The Academy is delighted to announce Professor Jennifer Byrne from the University of Sydney and NSW Health Pathology as the 2025 recipient of the David Vaux Research Integrity Fellowship Award.

The funding award, launched in 2023, recognises individuals who have led efforts to foster and promote integrity in science. The award honours Professor David Vaux AO FAA FAHMS, who has championed scientific research integrity in Australia.

Professor Byrne has an international reputation for finding problematic research articles. She began this work accidentally after noticing strange patterns in published cancer papers. Since then, she has systematically addressed the problem of fake research by co-creating software to detect potentially faked papers; writing to journals requesting responses to papers with critical errors; mentoring students to research the issue; raising awareness of problematic research in the media; and regularly bringing together publishers and researchers to discuss the problems and potential solutions.

Her career has diverted from cancer research to research integrity. Professor Byrne heads the Publication and Research Integrity in Medical Research (PRIMeR) group at the University of Sydney.

“I’m delighted to have been chosen as the recipient of the 2025 David Vaux Fellowship. I thank my colleagues Professor Adrian Barnett and Pranujan Pathmendra for their nomination,” Professor Byrne said.

“This award recognises my team members in the PRIMeR group and would not have been possible without funding from the United States Office of Research Integrity, the NHMRC and the University of Sydney.

“I look forward to visiting different Australian research centres during 2025 and 2026 and engaging with students and researchers at all career stages.

“I hope to raise awareness of contemporary issues affecting scientific publications, including research paper mills and undeclared use of generative artificial intelligence. I also look forward to participating in key discussions of publication integrity at international conferences and bringing this knowledge back to Australian researchers and policymakers,” she said.

Professor Byrne plans to use the award funds to give presentations on research integrity at different centres across Australia, where she will meet with early career researchers to discuss their concerns about their careers and research integrity. She will also travel to international conferences to share her work with a broader audience.

Dates and locations of Professor Byrne’s public lectures in Australia will be published on the Academy website once confirmed.

The David Vaux Research Integrity Fellowship Award is a biennial award. Nominations for the next round will open in February 2026.

Visit the Academy’s awards and opportunities to find out about our honorific awards and funding opportunities.

The Australian Academy of Science is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Mobility Grants.

Just over $110,000 has been awarded to 16 Australian EMCRs to collaborate with leading researchers at major science and technology organisations across Europe.

The grants, valued at up to $7,500 each, are made possible by the generous support of the Rod Rickards Fellowships and the Bede Morris Memorial Fund, and by a generous donation from the French Embassy in Australia.

Of the 16 EMCR recipients, ten have been funded by the Rod Rickards Fellowships.

The recipients’ research covers a diverse range of topics, from discovering new fungicides to the creation of nanoparticles loaded with mRNA to target and reduce inflammation.

Among the recipients is Dr Hana Starobova from the University of Queensland.

Dr Starobova’s research focuses on understanding how motor disabilities develop in some people following lifesaving cancer therapy – and how these changes to motor function could be treated.  

“The award of the mobility grant will allow me to visit one of the best research groups studying motor neuropathies in cancer patients, the Experimental Neurology Unit at the School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza [in Italy],” Dr Starobova said.

“Here, I will learn new methodologies to assess neuronal damage from field-leading experts. This will increase my capacity to study this problem and help me to develop future collaborations.”

The EMCRs who have received grants funded by the Rod Rickards Fellowships are:

