Professor Naomi J Halas of Rice University in the US has been awarded the Australian Academy of Science’s 2024 Geoffrey Frew Fellowship.

Professor Halas is a pioneering researcher in the fields of nanophotonics and plasmonics.

She is renowned for her work demonstrating how the nanoscale internal and external morphology of noble metal nanoparticles controls their optical properties.

Her groundbreaking research merged chemical nanofabrication with optics, leading to the establishment of the field of plasmonics.

At Rice University, Professor Halas holds the titles of University Professor and Stanley C Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Her research extends to a broad range of applications, including biomedicine, optoelectronics, chemical sensing, photocatalysis and solar water treatment.

She also leads fundamental studies in light–nanoparticle interactions, making significant contributions to advancing both scientific understanding and practical innovations in her field.

Professor Halas is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

She has been recognised internationally with memberships in the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK.

As part of her fellowship, Professor Halas will be speaking at the 25th Congress of the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) in Melbourne, which runs from 2 to 5 December 2024.

The congress is co-locating with the 17th International Conference on Near-field Optics, Nanophotonics, and Related Techniques (NFO-17), the 2024 Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics (ANZCOP), and the 2024 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices (COMMAD).

About the Geoffrey Frew Fellowship

The Geoffrey Frew Fellowship was established in 1970 through a generous personal donation from Mr GSV Frew, Chair of Varian Techtron Pty Ltd. Fellowships are awarded to distinguished overseas scientists to participate in the biannual Australian Spectroscopy Conferences and to visit scientific centres across Australia.

The Australian and New Zealand Optical Society generously matches the Academy’s funding support for this fellowship.

Find out more about the Geoffrey Frew Fellowship.

When the Pacific Academy of Sciences was launched in Apia, Samoa on 23 October, an important part of the ceremony was the admission of the Academy’s 12 Foundation Fellows.

Each Fellow signed their name in a hand-crafted signature book—a gift from the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society Te Apārangi—to continue a long-held tradition among learned academies across the globe.

As with the Australian Academy of Science’s own charter book, which was a gift from the Royal Society in 1954 and today contains the signature of every Fellow elected to the Academy, the Pacific Academy of Sciences’ signature book will record the signatures of their elected Fellows and become a historical record.

All components of the gift were carefully selected to ensure quality and longevity in humid Pacific conditions, a process greatly guided by the expertise of bookbinder Phil Ridgeway of OrtBindery – Melbourne School of Bookbinding, and Australian Academy of Science Archivist Bethany Holland and Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia.

The book’s beautiful workmanship includes many hand-executed details, including the hand-polished blue goatskin leather to reflect the colour of the ocean, secured using a Bradel binding and French link stitch; the silk headbands at the top and tail of the book’s spine handsewn by Phil; and a diamond and circle pattern hand-tooled onto the cover to signify continuity in tradition and knowledge.

Inside the volume, the calligraphy on the dedication and title pages was by Zinnia Cheng of Zizi Calligraphy; the pattern decorating the endpapers was designed and handmade to mimic sunlight reflecting on the Pacific Ocean; and the shifting blue hues colouring the page edges were carefully tailored to match the colour of the cover.

Like the Australian charter book, the Pacific Academy gift also included a protective box which will help provide a stable and relatively airtight enclosure for the book.

The Pacific Academy of Sciences also received a presentation pen from the International Science Council to mark its establishment.

The Monteverde pen, made of mother of pearl, was used by the Founding Fellows to sign their names and will be used in coming years to fill the book’s pages with the names of other eminent scientists.

The pen’s matching blue leather case was also created by Phil.

All involved in the project feel privileged to have contributed to the production of such an important founding document for the Pacific Academy of Sciences and its Fellows.

The Pacific Islands is the only region in the world that does not have its own learned academy and a local collective voice for science, despite the region experiencing profound impacts due to climate change.

That changes from today, thanks to the launch of the Pacific Academy of Sciences and the election of 12 eminent scholars as Foundation Fellows, who will provide a strong voice for science in the region.

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the establishment of the new academy, which was launched today alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa.

The new academy will promote the study and application of the natural and social sciences, the humanities, Indigenous Knowledge and technology for the benefit of the Pacific Islands region and beyond.

Australian Academy of Science President Professor Chennupati Jagadish said the Australian Academy was proud to have played a role in the establishment of the new Pacific Academy through its leadership of the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, along with other partners.

“Until now, there has been no mechanism for Pacific scholars to convene and bring together their knowledge so it can inform regional and international decision-making, despite the region experiencing profound impacts arising from a changing climate,” Professor Jagadish said.

“More often than not, decisions are made by others about them, not with them, even though local scientists and Indigenous communities possess unique knowledge about their respective regions and inhabitants. That changes from today.”

