchors and pipelines.
Among many accolades, including WA Scientist of the Year in 2013, Professor Randolph was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2011.
2019 Inductee
Professor Carol Bower
Professor Carol Bower is an internationally recognised public health researcher. She has worked predominantly with the Telethon Kids Institute (previously the WA Institute for Child Health Research), of which she was a founding researcher and where she is currently Senior Principal Research Fellow, and Director of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Research Australia Centre for Research Excellence.
Throughout her career, Professor Bower led a series of projects which have had a profound impact on the health of children in Western Australia and beyond. In 1980 she established Australia's first birth defects registry (an internationally recognised model later implemented in other States). She uncovered the link between low dietary folate and neural tube defects (NTD) such as spina bifida, and instigated the world's first public health campaign to encourage periconceptional folic acid supplementation to prevent NTD. Having led another study demonstrating that health education alone was insufficient, Professor Bower successfully lobbied for national mandatory fortification of flour with folate a change which has dramatically reduced the incidence of NTDs and saved more than 400 Western Australian children alone from debilitating and deadly birth defects.
Professor Bower has been equally persistent in relation to community outreach, actively forging partnerships with consumers, government, justice and health professionals to facilitate, communicate and translate paradigm-shifting research on alcohol-related harm. This includes her supervision of the recent Banksia Hill Project the first study in Australia to assess and diagnose young people in a youth custodial setting for FASD. Professor Bower's dedication to community service is reflected in multiple awards in recognition of her good practice and initiatives relating to consumer and community participation in research.
As a long-serving member of multiple paediatric research committees, Professor Bower continues her contribution to science and the wider community by advancing and sharing research on child health and development.
2018 Inductee
Emeritus Professor David Blair
Professor Blair is an experimental physicist renowned for pioneering a number of precision measurement techniques used for ultra-sensitive displacement measurements, exceptionally low noise clocks and oscillators, and gravitational wave research.
His career has focused on the direct detection of gravitational waves first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 as part of his famous Theory of General Relativity. He led the establishment of the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre at Gingin, part of the School of Physics at the University of Western Australia, and the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy.
Professor Blair's work at the Research Centre contributed to the international Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) scientific collaboration through developing technology to teach supercomputers to `hear` the special sounds of gravity waves and rapidly detect the signals. He also contributed to the identification and resolution of the issue of `parametric instability` in large US twin detectors at observatories in Louisiana and Washington State, enabling the world's first direct observations of gravitational waves in 2015. This discovery resulted in a Nobel prize in physics for three leading LIGO American physicists in 2017 and was described as `a discovery that shook the world`.
Professor Blair's research has ensured that Australia, and Western Australia in particular, has a high profile in the international gravitational wave community. He has supervised an impressive 74 postgraduate students since 1987 and his students have gone on to successful careers and senior positions in areas including physics and astronomy.
He also led the planning and development of the Gravity Discovery Centre, a major education and public outreach facility which includes the Gingin Observatory. In 2005, he and Emeritus Professor John De Laeter AO were awarded the Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding in Science in recognition of these science outreach activities.
Professor Blair was the recipient of the Western Australian Scientist of the Year award in 2007, was elected as Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2014, and in May 2018 was elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, an organisation of individuals recognised for their outstanding contributions to science and research.
After retiring as Director of the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre in late 2017, Professor Blair continues to contribute to the physics community as Emeritus Professor at the University of Western Australia and as the Outreach Program Leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery. He is currently supervising 10 PhD Students and continues to find ways of communicating Einsteinian physics to the wider community.
2017 Inductee
Emeritus Professor John Pate
Professor John Pate has greatly influenced plant science, particularly plant ecology and physiology, in Western Australia. His academic career commenced as Assistant Lecturer at Queens University in 1954 followed by increasing senior academic appointments at the University of Sydney, Queens University and The University of Western Australia (UWA). He was head of the botany department at UWA from 1974 to 1986.
The major focus of his work concerned the carbon and nitrogen economies of plants, especially legumes, and contributed to applied research on productivity of pastures and crops. Along the way, techniques were developed for quantifying nitrogen inputs of legumes and thereby permitting assessment of their contributions in agricultural and natural ecosystems.
Professor Pate has contributed significantly to ecological and physiological studies of native flora of Western Australia, particularly on the structural and functional adaptations displayed for combating various forms of environmental stress. Professor Pate has published extensively with over 500 publications including books, monographs, reviews and refereed research articles.
Professor Pate's scientific career was honoured by election to the Australian Academy of Sciences in 1980 and to the Royal Society, London in 1985. John will be remembered by his many students as a hard taskmaster, relentless in pursuit of excellence and with an Irish sense of humour and fun which lightened many a load.
2015 Inductee
Professor Cheryl Praeger AM FAA
Professor Cheryl Praeger is one of the world's leading mathematicians, best known for her works in group theory, algebraic graph theory and combinatorial designs. Professor Praeger has promoted mathematics through research and professional associations.
Professor Praeger was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia in 1999 for her service to mathematics in Australia. In 2003 she received the Centenary Medal of the Australian government and in 2009 was made the WA Scientist of the Year. She is a recipient of the Moyal Medal, George Szekers Medal and Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal.
In 2014 she was elected an Honorary Member of the London Mathematical Society. In 2015 she was also inducted in the WA Women's Hall of Fame and was awarded the Mehdi Behzad Prize of the Iranian Mathematical Society, for management in mathematics.
2014 Inductee
Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO CitWA FTSE
Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO was elevated into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding contribution to scientific research and tertiary education across his career. Emeritus Professor Robson was Vice Chancellor of UWA from 2004 until 2013, and Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost since 1993.
Professor Robson chaired the Group of Eight and was Deputy Chair of the Council of the National Library and Universities Australia. He was a member of the Western Australian Science Council and the CSIRO board.
