A delegation from the Australian Academy of Science recently played an integral role in advancing global science diplomacy during the Muscat Global Knowledge Dialogue and the third International Science Council (ISC) General Assembly, held from 26 to 30 January in Oman.
The Academy’s delegation comprised the Academy’s President Professor Chennupati Jagadish; Foreign Secretary Professor Frances Separovic; Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia; Director Policy and International Chris Anderson; Director ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific Ronit Prawer; Head of International Affairs Nancy Pritchard; and Dr Charlie Morgan, representing the Academy’s Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Forum. Ms Arabia featured as the lead speaker in the Global Knowledge Dialogue session ‘The changing context for science diplomacy’.
Delegates discussed ways to strengthen science; the relationship between science and society; mechanisms for evidence-based approaches to decision making; how science is shaping the world and reciprocally how the world is shaping science including the impact of geopolitical complexities; and mechanisms to ensure science remains a public good able to benefit all.
Highlights from the meeting included the Academy-led first face-to-face meeting of the Advisory Council of the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific. The meeting saw the participation of representatives from the recently established Pacific Academy of Sciences, convening scientific leaders from across our region.
To further regional and global collaboration, the delegation hosted an Oceania Connect reception, enabling high-level engagement between Australian and international scientific leaders.
These activities exemplify the Academy’s leadership in science diplomacy and its commitment to ensuring science remains central to solving global challenges and to building resilient, sustainable societies.
The Muscat Dialogue closed with a collective call for action to leverage science for the global good, and the ISC General Assembly 2025 concluded with a strategic vision for global science. Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf, renowned mathematical physicist and former Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands, was named President-Elect of the International Science Council.
Head of International Affairs Nancy Pritchard represented the Academy as part of an Australian delegation on a recent visit to French Polynesia. The French Embassy in Canberra organised the visit during which representatives from Australian academies and universities met with their French Polynesian counterparts, including the President of French Polynesia, Mr Moetai Brotherson; Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and the Environment, Mr Taivini Teai; Minister of Education, Higher Education and Culture, Mr Ronny Teriipai; and the French High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia to explore potential areas of research collaboration, particularly for young researchers.
The Academy welcomes Associate Professor Ruth Morgan, who has joined the Academy’s journal, Historical Records of Australian Science, as co-editor with Professor Ian Rae.
Associate Professor Morgan brings a wealth of experience to the role. She is Director of the Centre for Environmental History at the Australian National University, has published extensively on the histories of water and climate in Australia, the United States, and the Indian Ocean, and served as a Lead Author (Working Group 2) of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Associate Professor Morgan is succeeding Dr Sara Maroske, who initially started as the journal’s book reviewer and continued for more than a decade as co-editor alongside Professor Rae. We thank Dr Maroske for her years of service to the journal and wish her all the best.
Academy Fellows have unrestricted access to all the journal’s content: log into the Academy website, go to the ‘Fellows only’ page, and look for the journal link under ‘Resources and other information’.
Sir John Carew Eccles AC Kt FAA FRS Nobel Laureate was a pioneering Australian neurophysiologist whose groundbreaking research on synaptic transmission earned him the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (jointly). A Founding Fellow and former President of the Australian Academy of Science (1957–61), he reshaped our understanding of nerve cell communication through bold theories and meticulous experiments.
This newly published biography explores Sir John’s remarkable life, drawing from a rare 1991 autobiography typescript given to his daughter, Mary Mennis. Restored and structured into four career stages, it provides a firsthand account of his formative scientific years, including work with Sir Charles S. Sherrington. Missing periods from 1957 onward are supplemented with material from his earlier publications, ensuring a comprehensive chronicle of his scientific odyssey.
Offering a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Australia’s most distinguished scientists, this book highlights Sir John’s lasting impact on neurosciences.
The book is annotated and extended with supplementary family and biographical information by Mary R Mennis and Dr James P Chalcroft, and is prefaced by Associate Professor John Carmody.
Download the PDF of the book (PDF, 22MB)
Read Sir John’s biographical memoir
Watch our 2024 event on Sir John’s life
The Academy recently made the following submissions to government:
Nominate and apply now for the Academy’s 2026 awards and opportunities, including a new award for ICT research! Our honorific awards recognise outstanding contributions to the advancement of science, and our funding opportunities support scientists to undertake research, travel and lectures.
Nominations for 2026 honorific awards close 1 May 2025, while applications for 2026 funding opportunities close 1 June 2025.
The Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh are working in partnership to deliver the Australia-Scotland Fund. This new fund will provide two grants annually to support bilateral visits between researchers in Australia and Scotland.
The program aims to support Australian and Scottish early- and mid-career researchers by providing funding support for joint research projects, providing access to unique infrastructure and knowledge, and creating ongoing collaborative relationships between Australian and Scottish researchers.
Applications for the first round of the fund close on 19 March.
Keep abreast of the Academy Fellowship in the Fellows update:
If Fellows have been recognised with an award, please let us know via fellowship@science.org.au so we can consider including it in the next update.
The first event in our 2025 public speaker series was so popular we barely had room for everyone attending in person and we had hundreds of people watching online.
If you’re curious about how artificial intelligence is changing the world around us, join us for the remaining five events to explore the current and future implications of AI. Discover how AI is helping scientists make breakthroughs in health and medicine, climate research, agriculture and food production, space exploration and more. The series will also delve into potential risks, limitations and ethical issues as AI becomes increasingly prominent in science and our society.
The events are held at the Shine Dome in Canberra on the second Tuesday of every second month and livestreamed online. The next event on 8 April looks at AI and our health.
Watch the recording of our first event: What is AI?
Find out more about our 2025 public speaker series
Since our newsletter in December, we have revised the dates for our flagship annual event, Science at the Shine Dome. The new dates are 2–4 September 2025 – mark them in your diary.
In this event, Australia’s science community will gather at the Shine Dome in Canberra to celebrate science and to honour outstanding achievements in science. 2025’s newly elected Fellows will sign the Charter Book and give short presentations, lectures and presentations will be given by 2025 Academy awardees, the National Symposium will be held to discuss ‘Australian Science, Australia’s Future’, and the networking opportunities will be endless. Associated events for early- and mid-career researchers will be held on 1 September.
Find out more about Science at the Shine Dome 2025
The Academy’s Library and Archives hold one of the most significant histories of Australian science collections in the world, with many thousands of rare and unique items. These intellectual treasures – often hidden behind locked doors – reveal the development of scientific thinking responsible for shaping our modern world. Through meticulous digitisation of archival materials and recording conversations with Australian scientists, we are preserving history whilst providing future generations with access to critical insights and discoveries.
Now in our 70th year, we invite you to support our 2024 appeal to help bring many more of these stories and our collections to life.
Through preserving Australia's scientific legacy your donation will support:
We invite you to read some of our recently digitised material online.
We hope you will consider a gift to support and preserve Australia’s scientific legacy and help us to bring more of our collections and conversations online, for everyone.
To learn more about giving to the Academy visit our website or contact Kate Groves on (02) 6201 9460 or kate.groves@science.org.au.
The Honorary editor of the Academy newsletter is Professor Yuri Estrin FAA
© 2025 Australian Academy of Science