Foundation Fellow and newly appointed Pacific Academy of Sciences President, Professor Teatulohi Matainaho from Papua New Guinea, highlighted the opportunities the academy would create for young scientists in the region.

“The Pacific Academy of Sciences will support our young people with their career development in the Pacific for the Pacific by providing mentors and building collegiality with peers regionally and globally,” Professor Matainaho said.

“The Pacific Academy of Sciences offers exciting possibilities to connect scholars from across the globe who share a common goal, that is: addressing global challenges through evidence-based science and actionable knowledge.”

The admission ceremony of the Pacific Academy of Sciences Foundation Fellows. #PacificScience pic.twitter.com/HpHuAGyn12

— International Science Council Asia Pacific region (@ISCAsiaPacific) October 23, 2024

The Pacific Academy has been established as a charitable trust to be based in Apia, Samoa.

The first meeting of the Governing Council (Trustees and Foundation Fellows) is set to be held after the launch.

Pacific Academy of Sciences Foundation Fellows

(from left to right in this image)

Professor Palatasa Havea FPAS MNZM
Dean Pacific, Massey University

Professor Patila Amosa FPAS
Vice Chancellor and President, National University of Samoa

Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva FPAS FRSNZ
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Pacific, University of Canterbury

Professor Teatulohi Matainaho FPAS
Vice Chancellor, Pacific Adventist University (PNG)
President, Pacific Academy of Sciences

Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau FPAS
Pro-Vice Chancellor Pacific, University of Auckland

Professor Macquin Maino FPAS
Head of School of Agriculture, Papua New Guinea University of Technology

Professor Ioana Tuugalei Chan Mow FPAS
Professor Computing and Computer education, National University of Samoa

Dr Bwarenaba Kautu FPAS AKK
Independent consultant and scientist, Kiribati

Professor Jodie Hunter FPAS
Professor of Mathematics Education, Massey University

Professor Transform Aqorau FPAS
Vice Chancellor, Solomon Islands National University

Professor Jito Vanualailai FPAS
Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Vice-President (Education), University of the South Pacific

Professor Maretta Kula-Semos FPAS
Professor of Humanities, Director of Higher Degrees, Divine Word University, Madang, Papua New Guinea

Sir Peter Gluckman FPAS (hon) ONZ KNZM FRSNZ FMedSci FISC FRS
President, International Science Council
Sir Peter is acknowledged as an Honorary Fellow for his vision and initiative which led to the official launch of the Academy

About the Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific

The International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (ISC RFP-AP) is funded by the Australian Government and hosted by the Australian Academy of Science. The five-year program (2023–28) is working to ensure that regional needs and priorities are adequately represented in the International Science Council’s global agenda, that regional voices are actively engaged in the governance and management of the ISC's work, and that the region benefits from the results of that work.

Academy Fellow Professor Matthew Bailes has been awarded the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for his world-first discovery of fast radio bursts (FRBs).

In 2007, Professor Bailes was part of a team that identified the ‘Lorimer Burst’, the first example of FRBs. The discovery is now helping to determine how much normal matter exists in the universe.

The prize, awarded by the Prime Minister at a ceremony at the Great Hall of Parliament House last night, also recognises Professor Bailes’s leadership of Australian astronomy research centres.

“All the Prime Minister’s Prize recipients are exceptional, and I congratulate them all,” Academy President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish, told the audience at a breakfast to honour the group.

“But I pause to offer a few words about Professor Matthew Bailes because of a very moving experience I had at his laboratory earlier this year,” Professor Jagadish said.

“Matthew shared with me what was so obviously a point of much pride, his work to communicate astrophysics to young people: to inspire them, to nurture the next generation of scientists.

“For me, Matthew is as much a scientist as he is teacher and mentor. The trio is a powerful combination.”

Professor Bailes was elected to the Academy in 2022.

Academy Fellow Professor Andrew Wilks is the joint recipient of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation alongside his colleague Dr Christopher Burns.

They are recognised for inventing and commercialising a drug called momelotinib that is used to treat myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer.

“Our work is very much a team sport,” Professor Wilks said.

“It is a great privilege to have been part of this collaboration to discover these important intracellular JAK enzymes and help invent momelotinib.”

Professor Wilks was elected to the Academy in 2023.

Academy Fellows have featured in the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science each year since the awards’ inception in 2000.

Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma is the recipient of the 2024 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year.

Professor Ma is recognised for his groundbreaking work in renewable energy, which could support Australia in its clean energy transition and the path to net zero.

In 2023 he received the Academy’s Le Fèvre Medal and was also Australia’s nominee for the 2023 ASPIRE Prize.

Professor Jagadish also acknowledged recipients of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools, Daniel Edwards, and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools, Alice Leung.

“We owe you a debt of gratitude. Teachers change lives and do more than deliver education,” Professor Jagadish said.