• Dr Chaohao Chen, Australian National University – Electrically pumped on-chip super-resolution imaging
• Dr Jue Hou, RMIT University – Metal-organic framework/polyamide hybrid membranes for lithium-ion extraction
• Associate Professor Arnold Ju, University of Sydney – Textile-based bioelectronic sensors for rapid coagulation assessment
• Dr Sally Lau, James Cook University – Decoding the genomic basis underpinning Southern Ocean ecosystem resilience to change
• Dr Weilun Li, Monash University – Revealing defects and their critical roles in the performance of halide perovskites by low dose transmission electron microscopy
• Dr Hana Starobova, University of Queensland – Chemotherapy-induced motor neuropathy: towards improved understanding of motor neuron dysfunction during chemotherapy
• Associate Professor Xiaowei Wang, University of Melbourne – Advanced 19F MRI techniques: imaging mRNA-loaded nanoparticles for inflammation therapy  
• Dr James Watson, UNSW University – Rethinking hydrocarbons in a low carbon future: exploring the role of highly charged metal-alkane complexes in the conversion of fossil fuels to high value and more sustainable products  
• Dr Ping Yun, University of Western Australia – Thinking ahead, explore the tolerant mechanism for the combination of flooding and salt stresses
• Dr Jinxin Zhao, Monash University – Advancing antimicrobial strategies against life-threatening ‘superbug’ Pseudomonas aeruginosa: an integrated systems pharmacology and evolutionary biology approach.

The following researchers have been awarded a 2025 EMCR Mobility Grant supported by the Bede Morris Memorial Fund and a generous donation by the French Embassy in Australia:

• Dr Lucy Gloag, Australian National University – Nanoparticle supported single-atom catalysts for magnetically induced CO2 conversion
• Dr David Leaver, Charles Sturt University – Unlocking mechanisms of sterol diversity to identify critical target sites for discovery of high-value antifungals
• Dr Thibault Renoir, University of Melbourne – Stimulate discussion and collaborations about preclinical models of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders and learn new techniques to study the mechanisms mediating the effects of exercise and treatment with psychedelics
• Dr Chutian Shu, Curtin University - Carbon solubility in the mantle mineral majorite: implications for deep Earth carbon cycling
• Dr Dinesh Subedi, Monash University – Bacteriophages as a solution to bacterial antibiotic resistance
• Dr Jiali Zhai, RMIT University – Inverse mesophase structure insights of ionisable lipid nanoparticles as mRNA delivery platforms.

Dr Jinxin Zhao’s research tackles the urgent global health threat of antimicrobial resistance, focusing on the multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This dangerous pathogen, identified as a high-priority superbug by the World Health Organization, causes severe and hard-to-treat lung infections.

“Being awarded this grant is an incredible honour and a pivotal milestone in my career. It empowers me to pursue groundbreaking research that addresses an urgent global medical need while contributing to the fight against antimicrobial resistance,” Dr Jinxin Zhao said.

“This funding not only provides the resources necessary to carry out innovative and impactful work but also positions me as an emerging independent researcher. Ultimately, this grant represents an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in science and public health, fulfilling my commitment to addressing one of the most critical challenges of our time.”

About the Rod Rickards Fellowships

The Rod Rickards Fellowships were created in 2009 by the family of Professor Rod Rickards FAA to commemorate his significant contributions to Australian science through exceptional achievements in chemistry and biology. Since their inception in 2010, these Fellowships have been awarded to 40 distinguished Australian EMCRs. This prestigious program enables these researchers to travel to Europe and engage in collaborative research projects within the fields of chemistry or biology at leading-edge institutions.

About the Bede Morris Memorial Fund

The Bede Morris Memorial Fund was established to honour the legacy of Professor Bede Morris FAA, one of Australia’s most eminent medical scientists. Since the early 1990s, this fund has supported Australian researchers by facilitating travel and collaboration with researchers in France. In recent years, the focus of the fund has shifted towards supporting Australian EMCRs, specifically contributing to their travel expenses to France for research endeavours in any field of the natural sciences.

The Academy extends special thanks to the French Embassy in Australia for their generous donation that supported two additional grants under the Bede Morris Memorial Fund.

More information on the EMCR Mobility Grants

EMCRs are also encouraged to apply for the Australia-Scotland Fund (open for applications until 19 March 2025)

More information on awards and opportunities at the Academy

The Academy is pleased to announce that Professor Doctor Judith Sluimer from Maastricht University in the Netherlands is the 2025 recipient of the Selby Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to distinguished international scientists to conduct public lectures and visit scientific centres across Australia to share their research.

Professor Sluimer has worked in Maastricht University Medical Center since 2010, where she is focused on cardiovascular pathophysiology, specifically the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and vascular ageing.

