Academy announces 2017 award winners, funding for Nancy Millis Medal

The Australian Academy of Science has announced the winners of its 2017 honorific awards, as well as continued funding for the prestigious Nancy Millis Medal.

The honorific awards are presented every year to recognise scientific excellence among Australian researchers, from those in the early stages of their career to those who have made lifelong achievements in their field. The awards are this year honouring 17 Australian scientists working to address some of the world’s most significant challenges, such as antibiotic resistance, the reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and a lack of clean drinking water in disaster zones and developing nations.

Professor Barry Ninham from The Australian National University (ANU) has been awarded the top honour, the Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture. He was recognised for his work in the self-assembly of biological molecules and in the theory of molecular forces, which most recently led to a cheaper and more efficient method of water purification that has the potential to increase living standards for millions of people and save thousands of lives.

Other award highlights include:

• Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn, awarded the Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal for his work in establishing the astronomical fields of galactic archaeology and astrophotonics.
• Dr Joanne Whittaker, recipient of the Dorothy Hill Award for her work in understanding how the seafloor and ocean basins are formed and evolve through the movements of tectonic plates and the earth’s mantle.
• Professor Kathryn Holt, named the Gottschalk Medallist for her work on the evolution of pathogens, which has led to better understanding of disease transmission, control and responses to antibiotics and vaccine-induced immunity.

The awards will be formally presented at the academy’s annual three-day celebration of Australian science, Science at the Shine Dome, in Canberra during May 2017. The full list of awardees, as well as descriptions of their research, can be found on the academy’s website.

In addition, the academy has revealed that The University of Melbourne will provide ongoing funding for the Nancy Millis Medal, awarded to women who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the areas of STEM. The medal was established in 2014 to honour the contributions made to science by the late Professor Nancy Millis, an alumna of The University of Melbourne, and recognises her importance as a role model for women aspiring to be research leaders.

“Professor Millis treated discrimination with disdain, saw integrity as a guiding principle and was quick to promote youthful endeavour,” said Professor Margaret Sheil, Provost at The University of Melbourne. “She led with distinction various national committees that dealt with key STEM issues like the emergence of molecular biology and its sensible governance. She would be delighted to think that a medal struck to recognise the accomplishments of female scientists was so actively pursued.”

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes said what began with a small group of Professor Millis’ colleagues coming together to celebrate her work has now become one of the organisation’s most popular awards.

“More than 100 remarkable women have already been nominated for the medal in its short life span,” said Professor Holmes.

“This is the second medal awarded by the academy to acknowledge leading women in STEM, and we hope that we can work harder to support many more through our awards. The academy is very proud to be a partner with The University of Melbourne in celebrating and nurturing these leaders and it is extremely grateful for the strong financial support of the award.”