“They are the early role models for our scientists and innovators, and I wish to personally thank every one of them.”

The 2024 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science winners are listed here. 

The Australian Academy of Science has welcomed recognition of the need for greater coordination across the national science system articulated in Australia’s Defence Innovation, Science and Technology Strategy.

The Strategy was launched this week by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.

It outlines mechanisms for collaboration and coordination to grow Australia’s science system and accelerate innovation into capability—through strategic partnerships, programs like STaR Shot 2.0 and a proposal to establish Defence Research Centres co-designed with universities.

Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish said scientific capability and investment in research and development (R&D) enables Australia’s national security, sovereignty and diplomacy—securing our nation’s economy and wellbeing in a complex, uncertain world.

“The Strategy’s focus on the broader Defence innovation, science and technology ecosystem and how crucial collaboration across the sector will be in delivering these ambitions is important,” Professor Jagadish said.

“The priorities articulated in the Strategy send an important signal to the research sector on opportunities for coordination and collaboration, notably in the AUKUS Pillar II advanced capabilities areas.”

Professor Jagadish said the creation of the Defence Research Centres is a step in the right direction for providing a secure environment to enable Defence science research. 

“The principle of the Defence Research Centres to explore potential dual-use outcomes is also an important opportunity to deliver additional benefits to Australians,” Professor Jagadish said.

“The proposed centres represent a change in our research architecture and system and so the Australian Government must consider the resource implications of implementing such changes for the sector.

“The Academy stands ready to assist in the implementation of this strategy and looks forward to seeing how it may be able to build further capability in the sector.”

In a gathering of its Fellows, and early- and mid- career researchers from across the nation and the Asia-Pacific region, the Australian Academy of Science has launched its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations at Science at the Shine Dome 2024.

The Academy’s new Innovate RAP outlines practical steps to respect and celebrate Traditional Knowledges of Australia’s First Nations Peoples to build a stronger, more innovative, and sustainable nation and world.

President of the Academy Professor Chennupati Jagadish said the Innovate RAP is a significant milestone for the Academy, coming after the successful completion of commitments in the Academy’s Reflect RAP.

“Securing our nation’s future economic and social prosperity will be driven by embracing skills, knowledges and experiences from a diverse range of people,” Professor Jagadish said.

“Our work will recognise Traditional Knowledges in Australia’s scientific and technological knowledge systems.

“I thank all those who developed this Reconciliation Action Plan, including the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group, Academy Council, Fellows and staff.”

Academy Chief Executive, Anna-Maria Arabia said the Academy recognises the process of reconciliation is continuous and seeks to overcome challenges and learn from mistakes of the past.

“Through our efforts to progress reconciliation and adopt better practices, we aim to model and encourage diversity and inclusion throughout Australia’s science sector.”

Launch of the Innovate RAP

The Academy’s Innovate RAP was launched during the afternoon session of Science at the Shine Dome on 10 September, where Indigenous researchers from the RAP Working Group and the Academy’s EMCR Forum discussed reconciliation actions in the STEM sector.

Academy Fellow Professor John Patrick introduced panel members Michelle Hobbs, Dr Jordan Pitt and Professor Bradley Moggridge.

“Reconciliation is everyone’s business,” Professor Patrick said.

Bidjara descendant Ms Hobbs from Griffith University, joint recipient of the 2023 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award, spoke about connecting to Country while conducting research.

She said we can move forward by working with communities and co-designing research projects.

“When you give communities the opportunity to weigh-in to aims and outcomes [of research] you’re giving them direct involvement and agency in being involved and for there to be tangible benefits to the community as well,” Ms Hobbs said.

Birri Gubba man Dr Jordan Pitt from the University of Sydney said when it comes to Indigenous Knowleges, it is not about finding a needle in the haystack, but rather the whole haystack is important.

“What you might think is important in your scientific research might not be what community thinks is important, which is something to be aware of when trying to engage [with community].”

Kamilaroi water scientist Professor Bradley Moggridge from the University of Technology Sydney, who is a member of the Academy’s RAP working group, said there have been improvements in the Academy’s reconciliation actions since the launch of the Reflect RAP, including courage in the conversations and leading by example.

Professor Moggridge made several recommendations beyond those in the Innovate RAP, including increasing the number of Indigenous Fellows in the Academy, and enabling Indigenous scholars to lead projects through the Academy.

“I would also love to see an Indigenous Knowledges National Committee at the Academy,” Professor Moggridge concluded.

Academy Fellow Professor Geordie Williamson FAA FRS has become the first Australian to receive the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award, for his use of algorithms in mathematics.

Since 2018, this joint research award, endowed with €1.5 million (A$2.4 million) from the Max Planck Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, has recognised researchers outside Germany “who stand out for their promising future potential and innovative research project”.