In 2003, Professor Robson was made a Member of the Order of Australia, has been awarded a Centenary Medal, is an Officer of the Order of Australia and a Citizen of Western Australia.
2013 Inductee
Professor Lyn Beazley AO FTSE
Professor Lyn Beazley was the Chief Scientist of Western Australia from 2006 until 2013. In this role she has been a tireless national and international ambassador for science and science engagement in Western Australia.
Lyn undertook her undergraduate studies at Oxford University and her doctorate at Edinburgh University. Over a 30 year research career she built up an internationally renowned research team that focused on recovery from brain damage.
Her research also changed clinical practice in the treatment of infants at risk from pre-term delivery. She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2009 for service to medical science and her contribution to the development of science policy in Western Australia.
2012 Inductee
Professor Stephen Hopper AC FLS FTSE
Professor Hopper, the first non-British born Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, returned to take up a new Chair in Biodiversity at The University of Western Australia. Professor Hopper is an internationally acclaimed plant conservation biologist who has made an outstanding contribution to biodiversity preservation.
He names Australia as one of the great places on the planet to pursue biological studies' and has collaborated in the naming of more than 300 new species of plants through 40 years of field-based research, mostly in south-western Australia.
He has made significant improvements to a number of the State's conservation programs and infrastructure and, earlier this year, was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for his service as a global science leader.
2010 Inductee
Professor Fiona Stanley AC FAA FASSA
Professor Fiona Stanley is the founding director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, is an advocate for the needs of children and their families and promotes the importance of using population data to provide health, social and economic benefits to the community.
Her role in the discovery that a diet rich in folic acid during pregnancy can prevent spina bifida in babies and that cerebral palsy may be caused by factors other than birth trauma alone, such as infections or blood incompatibilities, have improved birth outcomes.
She is also widely recognised for her contributions to Indigenous child and maternal health in Western Australia.
Professor Stanley was named Australian of the Year in 2003, was honoured as a `National Living Treasure` by the National Trust in 2004 and is the UNICEF Australia Ambassador for Early Childhood Development. The new state-of-the-art hospital being constructed at Murdoch is named the Fiona Stanley Hospital in honour of her achievements.2009 Inductee
Professor Ian Constable AO
Professor Ian Constable AO is recognised as one of the world's leading ophthalmic surgeons.
He is the founder and director of the Lions Eye Institute, now the largest eye research institute in the southern hemisphere and dedicated to the investigation, prevention and cure of blinding eye disease. With Professor Constable at the lead, the Lions Eye Institute has made many ground breaking developments, including the Lions Eye Institute artificial cornea which is granting sight to people around the world.
Professor Constable served on the Premier's Science and Innovation Council and the Western Australia Science and Innovation Council as the Deputy Chair. He is also the foundation director of The University of Western Australia's Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
2007 Inaugural Inductees
Professor Barry Marshall and Dr Robin Warren
Professor Marshall and Dr Warren were recognised for their dedicated service to research when, in 2005, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology.
They discovered the bacterium Helicobacter pylori as a cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Thanks to the pioneering discovery by Professor Marshall and Dr Warren, peptic ulcer disease is no longer a chronic, frequently disabling condition, but a disease that can be cured by a short regimen of antibiotics and acid secretion inhibitors.
-
Premier's Science Awards
The Premier's Science Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of the Western Australian science community. Award recipients exemplify the outstanding scientific research and engagement efforts taking place in the State.The Awards cover all fields of science, including natural, medical, applied and technological science, engineering and mathematics.
The Awards are supported by the Western Australian Government and administered by the Science and Innovation team within the Department. For more information, please see the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation website.
Scientist of the Year Awards
2023 - Professor Kadambot Siddique
Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique AM, FTSE, CitWA, Director, The UWA Institute of Agriculture, is a renowned agricultural scientist, having dedicated more than 35 years to research, training, technology exchange and industry development.
He has worked closely with industry to significantly improve cereal and grain legume production in dryland environments, with his leadership and collaboration resulting in new crop varieties and agronomic packages for grain growers. He is an outstanding ambassador for WA, promoting sustainable agriculture and addressing global food security. His world-class research is evident through numerous publications, fellowships, awards and numerous highly cited papers.
Professor Siddique has been listed in two categories on the Clarivate List of Highly Cited Researchers and has been recognised in The Australian newspaper’s Research Magazine as a "Top Researcher" Australia in Botany (2021 and 2022).
- 2021 Professor Eric May
- 2020 Professor Ryan Lister
- 2017 Professor A. Harvey Millar
- 2017 Professor Christobel Saunders
- 2015 Professor Mark Cassidy
- 2014 Professor Ian Small
2021 Winner - Professor Eric May
Professor Eric May is an internationally recognised leader in the areas of fluid science, thermodynamics, metrology and natural gas engineering. His development and use of measurement technology has produced explanations for long-standing scientific mysteries, revealed unexpected physical phenomena, and helped improve industrial processes. Real-world outcomes of Professor May's research include reducing the cost and environmental impact of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from coal mines and optimising air conditioning cycles based on new, environmentally-friendly refrigerants. His work has also helped difficult offshore gas reserves be developed and advanced carbon capture and storage operations. He is now leading the new Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Centre with major industry partners to help grow Australia?s hydrogen export industry.
Mid-Career Scientist of the Year
2023 - Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg and Professor Hongqi Sun (Joint winners)
Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg, Chair of Paediatric Anaesthesia at UWA and Co-Lead of the Perioperative Medicine Program at Telethon Kids Institute, is a global research leader in paediatric anaesthesia and perioperative medicine.
Working as a Consultant Anaesthetist at Perth Children's Hospital ensures Professor Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg’s research remains consumer-focused and clinically translatable with an emphasis on improving clinical practice.
Professor Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg’s research impact is evident not just in Western Australia, but worldwide, and has led to improved clinical care and made undergoing anaesthesia safer for children.