Her research investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the responses of macrophages and mesenchymal cells in vascular physiology and pathology to cellular stress, and resulting changes in cellular identity and function. She combines experimental models with cutting-edge multi-omics techniques, and studies involving human subjects and tissue samples.

During her visit to Australia, Professor Sluimer will share her scientific work and resources to explore new collaborations in the field of atherosclerosis, vascular ageing, metabolism and data science. In addition, she will explore funding schemes available for international collaboration and interact with early-career scientists and the general public.

“I’m excited to return to the country where my academic career started during an MSc internship at the University of Queensland, Brisbane in 2000,” Professor Sluimer said.

“Death and illness caused by cardiovascular disease is a global problem with insufficient solutions, requiring scientists across the globe to work together to address this challenge. The Selby Fellowship will allow me to physically cross these borders. I’m really looking forward to discussing science with Australia’s excellent cardiovascular community to foster new partnerships during the lecture tour,” Professor Sluimer added.

The Selby Fellowship is financed through the trustees of the Selby Scientific Foundation. In 1980, the Directors of H B Selby Australia recognised the need for a continuing source of funds to help finance education, research and development in the fields of science and medicine.

Dates and locations of Professor Sluimer’s public lectures will be published on the Academy website once confirmed.

Applications for the 2026 Selby Fellowship open on 13 February.

The Australian Academy of Science congratulates Professor Tony Haymet on his appointment as Chief Scientist of Australia.

Australian Academy of Science President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish, warmly welcomed the appointment.

“Professor Haymet has made outstanding contributions to Australian and international science, its application and philanthropy,” Professor Jagadish said.

“We look forward to continuing the unique and longstanding relationship between the Chief Scientist and Australia’s learned academies given our shared remit of providing independent scientific advice to government.

“The Chief Scientist is able to readily draw on the convening power of the academies to access expertise wherever it resides and in whatever field so as to inform his advice to government.”

Our collaboration with the Office of the Chief Scientist was exemplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues with the academies’ support of the National Science and Technology Council.

“We celebrate the Australian Government’s choice of a scientist of distinction and look forward to continuing our work with the Office of the Chief Scientist under Professor Tony Haymet’s leadership to inform government decision-making with scientific evidence,” Professor Jagadish said.

Three Fellows and the Chief Executive of the Australian Academy of Science have been recognised in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List.

Each year, the Honours List recognises and celebrates Australians for distinguished and outstanding service.

Officer of the Order of Australia

The following Fellows were appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Professor Andrew Blakers AO FAA FTSE was recognised for his distinguished service to science in the field of solar cell development, and as an advocate for energy storage and renewable technologies.

Professor Blakers has made major contributions to the advancement of solar energy as the key to decarbonising the global economy. Professor Blakers is also globally prominent in the analysis of 100 per cent renewable energy systems and developed the Global Atlas of Pumped Hydro Energy Storage. An Academy Fellow since 2024, he is a joint winner of numerous awards, including the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and the 2018 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.

Professor Keith Nugent AO FAA was recognised for his distinguished service to tertiary education, to science as a physicist, and to the advancement of optical physics.

Elected to the Academy in 2000, he is a distinguished optical physicist who has been singularly creative from the earliest age. Much of Professor Nugent’s work has been devoted to problems of neutron and X-ray optics for which refractive materials are not available. His work has made contributions to X-ray holography, coherence measurement and near-field optics.

Professor Veena Sahajwalla AO FAA FTSE was recognised for her distinguished service to science as an engineer and inventor, to sustainable materials research and technology and waste management.

Professor Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and innovator who is revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’. As Director of the Sustainable Materials Research and Technology Centre at UNSW, she has built a world-class research hub dedicated to innovation. She was elected to the Academy in 2018.

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

The Academy’s Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia OAM was recognised for her service to science, particularly through organisational leadership roles.

Ms Arabia began her career as a neuroscientist and has worked nationally and globally in scientific research, policy development, politics and science advocacy.