Professor Williamson, who is Director of the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute, uses artificial intelligence (AI) for his fundamental work in mathematics. He is a leader in the branch of mathematics exploring higher dimensional space using linear algebra, known as representation theory.

As part of the collaboration with researchers from the University of Bonn and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, made possible by this award, Professor Williamson will tackle various mathematical problems with the help of artificial intelligence.

This includes investigating a problem in knot theory: the fact it is often impossible to recognise whether knotted structures are actually knotted. This leads to the question: does the knot remain intact when you pull on the ends of the cord, or does it unravel?

One aim of the project is to identify these cases in a simple way so that uninteresting cases can be quickly filtered out and the researchers can focus on the real knots.

When elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2018 for his outstanding contributions to science, Professor Williamson became the Academy’s youngest living Fellow.

At the time of his election, Professor Williamson said he had been invited to work at the Max Planck Institute in Bonn and the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in New Jersey—but preferred to stay in Australia to work.

The award will be presented on 3 December in Berlin.

An earlier iteration of this award was received by Academy Fellows Professor Bruce Kemp in 2000 and Professor Colin Masters in 1991.

The Australian Academy of Science looks forward to congratulating the recipients of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

The recipients are being announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Industry and Science at Parliament House on Tuesday 8 October 2024.

More about the official prizes event can be found at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

Celebrate online with the Academy

In a long-standing tradition, the following morning, the Academy is hosting a breakfast in honour of the recipients of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. This event will recognise the 2024 recipients, as well as the teachers awarded Highly Commended in the teaching categories.

You are invited to watch the livestream of the formalities on this web page.

Event details

Date: Wednesday 9 October
Time: 8.15am–9.00am AEDT
Venue: Online livestream 
Cost: Free 

This event is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources through the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

The Australian Government’s announcement to introduce legislation to counter misinformation and disinformation supports longstanding concerns expressed by the Australian Academy of Science.

The Academy's President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish, told an audience of over of 400 guests at the organisations 70^th anniversary gala dinner this week that we live in a time when geopolitical tensions are escalating and in a world of information ubiquity.

“Where evidence-based information is drowned out by mis- and disinformation, and reliable and independent sources of knowledge are increasingly rare,” Professor Jagadish said.

“The more polarised the world becomes, the more we need science and evidence based on science. We make better decisions when we have science on our side.

“The more uncertain our times, the more we need robust, evidence-based institutions. The more volatile the world, the more we need science to guide our actions.”

Read the President’s full gala dinner speech.

Misinformation and disinformation are seen by many experts as the leading global risk of the next two years.

Among the guests at the Academy’s gala dinner were Australia’s Governor-General, Her Excellency the Hon Sam Mostyn AC and federal politicians including the Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic MP and the Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts, Paul Fletcher MP.

We have also heard from keynote speaker the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science (@industrygovau) and the Hon Paul Fletcher, Shadow Minister for Science and Arts (@PaulFletcherMP). #ShineDome24 pic.twitter.com/1D2CRI3bWw

— Australian Academy of Science (@Science_Academy) September 11, 2024

Minister Husic told the audience that in a world where mis- and disinformation is rising, people understand and trust in Australian science.

“And they are right to. It’s something we’ve all got to work together to nurture,” Minister Husic said.

Dr Jacob Martin is the winner of the ninth Falling Walls Lab Australia event, recently hosted by the Australian Academy of Science.

Dr Martin spoke about ‘breaking the wall’ of green graphite. He is a lecturer in physics and astronomy at Curtin University and his research focuses on carbon materials science for energy storage materials and decarbonisation.

Second place was awarded to Dr Natasha de Alwis, a postdoctoral researcher in the Therapeutics Discovery and Vascular Function Group at the University of Melbourne. Dr de Alwis spoke about therapies in pregnancy, presenting her research on developing novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat pregnancy complications, particularly preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.

Third place was awarded to Pratyush Ravichander, a third-year PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, who spoke about ‘breaking the wall’ of RNA-based fungicides. Mr Ravichander is passionate about sustainable agriculture and building global food security.

The three winners were selected from 16 emerging innovators, winners of the state labs held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Each participant had just three minutes to make their pitch in front of a jury of eminent academics and leaders, chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley.

Falling Walls Lab Australia is organised by the Australian Academy of Science in association with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Australia, and with the support of event partners Merck Group and EURAXESS Worldwide Australia and New Zealand.

Winners to represent Australia in Berlin

The three winners will represent Australia in Berlin on 7 November, among 97 other finalists selected from Falling Walls Labs across the globe.

The Falling Walls Science Summit is an annual conference that fosters discussion on research and innovation and promotes the latest scientific findings among a broad audience from all parts of society. The Lab is an international forum for the next generation of outstanding innovators and creative thinkers.

Find out more about the international Falling Walls Lab

Watch the Falling Walls Lab Australia finale