Hongqi Sun, Professor of Chemistry from School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia (previously in School of Science at Edith Cowan University before July 2023), has significantly advanced energy and environmental catalysis by exploring novel nanomaterials. To date, he has published over 300 refereed journal papers, attracted over 32,600 citations and maintains an h-index of 99 (Google Scholar).
Professor Sun has secured over $5 million funding, including for the Australian Research Council, Cooperative Research Centres and industry projects. He has been a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher since 2019. Professor Sun is further a current member of Australian Research Council’s College of Experts, a delegate to Australia-US Hydrogen Research Partnerships, and was among The Australian’s Research Magazine's, 2020 Top 40 Australia’s Research Superstars.
HBF Mid-Career Scientist of the Year
2022 - Professor Ajmal Mian
Professor Ajmal Mian is a Professor of Computer Science at The University of Western Australia. His research aims to give machines the ability to see, make sense of their environment and describe it in natural language. Besides discovering new knowledge in Artificial Intelligence, Professor Mian collaborates with multiple disciplines to propose novel solutions in medicine, psychology, marine science, agriculture and mining. He is a Distinguished Speaker for the Association for Computing Machinery, President of the Australian Pattern Recognition Society and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. He has published more than 240 scientific papers and is internationally recognised for his research in Artificial Intelligence and 3D vision.
Early Career Scientist of the Year
2023 - Dr David Gozzard
Dr David Gozzard is an experimental physicist at the University of Western Australia (UWA) developing laser measurement and communication technology for spacecraft. Dr Gozzard previously worked on developing synchronisation technology for the Square Kilometre Array, and is now translating that, and other astronomy technology, to enable robust laser links between the ground and spacecraft that will support high-speed communications and high-precision space science.
Dr Gozzard's research has the potential to make WA a world-leader in satellite communications. He is passionate about both research and science education, and is very active in outreach and teaching at UWA.
Woodside Early Career Scientist of the Year
2022 - Dr Qi Fang
Dr Qi Fang has been named by The Australian as one of "Australia's top 40 researchers who are less than 10 years into their careers" and awarded a prestigious Raine Robson Fellow. Dr Fang focuses on developing novel imaging tools for complete cancer removal during surgery. His research has contributed to the commercialisation of cancer imaging probes with a local start-up company OncoRes Medical. He is an inventor with two international patents developing next-generation cancer imaging devices, which have the potential to be widely used in rural and remote areas, improving equity of access to optimal cancer treatment across Western Australia.
- 2020 Associate Professor Edward Litton
- 2020 Dr Arman Siahvashi
- 2020 Dr Chris Brennan-Jones
- 2018 Dr Melissa O'Donnell
- 2016 Dr Scott Draper
- 2015 Dr Hannah Moore
ExxonMobil Student Scientist of the Year
2022 - Nikhilesh (Nik) Bappoo
Nikhilesh (Nik) Bappoo is a passionate biomedical engineer with a vision to develop and ethically commercialise novel solutions to unmet clinical needs, hence improving the delivery of healthcare. Nik specialises in blood flow simulations, from "engineering the placenta" to predict abnormalities during pregnancy, to predicting aneurysm growth and rupture. Nik's entrepreneurial mindset has led to the formation of VeinTech, a WA medical device company, aiming to reduce the high rate of failure of cannulation. He also manages product development and regulatory affairs for VitalTrace, another WA company developing a novel biosensor to improve childbirth outcomes for mothers and babies.
- 2020 Ms Niamh Troy
- 2020 Mr Todd Bond
- 2019 Ms Jessica Kretzmann
- 2018 Mr Arman Siahvashi
- 2017 Mr David Gozzard
- 2016 Mr Christopher Brennan-Jones
Shell Aboriginal STEM Student of the Year
2022 - James Hill
James Hill is a PhD student at The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute who is investigating how negative attitudes and actions (stigma) relate to the disproportionately poor mental health outcomes of trans and gender diverse young people. Improving understanding of this group's experiences is essential for creating targeted interventions. James' goal is to become a researcher and clinical psychologist and work with Indigenous and LGBTQAI+ people to assist them in living full and healthy lives. He believes that engaging with communities and learning from lived experience is imperative for the development and creation of interventions.
- 2020 Ms Simone Harrington
- 2019 Ms Sharynne Hamilton
Chevron Science Engagement Initiative of the Year
2014 - Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER) Science Engagement InitiativeCIBER's Science Engagement Initiative aims to increase community awareness about honeybees. It showcases the links from bees to pollination, food and honey and the industries and people that depend on them.
CIBER uses a variety of strategies to engage audiences, including an academy award nominated documentary, an annual public Honey Festival in the Swan Valley, a permanent honeybee exhibition at Scitech and a dedicated social media page encouraging users to follow ongoing activities.
-
WA Tall Poppies
The Tall Poppy Campaign was created in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) to recognise and celebrate Australian intellectual and scientific excellence and to encourage younger Australians to follow in the footsteps of our outstanding achievers. It has made significant achievements towards building a more publicly engaged scientific leadership in Australia.The Western Australian Young Tall Poppy Campaign was launched in May 2010 and has seen nominations and winners from across all the major universities. Ceremonies are held each year in Perth.