Her leadership has led to significant reform at the science–policy interface and she has established novel mechanisms to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making in parliaments and the justice system. She has spearheaded new approaches to science communication and implemented global initiatives to make underrepresented scientists more visible.

More information about the Order of Australia (AO)

The Australian Academy of Science is set to play a role in advancing global science diplomacy at the International Science Council (ISC)’s third General Assembly in Muscat, Oman this month.

The General Assembly marks a critical opportunity to strengthen the voice of Australia and the Asia-Pacific region in global science.

The Academy’s delegation will engage in high-level discussions on pressing global priorities, including freedom and responsibility in science, the development of effective science policy and advice, the future of science diplomacy, and advancing science education.

Highlights will include the first face-to-face meeting of the Advisory Council of the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, which is led by the Academy.

This will include representatives from the recently established Pacific Academy of Sciences, bringing together scientific leaders from across our region.

To further regional and global collaboration, the delegation will host 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.

To pursue these objectives and ensure the Australian and Asia-Pacific’s scientific voice is amplified on the global stage, the Australian delegation includes:

• Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FTSE, President of the Australian Academy of Science
• Professor Frances Separovic AO FAA, Academy Foreign Secretary  
• Anna-Maria Arabia, Academy Chief Executive  
• Chris Anderson, Director, Policy and International  
• Ronit Prawer, Director, ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific
• Nancy Pritchard, Head of International Affairs
• Dr Charlie Morgan, representing the Academy’s Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Forum.  

Fellows on the global stage

The Academy warmly congratulates eminent Australian scientist Professor Nalini Joshi AO FAA – also attending the ISC General Assembly – on her recent election to the ISC Governing Board.

This is a testament to the global role and influence of Australian scientific leadership.

The International Science Council

The ISC harnesses the universal language of science to catalyse and convene scientific expertise, advice and influence on issues of major concern to both science and society, through a unique global membership of natural and social sciences and humanities.

The ISC General Assembly is the premier occasion for ISC Members and Affiliated Bodies, Fellows and partners from all domains of science and regions of the world to meet for cross-disciplinary, strategic discussions on challenges and priorities for international cooperation in science.

The ISC General Assembly is held every four years.

The Muscat Global Knowledge Dialogue and ISC General Assembly will take place in Oman, between 26 and 30 January 2025.

A science diplomat with extensive global experience in strategic management of science relationships across governments, non-government organisations, industry and academia has been appointed Director of the International Science Council (ISC) Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, led by the Australian Academy of Science.  

Ronit Prawer has returned to Australia from Boston, United States, where she was Director, Science and Innovation at the British Consulate, in charge of strategic management of the US–UK bilateral science relationships. 

A Fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge, Ms Prawer will lead the five-year Australian Government-funded program aimed at ensuring the unique and underrepresented needs of the Asia-Pacific region are integrated into global scientific dialogue.

In October 2024, the Regional Focal Point supported the successful launch of the Pacific Academy of Sciences and the appointment of 12 eminent Pacific Islands Foundation Fellows in Samoa alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.    

President of the Australian Academy of Science Professor Chennupati Jagadish, and President of the International Science Council Sir Peter Gluckman, welcomed Ms Prawer to the team as the Regional Focal Point takes the critical step towards establishing an Asia Science Mission Program for sustainability in 2025.  

“The region strongly endorses the proposed pathway laid out by the Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability in its call to deploy well-funded and truly transdisciplinary programs and we are working with members of the International Science Council to develop a science mission for our region,” Professor Jagadish said.

“I believe the depth of experience in science diplomacy, strategic program management and policy development that Ms Prawer brings to the Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific at this stage will be invaluable.”    

The ISC is a non-governmental organisation that brings together more than 200 international scientific unions, associations, and national and regional scientific organisations including academies and research councils.

The Asia-Pacific membership of the ISC extends across 26 nations. Australia has hosted the program since 2023, deepening engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, showcasing Australia’s science capabilities and strengthening our position as a collaborative leader in the region.

“We are facing a critical time in history when the depth and breadth of science in the region needs to work together to ensure evidence-based advice is considered in government policy and decision-making in an age of mis- and disinformation,” Sir Peter Gluckman said.

