Australian scientists bound for Nobel Laureate Meeting

Nine early-career researchers from Australia will head to Lindau, Germany this year for a once-in-a-career opportunity to attend a prestigious annual gathering of Nobel Prize-winning researchers.

The 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is an interdisciplinary jubilee meeting taking place 28 June to 3 July 2026.  

It is expected to bring together around 75 Nobel Laureates and 636 young scientists from 88 countries for a vibrant scientific exchange.

The Australian delegation will be led by Academy Fellow and incoming Foreign Secretary Professor Steven Chown FAA.

The nine PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers selected to attend the 2026 meeting are:

• Dr Shankar Dutt of the Australian National University, whose research integrates nanotechnology, biophysics, and machine learning to develop tiny sensors capable of detecting disease at its earliest stages.
• Ms Anna Faber of the University of Western Australia, a synthetic biologist who engineers marine bacteria to break down plastic and create biodegradable alternatives.
• Ms Caitlin Gare of the Australian National University, whose research combines organic chemistry and biomedical sciences to develop peptides and RNA as promising chemical tools and novel therapeutics.
• Dr Lottie Morison of Murdoch Children's Research Institute, a speech pathologist who studies communication impairments in children and young people, including childhood dementia.
• Dr Astrid Stubbusch of Monash University, an ecologist investigating how microorganisms’ use of different energy sources shapes their distribution and responses to environmental changes.
• Dr Mike Tebyetekerwa of the University of Queensland, who is designing electrochemical generators to produce green chemicals and capture carbon dioxide in industry settings.
• Dr Christophe Valahu of the University of Sydney, an experimental physicist focused on improving the stability and performance of quantum technologies, from computing and sensing to simulations. 
• Dr Thomas Williams of the University of Melbourne, who is developing new mathematical models to study how bacterial membranes develop and function.
• Ms Belinda Zhang of the University of Sydney, a PhD student using cutting-edge peptide synthesis and molecular biology techniques to discover drug molecules that are more stable and longer lasting in the body.

The meeting will provide a unique opportunity for these exceptional early-career scientists to share their research, experiences and ideas, and gain inspiration from fellow emerging scientists and Nobel Laureates.

The Australian delegation’s participation in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings is proudly supported through the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) and administered by the Australian Academy of Science.

The Australian Lindau delegates receive a grant to enable their attendance at the event and to take part in the SIEF Research Innovation Tour in Berlin, showcasing some of Germany’s research and development facilities related to their interdisciplinary research.