2022 Winners
Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg
Telethon Kids Institute
ProfessorKatie Attwell
School of Social Sciences
Associate Professor2021 Winners
Christopher Blyth
Paediatrics
Associate ProfessorJoanna Melonek
ARC Centre for Plant Energy Biology
Research FellowAlex Tang
School of Biological Sciences
Lecturer2020 Winners
Hayley Christian
Telethon Kids Institute
Senior Research Fellow2019 Winners
Chris Brennan-Jones
Clinical Senior Lecturer
PaediatricsWillem (Joost) Lesterhuis
Cancer Biology
Senior Research FellowAsha Bowen
Paediatrics
Clinical Associate Professor2018 Winners
Ben Jackson
School of Human Sciences
Senior LecturerLuke Davies
ICRAR
Research FellowVerena Schoepf
Oceans Graduate School
Research FellowAndrew Guzzomi
School of Engineering
Research Fellow2017 Winners
Monika Murcha
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology
Future Fellow2016 Winners
Danail Obreschkow
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
Senior Research FellowIvy Wong
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
Super Science FellowOlivier Van Aken
ARC Centre of Excellence Plant Energy Biology
Research FellowRuth Thornton
School of Paediatrics and Child Health
BrightSpark Research Fellow2015 Winners
Shelley Gorman
Telethon Kids Institute
Adjunct Senior LecturerSandra Tanz
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology
Research FellowGina Trapp
School of Population Health
Adjunct Research Fellow2014 Winners
- Tristen Clemons
- Brendan Kennedy
- Peter Peeling
2013 Winners
- Jean-Paul Hobbs
- Graeme Zosky
- Hannah Moore
- Louise Naylor
- Ryan Lister
2012 Winners
- Alex Hewitt
- Kevin Pfleger
- Lea-Ann Stirling Kirkham
2011 Winners
- Ben Corry
- Aleksandra Filipovska
- Monique Robinson
- Keith Stubbs
- David White
- Andrew Whitehouse
-
Members of the Australian Academies
Being granted fellowship of a learned academy is a measure of prestige that recognizes expertise and research quality. Fellows are elected by peers and work to advance scholarship and public interest in their respective academic areas.
Australian Academy of LawLaunched on 17 July 2007, the Australian Academy of Law is the fifth learned Academy in Australia and is the culmination of a process begun with the Australian Law Reform Commission's landmark report
2021 Professor Elise Bant
Professor Elise Bant is a teacher and researcher of private law and commercial regulation at the UWA Law School. She is passionate about developing a more just system of private law, where ‘like’ cases are treated alike and on a principled basis. Her scholarship speaks to judges and legislators, regulators and the profession, who are at the front line in applying and developing the law.
- 2019 Prof Natalie Skead
- 2014 Prof Erika Techera
- tbc Prof William Ford
- tbc Prof Richard Bartlett
Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences purpose is to advance health and medical research in Australia and its translation into benefits for all, by fostering leadership within our sector, providing expert advice to decision makers, and engaging patients and the public.
2022 Professor Anna Nowak
Professor Anna Nowak is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), having initially commenced in the role in an acting capacity in 2022. As DVCR, she is a member of the UWA Executive and has responsibility for research strategy and operations, strategic research institutes and facilities, and HDR students, across the University. Previously she was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health and Medical Sciences) and prior to that, Associate Dean (Research) and Deputy Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
As a UWA Clinical Academic since 2005, she was a Medical Oncologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) and Professor within the School of Medicine. She was Director of the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) at UWA, Chair of the national Cooperative Group in NeuroOncology (COGNO).
2022 Professor Aleksandra Filipovska
Professor Aleksandra Filipovska is internationally renowned for her pioneering work in mitochondrial genomics and disease. She is Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Synthetic Biology and NHMRC Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. As co-director at the Mito Foundation, Professor Filipovska plays a key role in advocating for the mitochondrial disease community and mitochondrial donation.
Professor Filipovska has developed new technologies that have re-defined the mitochondrial transcriptome, its regulation, and diagnosis of patients with mitochondrial and metabolic diseases. She has licensed her genome-editing technology, which is currently used for clinical trials of neurodegenerative diseases internationally.
- 2021 Pat Dudgeon
- 2021 Andrew Whitehouse
- 2020 Alistair Forrest
- 2020 Ian Constable
- 2018 Bruce Robinson
- 2017 Carol Bower
- 2017 Karen Simmer
- 2017 Stephen Zubrick
- 2016 Graeme Hankey
- 2016 Christobel Saunders
- 2015 Donna Cross
- 2015 Wendy Erber
- 2015 Peter Klinken
- 2015 Nigel Laing
- 2015 Peter Leedman
- 2015 David Mackey
- 2015 Barry Marshall
- 2015 Susan Prescott
- 2015 Stephen Stick
- 2015 Fiona Stanley
- 2015 Steve Webb
- 2015 Fiona Wood
Australian Academy of the Humanities
The Australian Academy of the Humanities is the national body for the humanities in Australia, championing the contribution humanities, arts and culture make to national life. Our work aims to ensure ethical, historical and cultural perspectives inform discussions regarding Australia?s future challenges and opportunities.
Fellows
2022 Professor Tony Hughes d'Aeth
Tony Hughes-d'Aeth is the Chair of Australian Literature at the University of Western Australia and the Director of the Westerly Centre. His research has a particular focus on literature and the environment. His book Like Nothing on this Earth: A Literary History of the Wheatbelt (UWA Publishing, 2018) won the Walter McRae Russell Prize for best work of Australian literary criticism in 2019. His first book Paper Nation: The Story of the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia, 1886-1888 (Melbourne UP, 2001), won the Ernest Scott and WK Hancock prizes for Australia history.
- 2020 Dr Sarah Collins
- 2020 Prof Jo McDonald
- 2020 Prof Tim Winter
- 2018 Prof Jane Balme
- 2014 Prof Jane Lydon
- 2013 Prof Yasmin Haskell
- 2012 E/Prof Philip Mead
- 2012 Professor Susan Broomhall
- 2012 Prof Terri-ann White
- 2008 E/Prof Gareth Griffiths
- 2007 Prof Krishna Sen
- 2006 A/Prof John Kinder
- 2005 Prof Peter Veth
- 2000 Prof Stewart Candlish
- 1996 Prof Lorenzo Polizzotto
- 1995 Prof David Kennedy
- 1994 E/Prof John Melville-Jones
- 1993 Mr Jeremy Green
- 1991 Prof Robert White
- 1980 E/Prof John Scott
- 1979 E/Prof David Tunley
Awards
The Academy is the national body for the humanities in Australia, championing the contribution humanities, arts and culture make to national life.
