Leading astrophysicist wins 2024 PM's Prize for Science

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science have marked 25 years of celebrating the outstanding contribution made by scientists, innovators and teachers to uplifting Australia’s way of life. Groundbreaking research into children’s anaesthesia, life-saving treatments for blood cancer and novel paths to creating a net zero future were recognised at this year’s ceremony, held at Parliament House on Tuesday, 8 October.

Professor Matthew Bailes received the $250,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for his world-first discovery of fast radio bursts, which is helping to determine how much normal matter exists in the universe, and for his leadership of Australian astronomy research centres. Bailes is an expert in astrophysics at Swinburne University of Technology and the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) based at Swinburne.

The $250,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation was meanwhile awarded to Professor Andrew F Wilks and Dr Chris Burns for inventing and commercialising a JAK inhibitor drug called momelotinib that is used to treat myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer. The drug was acquired by GSK for US$1.9 billion and was last year officially approved by the US FDA as a bone marrow cancer treatment, over two decades after it was invented.

Additional prizes were as follows:

• The $50,000 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year was presented to Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg from The University of Western Australia, for her life-changing research into reducing risks associated with anaesthesia for children to make surgery and recovery safer.
• The $50,000 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year was presented to Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma from RMIT University, for his groundbreaking work in renewable energy. Pilot projects are now underway in Australia to commercialise Ma’s research and may revolutionise the way society generates and consumes energy.
• The $50,000 Prize for New Innovators was presented to Dr Andrew Horsley, co-founder of Quantum Brilliance, for his innovations towards making quantum computing an everyday technology, unlocking a range of potential new applications for the field in Australia and abroad.
• The $50,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools was presented to Daniel Edwards from Montello Primary School, for creating unique opportunities for students of all abilities and backgrounds to overcome challenges, engage with STEM subjects and consider a career in science.
• The $50,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools was presented to Alice Leung from Concord High School, for her creative teaching strategies to equip students from diverse backgrounds with STEM knowledge and skills for the future.
   

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this year’s winners showed the breadth and depth of Australia’s scientific talent.

“Australia has world-class scientists, researchers and teachers; this year’s winners show just how bright the future is for Australian science,” he said.

“On behalf of all Australians, I congratulate the 2024 prize recipients and thank them for their contributions.”

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, with next year’s science-teaching prizes set to increase to $250,000 each. Nominations close on 17 December 2024 at 5 pm AEDT.

Image caption: Professor Matthew Bailes and his collaborators discovered the first fast radio burst in 2007, significantly advancing our scientific understanding of the universe.