Aust Academy of Science announces 2024 honorific awards

Twenty-two researchers from around the country have been recognised by the Australian Academy of Science for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of science at the early, mid and career level.

Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish said the annual honorific awards recognise the diverse contributions of researchers across Australia and the power of long-term commitment to science.

“From climate change to public health, Australian researchers are addressing the challenges our communities face every day.

“Their dedication to the pursuit of knowledge enriches our understanding of the world around us and sets a great example for generations to come.

“It is a tremendous privilege to be given the opportunity to honour their contributions to science.”

Professor Kerrie Mengersen receives the Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture — one of the Academy’s most prestigious awards — for her research focused on the development of new statistical methodology, driven by real-world applications. From helping to save the declining population of jaguars in the Amazon to creating Australia’s first interactive cancer atlas, Mengersen’s statistical models have helped us better understand the world around us.

Dr Adriana Dutkiewicz — the recipient of the 2024 Mawson Medal and Lecture — has spent the past decade advancing our understanding of deep-sea sedimentation and the long-term carbon cycle, which is the movement of carbon between the solid Earth, atmosphere and oceans. Dutkiewicz used 50 years of data to develop a digital map of global deep-sea sediments, and has also led research into the movement of sediments across the seafloor.

Other highlights include Professor Andrew Steer, an international authority on tropical infectious diseases, whose receipt of the Gustav Nossal Medal cements research as among the highest standing in the field of global health; and Professor Eric Chow, one of two recipients of the Gottschalk Medal, for his contributions to our understanding of how sexually transmissible infections (STIs) spread and how we can reduce their transmission.

The full list of awardees is available to view here. The Academy has also opened nominations for its 2025 honorific awards, research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships, which can be made here.

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