“I congratulate the Australian Academy on this outstanding appointment and look forward to supporting Ms Prawer in leading the Asia-Pacific Focal Point for science.”  

Ms Prawer said she looked forward to working with scientists and scientific organisations in the region to improve outcomes for society’s most intractable challenges. 

“I am honoured to join the International Science Council and the Australian Academy of Science as Director of the Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific,” Ms Prawer said.

“Our region is home to incredible diversity, unique challenges, and exceptional scientific talent. By fostering collaboration across disciplines, borders and communities, we can ensure that science contributes to sustainable solutions that benefit all societies. I look forward to working with scholars, policymakers, and partners to advance evidence-based decision-making and to champion the vital role of science in addressing our most pressing challenges.” 

Ms Prawer hails from Melbourne, Australia, where she achieved first-class honours in genetics and biotechnology. She also holds a degree in English literature and French from the University of Melbourne, and a master’s in law and diplomacy from Tufts University in the United States.

In 2022, Ms Prawer was selected to be a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.  

The Australian Academy of Science thanks Dr Petra Lundgren for her distinguished service to the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific and her many achievements in the role. 

Joint media release: Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and Australian Academy of Science

Teams developing hydrogels for more effective reconstructive surgeries, advancing next-generation solar cell manufacturing, creating novel rare-earth magnets, using artificial intelligence (AI) to help design carbon neutral construction methods and establishing a hydrogen catalysis commercialisation hub are just some of the recipients of $6 million in funding to spur international science and technology collaborations.

Nine exceptional Australian knowledge-makers and innovators in AI, hydrogen, manufacturing and more will be sharing in catalytic grants from the Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund – Strategic Element (GSTDF-SE), announced today by the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science, and delivered by Australia’s two Learned Academies for science and technology.

These grants will allow Australian teams to collaborate with partners in countries including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand on strategic science and tech projects capable of bringing direct benefits to advanced industries.

Recipients include Associate Professor Markus Müllner from the University of Sydney who will be working with researchers and industry in the Republic of Korea to deliver a new type of injectable hydrogel for versatile medical applications, from reconstructive surgery to tissue engineering and drug delivery.

Professor Rose Amal from the University of New South Wales will be collaborating with teams in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to create a research and development hub coordinating global efforts to commercialise solar hydrogen production technology.

This first round of the GSTDF-SE advances science and technology development in Australia and plays a pivotal role in building a thriving innovation ecosystem in our global region.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering CEO Kylie Walker said the fund is filling a critical need in Australian innovation, as demonstrated by the strong demand for grants under the scheme.

“Research and development teams around Australia are vying for the opportunity to work globally on important challenges. Early support from the Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund will super-charge impactful international collaborations and bring new technologies closer to widespread implementation.

“Importantly, this fund is building advanced STEM skills, networks and long-term relationships across Australia and our region. Through global collaboration with key partners on advanced technology, we will highlight and promote regional capability consistent with Australia’s national interest and potential.”

Australian Academy of Science Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia said stimulating international scientific collaboration in areas of national interest enables industrial and economic growth.

“Science and technology exchange plays an increasingly important role in Australia’s diplomatic efforts, particularly in the current geopolitical environment. The Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund is strengthening links between Australian science and technology leaders and regional partners.”

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian Academy of Science collaborate to deliver the grants which are funded by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. These grants leverage the insights and advice of the Academies’ expert Fellowships, and their long history of leading global initiatives that deliver results for Australian science and technology.

Aligned with Australia’s science priorities and running over four years, the Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund is supporting international collaboration with strategically important partner nations to enhance Australia’s capability and profile in science and technology research and its application. Simultaneously helping commercialise cutting-edge products and services and strengthening R&D collaborations, GSTDF-SE provides a foundation for our modern industries of the future to grow and thrive.