McCredie Musicological Award
The award celebrates the outstanding career of Andrew McCredie AM FAHA (1930?2006) Emeritus Professor of Musicology at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He was an eminent musicologist, who greatly influenced the teaching of music in Australian universities and schools.
2019 Dr Sarah Collins
Dr Collins is a senior lecturer of Musicology at the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music. Her research focuses on the intersection between political, aesthetic and ethical concerns in music literature of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.
Crawford Medal
The Max Crawford Medal is Australia's most prestigious award for achievement and promise in the humanities. It is presented to an early career scholar for outstanding achievement in the humanities, whose research and publications make an exceptional contribution to the understanding of their discipline by the general public.
1993 Professor Hilary Fraser FAHA
Australian Academy of The Social Sciences in Australia
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, interdisciplinary body of elected Fellows. Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FASSA) is an honour conferred for scholarly distinction in research or the advancement of social sciences.
The Academy has also made provision for the nomination of Honorary Fellows to the Academy aimed at honouring individuals who are recognized for their exemplary achievements but not necessarily in academia.
2021 Emeritus Professor Lyn Parker
Lyn Parker is a sociocultural anthropologist and researcher specialising in contemporary Indonesian culture and society, environmental problems and gender issues at the UWA School of Social Sciences. Her main research interests are the anthropology of Indonesia, women and gender relations, education and the environment.
Her interest in Indonesia flourished during her high school years when she enrolled in an Indonesian language class, the first Indonesian class taught in schools in New South Wales. She acknowledges that if Hindu, Urdu or Sanskrit had been offered, her career could have taken a different trajectory, studying and researching in India. Lyn did not foresee that she would combine her love for the Indonesian language with the culture and become an anthropologist, until she had finished her honours year at Australian National University (ANU). Following her tertiary education, Lyn conducted doctoral fieldwork in east Bali in 1980–81, studying the integration of a pre-colonial kingdom into the Indonesian nation-state. This was when she became interested in education and its role in citizen creation.
- 2020 Prof Matthew Tonts
- 2019 Prof Rod Tyers
- 2017 Prof Michael Blakeney
- 2017 E/Prof Victoria Burbank
- 2017 Prof Cristina Gibson
- 2017 Prof Stephen Zubrick
- 2015 Prof Jakob Madsen
- 2015 Prof Geoff Soutar
- 2014 Prof Sharon Parker
- 2013 Prof Gill Rhodes
- 2012 Prof David Pannell
- 2010 Prof Thomas O'Donoghue
- 2006 Prof Darrell Turkington
- 2004 E/Prof Izan Izan
- 2002 Prof David Badcock
- 2002 Prof Colin MacLeod
- 2000 E/Prof Laksiri Jayasuriya
- 1998 Prof Kenneth Clements
- 1996 Prof Fiona Stanley
- 1993 E/Prof Norman Etherington
- 1990 Prof David Andrich
- 1988 Prof Robert Tonkinson
- 1976 E/Prof Philip Brown
- 1967 E/Prof Reg Appleyard
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science champions, celebrates and supports excellence in Australian science, promotes international scientific engagement, builds public awareness and understanding of science and provides independent, authoritative and influential scientific advice.Fellows
Three top science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) researchers from The University of Western Australia have been elected as 2020 Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science. They make up the total number of scientists representing WA from 24 Australians elected as Fellows this year.
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for groundbreaking research and contributions that have had substantial impact to advance knowledge.
2020 Professor Ryan Lister
Ryan Lister is a genome biologist who has made major advances in our understanding of the epigenome, the molecular code superimposed upon the genome that can regulate the readout of the underlying genetic information. Through landmark technology development and biological investigations, Ryan’s discoveries have provided major advances in our understanding of the epigenome in plants, animals, human stem cells, development, and the brain. His work is driving advances that will provide benefits to agriculture, human health and medicine. Overall, he has made major scientific contributions through his pioneering scientific research, and his leadership and promotion of Australian science.
2020 Professor Harvey Millar
Andrew Millar has discovered key biochemical mechanisms through which plant respiration is adapted to cellular processes and harsh climates. He has identified how damage by lipid, oxygen and nitrogen radicals lower the efficiency of respiration. He has discovered how vitamin production is linked to respiration and how mitochondria signal their metabolic state to change plant defence gene expression. Millar has shown that the mitochondrial proteome response to plant stress involves specific and sequential changes in protein complex assembly, regulation of enzymes and selective chemical damage. His discoveries underpin our understanding of respiratory damage during plant cell ageing and disease.
2020 Professor Robyn Owens
Robyn Owens has an exceptional research track record in computational vision science, having developed ground-breaking fundamental theory in feature detection and object recognition, and applying these theories across many disciplines, from biomedical science through to face recognition. Her pioneering work has been acknowledged by award of the prestigious UK Rank Prize in 2010 in Nutrition and Optoelectronics. Owens has an outstanding and sustained track record in research training and research policy development in the Australian Higher Education sector, including several national collaborative research infrastructure capabilities, and in promoting women in science and STEM education.
- 2018 E/Prof David Blair
- 2015 Prof Jenefer Blackwell
- 2015 Prof Ian Small
- 2013 Prof Hans Lambers
- 2013 Prof Stephen Powles
- 2013 Prof Michael Tobar
- 2009 Prof Leigh Simmons
- 2006 Prof Lorenzo Faraone
- 2004 Prof Richard Hobbs
- 2004 Prof Malcolm McCulloch
- 2003 E/Prof David Groves
- 2002 Prof Fiona Stanley
- 2000 Prof Adrian Baddeley
- 2000 Prof Mark Randolph
- 1999 Prof Barry Marshall
- 1998 Prof James Williams
- 1996 Prof Cheryl Praeger
- 1993 Prof Jorg Imberger
- 1980 E/Prof John Pate
Awards
Central to the purpose of the Academy is the recognition and support of outstanding contributions to the advancement of science.
