Prime Minister's Prizes for Science 2013

The Australian Academy of Science today congratulated Professor Terry Speed for winning the 2013 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for his work as a statistician and mathematician.

A Fellow of the Academy since 2001, Professor Speed is Head of Bioinformatics at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, where he provides biologists with statistical tools to help them cope with the genetic revolution.

Twenty years ago biologists looked at one or two genes in isolation. Today they can track the activity of thousands of genes in a single cell, but to understand the results they need tools such as Professor Speed develops.

Currently, Professor Speed is focusing on techniques to sort out the thousands of differences between normal and cancer cells, to generate insights for treating cancer more efficiently, and working with industry to create a tool to determine if a thyroid growth is benign or not.

President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Suzanne Cory, said Professor Speed’s work highlights the importance of collaboration.

“I offer my warmest congratulations to Terry for this well-deserved award,” Professor Cory said.

“Recognition of Professor Speed’s research highlights the value of scientists from different disciplines working together.

“Professor Speed has made a significant contribution to many fields of biology using his insights from mathematics and statistics. I hope his example inspires many young scientists to enter the increasingly important field of bioinformatics.”

The Academy also congratulated the other winners of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science:

• Dr Angela Moles, winner of the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year and previous winner of the Academy’s JG Russell Award
• Professor Andrea Morelo, winner of the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
• Sarah Chapman, winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools and previous winner of an Academy Teacher Award
• Richard Johnson, winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools.

“Each of these outstanding individuals has made a valuable contribution to the strength, wellbeing and prosperity of our nation, through expanding the sum of human knowledge, and through inspiring and training young people,” Professor Cory said.

“It is indeed appropriate that their achievements are recognised at the highest level, through the Prime Minister’s science and teaching prizes.”