List of recipients

• Professor Rose Amal, The University of New South Wales
  • Advancing Sunlight-to-Hydrogen Conversion for a Sustainable Future
  • Partner countries: Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
• Professor Tuan Ngo, The University of Melbourne
  • Building a Sustainable Future Toward Net Zero: A Whole-Life-Cycle Approach to Digital Manufacturing of Carbon-Neutral Modular Panels for Affordable Housing
  • Partner countries: Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam
• Associate Professor Ebinazar Namdas, The University of Queensland
  • Global Hub of Advanced Materials and Integrated Optoelectronics (GH-AMIO)
  • Partner countries: Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Thailand
• Professor Zongyou Yin, The Australian National University
  • Solar Thermal-Plasmonic Seawater Splitting for Hydrogen Production
  • Partner countries: Japan and Singapore
• Professor Simon Ringer, The University of Sydney
  • An Additive Manufacturing Solution to the Critical Minerals Supply Challenges in Rare-Earth Permanent Magnets
  • Partner countries: Japan
• Associate Professor Markus Müllner, The University of Sydney
  • Injectable Hydrogels with Biomimetic Properties
  • Partner countries: Republic of Korea
• Professor Shujuan Huang, Macquarie University
  • Advanced Green Manufacturing and Automation Technology for Next-Generation Solar Cells
  • Partner countries: Republic of Korea
• Associate Professor Rosalie Hocking, Swinburne University of Technology
  • Novel Manufacturing Strategies for Electrolyser Component Manufacture
  • Partner countries: Thailand
• Dr Tom McGoram, The Australian National University
  • Forging the Future of Space Tech: ANU and ZES Partnership for Advancing Radiation Testing
  • Partner countries: Singapore

To find out more about the Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund – Strategic Element, visit the website. 

Dinner table debates are a staple of the season and this year’s Fellows’ reading list offers plenty of food for thought.

Whatever the topic, set the table with an exploration of the empowering but little-taught art of being wrong or the importance of approaching public discussions with an open mind.

Pepper conversations with historical tidbits as you venture back in time to uncover the forces that shaped the present state of the world’s ocean environments and the US Constitution, or treat yourself with richly imagined futures, new and old, that speak to our anxieties.

Whatever your tastes, our Fellows’ book and podcast recommendations will have something for everyone.

See the 2024 Fellows’ reading and listening list

A selection of recommendations

Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error

Kathryn Schulz

Recommended by Professor Kylie Catchpole FAA FTSE

This is a delightful exploration of being wrong (an essential skill for a scientist, but seldom taught). It is empowering to discover that most people have been wrong about many things throughout history; the corollary is that most people probably are still. I almost bought this book some 15 years ago – if I had, I would have enjoyed being wrong for much longer.

Deep Water

James Bradley

Recommended by Professor David Lindenmayer AO FAA

A deeply intellectual foray into the many aspects of the world’s ocean environments with a ‘deep dive’ into topics such as the impacts of shipping and its connections to slavery and European colonisation.

The Forever War

Nick Bryant

Recommended by Emeritus Professor Jeremy Mould FAA

The US constitution was a war document and intentionally anti-democratic. As we know, constitutions are very hard to change if an organised group opposes change.

Also recommended by Professor Robyn Williams AO FAA

Astonishing and explains all.

The Dispossessed

Ursula K. Le Guin

Recommended by Emeritus Professor Barbara Nowak FAA

While this book was published 50 years ago, it still remains highly relevant. It is not just an intriguing science fiction story about two worlds run by two different political systems, but also offers some insights about scientists and their engagements in activism. As a scientist who grew up in a communist system but for most of their life lived in Western democracy, I found this book particularly appealing and interesting.

Juice

Tim Winton

Recommended by Emeritus Professor David Blair FAA

Tim Winton’s first sci-fi novel about climate change, set in the landscape of Ningaloo, Exmouth, Western Australia. If you saw his recent ABC documentary about Ningaloo, this book transports you to that amazing place. Not today, but the apocalyptic world of the 23rd century AD, a lament about the future, blamed on today’s greedy oligarchs.

Also recommended by Professor Michael Kearney FAA

This ‘cli-fi’ saga is not a light read, but an important and engaging one. It was described by the author as: “A novel about a bloke in a hole telling stories while he still can.” Winton has thought deeply about how the future could look if we fail to get our act together now and he has built a thoughtful thriller around this bleak scenario. I found myself reaching for the dictionary quite often with this one!