Honorific awards
Central to the purpose of the Academy is the recognition and support of outstanding contributions to the advancement of science. The honorific awards were established to recognise distinguished research in three categories: awards of medals and prizes are made to early-career scientists up to 10 years post PhD, mid-career scientists 8 to 15 years post PhD, and the prestigious career awards which are made to scientists for life-long achievement.
Academy Medal
The Academy Medal recognises outstanding contributions to science by means other than through scientific research. It is awarded to a person outside the Fellowship who has, by sustained efforts in the public domain, significantly advanced the cause of science and technology in Australia or who has made a substantial contribution to the Academy.
Career award
Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal for research in mathematics or physics
2013 Professor Cheryl Elisabeth Praeger AM FAA
Mathematics and Statistics
Professor Cheryl Praeger has transformed our understanding of groups acting on large systems, producing new theories, algorithms and designs that have advanced every field that exploits the symmetry of large systems. Her research has led to significant new directions taken up by mathematicians internationally. Her algorithms have enhanced powerful computer algebra systems which have transformed research and teaching of algebra.
Mawson Medal and Lecture
2008 Professor Peter Cawood
Professor of Geology, Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Peter Cawood is an international leader in the application of structural geology, tectonic processes and geochronology, and has contributed greatly to our understanding of the development of the continental lithosphere throughout geological time. His research is concerned with the integration of field-based studies of mountain belts and their bounding cratons with the development and application of tectonic models.Academy Medal
1990 The Hon Robert (Bob) Hawke
School of Law
UWA awarded Dr Hawke a Bachelor of Laws in 1951 and a Bachelor of Arts in 1955. He served as UWA Guild President in 1952 and the State’s Rhodes Scholar in 1953. Upon his election as Prime Minister, the University also honoured him with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 1984.
Premier awards
Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture
2021 Professor Cheryl Elisabeth Praeger AM FAA
Mathematics and Statistics
Professor Cheryl Praeger’s work on the mathematics of symmetry has been in the vanguard of a mathematical revolution caused by the classification of the finite simple groups, the atoms of symmetry from which all finite groups are built. She has elucidated the internal structure of these simple groups, and driven research on applying their immensely powerful classification to study symmetric structures.
Professor Praeger has developed a theory of quasiprimitive groups which, via her innovative ‘normal quotient method’, established a new paradigm for working with symmetric graphs and exploited the simple group classification.
Professor Praeger demonstrates an extraordinary ability to foster and inspire others, supporting women, advocating for mathematics in schools, and promoting mathematics in emerging economies.
Mid-career awards
Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science
2019 Professor Jacqueline Batley
School of Biological Sciences
Professor Batley has made major contributions to our understanding of the genetics and genomics of crops including canola (Brassica napus), a major source of edible oil. Her DNA markers have been critically important in the mapping and sequencing of genomes of canola, related Brassicas such as turnip and cabbage, and other crops including wheat, peas and lentils. In addition, she has developed new ways of looking at how pathogens interact genetically with crop plants. In these ways she has played a key role in pioneering biotechnological methods that are now being exploited by plant breeders worldwide. Examples of some successful commercial applications in canola include improvements in oil quality, reduced shattering of seed pods, and breeding for increased resistance to blackleg fungus infection. Her motivation to improve world food security and rural economies is being rewarded through such applications.
Jacques Miller Medal for experimental biomedicine
2018 Killugudi Swaminathan Iyer
School of Molecular Sciences
Professor Swaminathan Iyer in the School of Molecular Sciences at the University of Western Australia, leads an internationally recognised research program in the field of bionanotechnology. His transdisciplinary research program focuses on integrating fundamental concepts of cell and molecular biology with bioengineering to develop innovative nanoformulations that are designed for the treatment of currently untreatable medical emergencies like traumatic brain injuries, cardiovascular diseases, placental disorders in pregnancy and cancers (breast, cervical, colorectal). The nanoformulations developed by Iyer?s research group are able to track the localisation of the drug and pathological process simultaneously during treatment: a single procedure potentially leads to both diagnosis and therapy in one hit. The ultimate goal of his research is to enable an overall increase in quality and length of life for patients, through informed decisions about timing, dosage, drug choice, and treatment strategies for personalised medicine, with improved efficacy and lower off-target toxicity.
Early-career awards
John Booker Medal
2020 Asst Professor Britta Bienen
Oceans Graduate School
Associate Professor Britta Bienen’s world-leading research delivers innovative foundation solutions for the complex challenges associated with offshore oil and gas and renewable energy infrastructure. Through the development of practical predictive methods for soil-structure interaction problems, grounded in sound geotechnical science, her internationally recognised expertise translates scientific findings to significant impact in industry.
Her major achievements include developing models that encapsulate foundation response in a way that is compatible with structural engineering and can be integrated into analysis software used by the majority of offshore engineers. This is critical for robust, reliable and cost-effective design of infrastructure one which the global energy supply depends. Her award-winning research on jack-up footing extraction has had marked impact in industry, enhancing safety of personnel and assets. Her contributions to this field are of major significance, have been incorporated in international industry guidelines and are of direct benefit to geotechnical practice in Australia and worldwide.
Le Févre Medal
2018 Asst/Prof Amir Karton
School of Molecular Sciences
Associate Professor Amir Karton leads the computational chemistry group at the University of Western Australia. He currently holds a prestigious Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. His research interests are focused on the development of quantum chemical theory for the calculation of highly accurate chemical properties and the application of these procedures to problems of chemical structure, mechanism, and design. Amir?s computational chemistry group is working closely with internationally leading experimental groups in order to tackle challenging chemical problems that span several disciplines, ranging from biochemistry to nano-chemistry. These include the computational design of graphene-based functional materials, elucidating the mechanisms by which enzymes catalyse molecular transformations, and simulations of atmospherically relevant chemical reactions.
