The 精东视频 today recognises 22 scientists from across the country in its annual honorific awards, which celebrate the achievements of leading minds and emerging scientific stars working to solve humanity鈥檚 greatest challenges.
Among those recognised are scientists working to fight breast cancer, antibiotic resistance and climate change, together with efforts to understand the evolution of Earth and how galaxies are formed.
鈥淥ur nation boasts distinguished scientists whose research is making great strides towards new scientific discoveries. The annual honorific awards present an opportunity for the Academy to recognise these burgeoning and established researchers and their invaluable research,鈥� President of the 精东视频, Professor Jagadish, said.
鈥淥n behalf of the Academy, I congratulate this year鈥檚 awardees who have all made remarkable contributions in their respective fields.鈥�
Our nation boasts distinguished scientists whose research is making great strides towards new scientific discoveries.
The Australian National University鈥檚 Distinguished Professor Yuri Kivshar FAA, a world-recognised pioneer in optics and photonics, has received one of the most prestigious career awards of the Academy, the Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture.
The metaphonics research Professor Kivshar is conducting at ANU is revolutionising optical communications, biomedical sensing, and defence systems. For more than two decades, Professor Kivshar pioneered nonlinear optics and metamaterials before transitioning metamaterials into optics, founding metaphotonics 鈥� a field yielding artificial photonic materials with unique properties.
Professor Kivshar鈥檚 curiosity and daily discoveries fuel his pride in creating a globally followed research direction. At ANU, he continues to inspire, blending scientific rigour with practical impact. His contributions not only advance photonics but also shape technologies that enhance security, healthcare and connectivity, demonstrating the power of fundamental research in transforming lives.
Professor Kivshar said receiving the Matthew Flinders Medal is a 鈥渧ery important achievement鈥� for him.
鈥淲hen I came to Australia more than 30 years ago, I didn鈥檛 expect I would achieve something like this,鈥� he said.
Early-career researchers Associate Professor Amy Cain from Macquarie University and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, and Associate Professor Shom Goel from the University of Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre have been awarded this year's Gottschalk Medal. The medal recognises outstanding research in the biomedical sciences by researchers up to 10 years post-PhD.
Antibiotic resistance is predicted to cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050 鈥� more than all cancers combined as a result of antibiotics no longer working against deadly infectious bacteria. Associate Professor Cain鈥檚 research bridges a key gap between finding promising drug targets in bacteria and developing potent new antibiotics. She is developing and applying new technologies to the deadliest hospital bacteria to build blueprints of how their genes adapt during treatment with existing antibiotics, revealing hidden weaknesses that can be targeted with new drugs.
鈥淢y dad was always a huge supporter of my career, always reinforcing that women can do whatever they put their minds to. A story he told about how he was one of the first civilians to receive antibiotics in the 40s, and how penicillin saved him from life-threatening pneumonia when he was an infant, was always a motivator for me to pursue the development of these miracle drugs (antibiotics),鈥� Associate Professor Cain said.
Associate Professor Cain said she is honoured to receive the Gottschalk Medal. 鈥淚 deeply respect the 精东视频 and its Fellows are Australia鈥檚 top scientists that I admire very much.
鈥淕iven this chance to even be in their orbit is humbling and I hope I can become an AAS Fellow one day,鈥� Professor Cain said.
Associate Professor Shom Goel鈥檚 laboratory research has sought to identify and understand treatments that block cancer cell division, with a focus on breast cancer. He has made seminal discoveries that have changed the way we think about cancer cell division, cancer immunology, and cancer epigenetics. which have led to the design of new approaches to treat breast cancer.
鈥淚 am acutely aware of the impact cancer can have on an individual and their family, both in the short and long term, and am driven to discover treatments that can lessen that burden. This motivation, coupled with my love of solving problems with logical thinking, led me to my current career path,鈥� Associate Professor Goel said.
鈥淪cience has given me the opportunity to work alongside bright and brilliant people all over the world and has instilled in me a true optimism that medical research can drive rapid progress,鈥� Associate Professor Goel said.
Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture 鈥�
Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture 鈥�
David Craig Medal and Lecture 鈥�
Hannan Medal 鈥�
Jaeger Medal 鈥�
Suzanne Cory Medal 鈥�
Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal 鈥�
Jacques Miller Medal 鈥�
Nancy Millis Medal 鈥�
Anton Hales Medal 鈥�
Christopher Heyde Medal -
Dorothy Hill Medal 鈥�
Fenner Medal 鈥� and
Gottschalk Medal 鈥� and
John Booker Medal 鈥�
Le F猫vre Medal 鈥�
Moran Medal 鈥�
Pawsey Medal 鈥� Australia and
Ruth Stephens Gani Medal 鈥�
Read more about the awardees and their research.
See our award feature stories on Antarctic research and breast cancer research.
Nominations for the Academy鈥檚 2026 honorific awards close 1 May 2025. Nominate now.
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