Also recommended by Professor Fiona Stanley AC FAA FAHMS(Hon) FASSA

This book by outstanding WA author Winton is essential reading for any of us concerned about climate change. Known for his environmental activism, this book is set vaguely near the Ningaloo coast; it describes a very scary future in a country destroyed by the fossil fuel companies. The social, environmental and climate circumstances described dictate how our ‘hero’ lives and tries to survive.

Also recommended by Professor Barry Jones AC FAA FTSE FAHA FASSA

‘Juice’ is a long (513 pages), complex, but beautifully written, dystopian novel, set in Western Australia
perhaps two centuries hence, when climate has changed how people live, working outside is almost
impossible and there is a significant return to Plato’s cave. But it is not all depressive and Winton emphasises
survival techniques, adaptability and finding values. ‘Juice’, by the way, is both oil and human energy. 

Previous recommendations

Want to know what else might be on the menu? See what our Fellows recommended in:

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016

Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA RSEng FTSE

News that the government has fired the starting gun on its review into how Australia can strengthen its research and development (R&D) system could not have come soon enough.

For years, Australia’s R&D system has been groaning under the weight of 14 government portfolios and 151 programs that, whilst well-intentioned, overlap and struggle to support our scientists, entrepreneurs and companies to create jobs or build economic resilience at the scale the country desperately needs.

The consequence of this lack of coordination across portfolios and across sectors is plain to see. Australian inventions are commercialised offshore, incentives for business and philanthropy to invest in Australian R&D are insufficient or non-existent, we stood at the back of the supply chain queue during the pandemic, and we no longer adequately nurture the creative spirit that is essential to discovery and that is the essential precursor to commercialisation.

As a nation, we are falling behind the pack in our investment in R&D. In fact, we have gone from being about average amongst OECD countries for overall investment in R&D to hurtling towards the bottom of the pack with no prospect of halting that decline, let alone reversing it.

While rumblings of a global recession become louder, and Australia’s growth in GDP slows to a crawl, there has never been a more important time to use the R&D lever to kick-start productivity growth, to diversify our economy, and set the nation on a path driven by Australian smarts.

We desperately need to create the conditions to bring to bear the full power of the research and development to meet our national ambitions, secure our borders and assure our global competitiveness. 

Economists have long recognised that a nation’s human capital — its stock of educated people and its ideas — are central to building the complexity and prosperity of our country and providing for the wellbeing and security of our citizens.

We can no longer afford duplication, nor can we let a workforce that is skilled and able to meet national ambitions languish as they compete for a diminishing pool of funds and operate in a system that is fragmented, lacking in strategy and drowning in bureaucracy.

We live in a region with escalating geopolitical tensions, in a moment of unprecedented global competitiveness and in a world less open to knowledge exchange than before. 

The Australian future depends on its R&D enterprise because it can no longer rely on importing knowledge, technologies and a foreign trained workforce.

The strategic examination of R&D must deliver a roadmap that clearly shows us the structures, systems, incentives and connections we need to bring to bear the full power of R&D to power our nation.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to look collectively at the future we want and need for Australia and to prepare for it now.

The examination must be brave. It must be radical. And it must create an R&D enterprise fit for today’s needs.

Importantly, we must get this right because: businesses ready to grow and innovate rely on it; an economy vulnerable to shocks needs diversification; we need to decarbonise our economy faster before the impacts of climate change cripple us entirely; we have no choice but to accelerate the Defence technology critical to protect our borders; and because we need to get in front of technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum technology before they get in front of us.

In today’s world, creating an R&D system that is efficient, coherent and strategic is not optional.

It is necessary and it can’t come soon enough, because the more volatile the world becomes, the more we need home-grown R&D.

There is no economic prosperity for Australia without getting the R&D system right.

This opinion piece was first published on 3 December in Examine, a weekly newsletter by science reporter Liam Mannix, owned by the Sydney Morning Herald. 

Read the Academy’s media release on the strategic examination of the R&D system