Amir obtained his PhD in computational chemistry in 2010 with Prof. Jan Martin at the Weizmann Institute of Science and then continued to a postdoctoral period with Prof. Leo Radom at the University of Sydney. In addition to the Le Fevre Medal, he received the Vice-Chancellor?s Early Career Investigators Award (2016) and the Outstanding Young Investigator Award (2013) from UWA.
Ruth Stephens Gani Medal for distinguished research in human genetics
2014 Winthrop Prof Ryan Lister
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Professor Ryan Lister studies the epigenome, the millions of molecular signposts added to the genome to regulate the activity of the underlying genetic information. His development of key techniques to map the epigenome has enabled major advances in our understanding of its role in gene regulation in both plants and animals. Professor Lister’s investigation into epigenome dynamics during mammalian brain development has provided the first comprehensive maps of epigenome dynamics through mammalian brain development, in both humans and mice. His discoveries provide an essential foundation to understanding the role of the epigenome in mammalian gene regulation and brain development.
Fenner Medal for distinguished research in biology (excluding the biomedical sciences)
2012 Prof A Harvey Millar
ARC Australian Professorial Fellow and Winthrop Professor
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology
School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Science
Professor Harvey Millar’s research focuses on energy production in plants and how the process of respiration is affected by harsh climates. His work has shown how respiration can be protected in plant cells during environmental stress, how production of the antioxidant vitamin C is controlled in plants, and how the complex links between respiration and plant growth can alter plant yields. His discoveries underpin our understanding of respiratory damage in cell ageing and disease, relevant to both plants and animals.
Anton Hales Medal for research in the earth sciences
2010 Prof David White
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems
David White has developed models for the behaviour of the weak and mobile seabed sediments on which the pipelines and infrastructure required to develop Australia’s oil and gas resources must be built. He has led the design and deployment of new instruments to characterise the shifting sands and liquefiable muds found offshore Australia, and his design methods for pipelines and foundations have been rapidly adopted by industry.
Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering
The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering is a Fellowship organisation, comprising men and women elected on the basis of their expertise and experience.2020 Professor Liang Cheng
Professor Liang Cheng is a civil engineer whose research has significantly impacted industry practice, to ensure offshore pipelines and cables are designed and constructed with smaller environmental footprints.
He is an international authority on how water, seabeds and human-built structures interact. He has applied his expertise to help industry more effectively design and maintain a range of marine structures.
Professor Cheng has supported oil, gas and renewables companies to build key offshore infrastructure with less damage to the marine ecosystem.
He leads a productive research team on offshore fluid mechanics in Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering at the University of Western Australia.
- 2019 Professor Melinda Hodkiewicz
- 2018 Prof Wallace Cowling
- 2018 Prof Eric May
- 2018 Prof Phillip Watson
- 2015 Prof David White
- 2013 Prof Peter Quinn
- 2012 Prof Robyn Owens
- 2010 Prof Alison Ord
- 2009 E/Prof Mark Bush
- 2009 Prof Lyn Beazley
- 2008 Prof Mark Cassidy
- 2008 Prof Michael Tobar
- 2006 Prof Bruce Hobbs
- 2005 Prof Kadambot Siddique
- 2004 Prof Lorenzo Faraone
- 2004 Prof Dongke Zhang
- 2001 Prof Ian Constable
- 1998 Prof Stephen Powles
- 1993 Prof Mark Randolph
- 1992 Prof Antonio Cantoni
- 1992 Prof Neil Turner
- 1987 Prof Alan Robson
- 1985 Prof Jorg Imberger
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies is a world-renowned research, collections and publishing organisation. We promote knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, traditions, languages and stories, past and present.2005 Professor Alan Dench
Professor Alan Dench was educated at the University of Western Australia and at the Australian National University. His main research interest is the grammatical description and historical reconstruction and comparison of Australian Aboriginal languages, especially those of Western Australia. He has published grammars of three languages of the Pilbara - Panyjima, Martuthunira and Yingkarta - and is writing a description of Nyamal. He has also collected materials in Kurrama and Yinhawangka, and has worked on aspects of Noongar.
He has at different times served as the Head of Linguistics, Head of the School of Humanities, and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts at UWA. He is currently Dean of Graduate Research and Postdoctoral Training at UWA. He is a member of the Executive of the Council of Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies, Australia (DDoGS) and chairs the Go8 Deans of Graduate Studies.
- 2001 Aspro Violet Bacon
- 1998 Prof Jane Balme
- 1998 Aspro Richard Davis
- 1998 Prof Sandy Toussaint
- 1992 Prof Jill Milroy
- 1992 Prof Peter Veth
- 1990 Dr John Henderson
- 1978 E/Prof Sandra Bowdler
- 1965 Prof Robert Tonkinson
-
Premiers Science Awards
Scientist of the Year (joint winner)
Professor Markus Schlaich, The University of Western Australia – Royal Perth Hospital and RPH Research Foundation
Professor Markus Schlaich is the inaugural Dobney Chair in Clinical Research at The University of Western Australia. As a clinician scientist specializing in high blood pressure (hypertension) he and his interdisciplinary team provide a comprehensive service at RPH.
As Chair of Hypertension Australia and Co-Chair of the recently established National Hypertension Taskforce Professor Schlaich leads the nation in controlling the leading global risk factor for death. With more than 500 publications and 20 national/international awards, his translational clinical research has resulted in recent regulatory approval of several novel blood pressure lowering therapies including a new drug class and a revolutionary interventional approach to treat hypertension.
Mid-Career Scientist of the Year (joint winner)
Associate Professor Gianina Ravencroft, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia
Associate Professor Gianina Ravenscroft FFSc RCPA is a pioneering leader at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia. Her work primarily addresses the genetic underpinnings of rare diseases, focusing on neuromuscular disorders.
Associate Professor Ravenscroft’s dedication has led to significant discoveries, including identifying novel disease genes, which have direct clinical implications. Her research is not just academically commendable; it has tangible benefits, offering diagnostic insights and paving the way for genetic therapies. This offers hope to families grappling with these conditions, illuminating paths to potentially life-altering interventions.
Early Career Scientist of the Year (joint winner)
Dr Neil Robinson, The University of Western Australia
Dr Neil Robinson holds a Forrest Fellowship at The University of Western Australia and a Strategic Research Fellowship within the Future Energy Exports CRC. An interdisciplinary chemist, engineer and materials scientist, he is considered one of Australia’s most innovative energy researchers.
Dr Robinson’s multi-award-winning work focuses on the development of next-generation materials and measurement systems to solve global issues in sustainability and decarbonization; these include new catalysts to produce low-carbon fuels, novel measurement techniques to optimise environmentally friendly engineering cements, and material design strategies to enable the efficient and large-scale transport of hydrogen. This research has the potential to make WA a world-leader in clean energy technology.
Dr Robinson is further recognised internationally for his sustained contributions to outreach, engagement and communication training, and was named an Energy Influencer of the Year in 2023.
Student Scientist of the Year category
Nicola Principe, The University of Western Australia
Nicola Principe is a distinguished PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, at the forefront of advancing cancer research. Specialising in immunotherapy, her work has identified new strategies to tackle therapy-resistant cancers.
An active contributor to scholarly publications, Nicola’s findings have been widely published and presented internationally.
Committed to advancing STEM in Western Australia, Nicola co-founded the Western Australian Kindness in Science initiative, promoting a supportive scientific community and her advocacy has led to change in the mental health framework for PhD students at UWA.
Science Engagement Initiative of the Year
Einstein-First, The University of Western Australia
Einstein-First grew from science outreach at the Gravity Discovery Centre. In disrupting traditional paradigms and bringing Einstein’s 21st century science to children aged 7 to 15, Einstein-First is transforming teenage students’ attitudes toward science, especially girls.
Following years of trials, the program was launched nationally by the Chief Scientist of Australia in 2023. From one partner school, the successful train-the-trainer approach has empowered teachers and students alike with Einstein’s science taught using toys, songs, and activities.
Einstein-First has trained 150 teachers, now implementing the program across 55 schools from Karratha to Denmark with more than 10,000 students, including 3,000 First Nations students in Queensland.
-
WA Science Hall of Fame 2024 Inductee
Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood AO
Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood AO FAHMS has established herself as a pioneer and world-leading burns specialist and researcher, with a career marked by significant advancements in medical science. In 1991, as WA's first female plastic surgeon and the Director of the Burn Service of Western Australia (BSWA), she dedicated her efforts to improving outcomes for burn patients and expanding the scientific knowledge of burn healing.
Professor Wood co-invented and commercialised ReCell®, a pioneering tissue engineered cell-based therapy (spray-on skin) now used worldwide. The intellectual property for ReCell® has been vested to the Fiona Wood Foundation (FWF), which has sustained burn research in WA for over 25 years. With a publication count of 402 (cited 8,446 times) as of April 2024, Professor Wood is ranked 4th internationally from 30,000 burns experts and continues to drive the frontiers of scientific knowledge striving for clinical excellence.
In 2002, Professor Wood’s expertise was pivotal in crafting a comprehensive National Burns Disaster response plan endorsed by the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council. This plan was activated in response to the Bali Bombings, with Professor Wood leading the medical team at Royal Perth Hospital.
Professor Wood was awarded Australian of the Year in 2005 and was recognised as the prestigious Officer of the Order of Australia in 2024. Professor Wood has been a Patron or Ambassador for more than 50 community organisations and advocates for health literacy, first aid, injury prevention, science, medicine, research and innovation in our society.
Professor Peter Quinn
Professor Peter Quinn’s 42-year research career, focusing on dark matter, galaxy formation and cosmology, has made him a world-leading astrophysicist with over 300 publications and a h-index of 61. His work on dark matter appeared on the front cover of Nature in 1993.
Professor Quinn’s work on supercomputer modelling of galaxy collisions significantly changed the paradigm for galaxy formation, showing that some remarkable extended stellar features called “shells” were the telltale sign of a history of collisions for large galaxies. His work also predicted that galaxies should retain a memory of past encounters that are still visible in steams of stars and structural changes to the host galaxy. These predictions have been verified through numerous large surveys of the Milky Way and other galaxies over the past 25 years.
Between 1995 and 2006 Professor Quinn lead an international effort that charged the way astronomy was done from the ground by building an end-to-end science system for the world’s largest optical/IR telescope, the new 2 billion Euro VLT in Chile. The VLT has become the most efficient telescope in the world, providing thousands of astronomers worldwide access to cutting edge instruments to make research breakthroughs.
In 2006, Professor Quinn moved to WA to accept a Premier’s Fellowship at the University of Western Australia, joining the efforts to establish the SKA in Australia. Professor Quinn was the inaugural Executive Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) which was founded in 2009 and is now ranked as one of the top 5 radio astronomy centres in the world. ICRAR has ensured WA is receiving a broad range of educational, technological, community and industrial returns from the SKA project. Under Professor Quinn’s leadership, ICRAR grew WA’s ASTROFEST into the largest public astronomy event in the southern hemisphere.
Professor Quinn’s achievements have been recognized with a University Medal in Physics (1978), a University of California Physical Sciences Distinguished Achievement Award (1993), a Computerworld 21st Century Achievement Award (2005), a WA Scientist of the Year Award (2012) and a University of Wollongong Research and Innovation Award (2016).