• Professor Glenda Halliday AC FAA FAHMS
• Professor David Craik AO FAA FRS
• Professor Marcela Bilek AM FAA
• Professor Maria Forsyth AM FAA FTSE
• Emeritus Professor Peter Langridge AM FAA FTSE
• Emeritus Professor Robyn Owens AM FAA FTSE

Six Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to science by receiving an Order of Australia in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours List.

Professor Glenda Halliday AC FAA FAHMS was awarded a prestigious Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), for “eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large”.

Professor Halliday—an Academy Fellow since 2021—is internationally acclaimed for her research on neurodegeneration, advancing our understanding of disease progression, and her promotion of neuroscience, mentorship and contributions to research evaluation.

She is Co-Chair and Scientific Lead of the Australian Parkinson's Mission and the Garvan Institute, and a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sydney. She has been the chief investigator on seven National Health and Medical Research Council grants since Scientific Program Committee of the National Institute for Dementia Research in 2018.

Her many accolades include the New South Wales Scientist of the Year award in 2022, the Robert A Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research by the Michael J Fox Foundation in 2021, and the Nina Kondelos Prize by the Australian Neuroscience Society in 2011.

She received the AC “for eminent service to medical research in the field of neurodegenerative disorders, including the development of revised diagnostic criteria for Parkinson’s disease, and as a mentor”.

Professor David Craik AO FAA FRS was awarded an Officer of the Order (AO) for “distinguished service to science in the field of biological and medicinal chemistry, to tertiary education, and as a mentor”.

Elected to the Academy in 2013, Professor Craik is a biological chemist who has made important discoveries in structural biology, particularly in peptide toxins.

He discovered the cyclotide family of circular knotted proteins and, more generally, is a pioneer in the field of circular proteins.

In 2023, Professor Craik received the prestigious David Craig Medal and Lecture from the Australian Academy of Science for his research.

Additionally, four Academy Fellows were awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM), “for service in a particular locality or field of activity, or to a particular group”.

These Fellows include Professor Marcela Bilek AM FAA, Professor Maria Forsyth AM FAA FTSE, Emeritus Professor Peter Langridge AM FAA FTSE, and Emeritus Professor Robyn Owens AM FAA FTSE.

Professor Bilek has been recognised for “significant service to physics and biomedical engineering”.

Elected to the Academy in 2022, Professor Bilek is internationally known for contributions to the science and technology of plasma processes for surface engineering of materials.

Her work has enabled new capabilities in a range of settings, including magnetic storage devices; solid fuel plasma thrusters; implantable biomedical devices; in-vitro cell culture systems; diagnostics; stem cell and gene therapy; and nanomedicine.

In an interview with the Academy, Professor Bilek described discovery as a particularly exciting aspect of her career.

“The fact that we are doing work that we don’t necessarily know the answer to. It is never repetitive—well, except for the admin tasks, but we cope with that,” she said.

It is exciting to be working towards finding out the answers to how things work.

An Academy Fellow since 2015, Professor Forsyth has been recognised for “significant service to chemistry education, research and scholarship”.

Professor Forsyth is a world leader in developing advanced materials for a range of energy and infrastructure technologies.

Her group discovered a large new family of organic ionic ‘plastic’ materials that are being used in advanced energy storage technologies.

Professor Forsyth also developed significant understanding of charge transport at the interfaces between metals and electrolytes, and within other novel electrolyte materials. This has prompted the design of new materials for fuel cells, battery designs and technologies to prevent corrosion.

At the time of her election to the Academy, Professor Forsyth said she was looking forward to promoting women in science and science in schools through her Fellowship.

Academy Fellow Emeritus Professor Langridge is an eminent leader in the development and implementation of cereal breeding technologies, within Australia and internationally.

He initiated the application of molecular marker technology in large cereal and legume breeding programs in South Australia. These technologies were ultimately adopted by all major cereal breeding programs in Australia.

At the same time, he trained many postgraduate students in emerging breeding technologies.

Emeritus Professor Langridge also pioneered the introduction of plant functional genomics in Australia into crop improvement programs and was a member of a core group that initiated the international barley genome sequencing program.

He has received an AM for “significant service to science in the field of plant genomics and agriculture”.

Emeritus Professor Owens was recognised for “significant service to science in the fields of computer vision and mathematics”.

Elected to the Academy in 2020, Emeritus Professor Owens has an exceptional research track record in computational vision science, having developed fundamental theory in feature detection and object recognition, and applying these theories across many disciplines—from biomedical science through to facial recognition.

Her pioneering work has been acknowledged with the prestigious UK Rank Prize in 2010 in Nutrition and Optoelectronics.

Professor Owens has a sustained track record in research training and research policy development in the Australian higher education sector, including several national collaborative research infrastructure capabilities, and in promoting women in science and STEM education.

About the awards

The Order of Australia recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement.

Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia. If you know someone worthy, nominate them now.

The announcement that the Academy will lead the International Science Council Asia Pacific Regional Focal Point was one of the many achievements highlighted in the Academy’s 2022 annual report, released today.

Other international highlights were the launch of the STEM Women Global web platform to enable women working in STEM fields around the world to raise their profile, and the announcement of $800,000 assistance for Ukrainian scientists in partnership with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.

Closer to home, achievements included the publication of a 10-year strategic plant for Australian space science, the development of independent scientific advice to assist decision-makers, and the creation of a new award to foster integrity in science.

The Academy’s focus on climate change continued, with the launch of a National Strategy for Just Adaptation, hosting a national roundtable to explore how we can remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere at scale, and publishing a report on what could be done to support the world’s most precious heritage assets, like the Great Barrier Reef, in the face of climate change.

To champion scientific excellence, the Academy welcomed 22 new Fellows, for the first time electing the same number of women and men and the first Fellow identifying as an Aboriginal person. The Academy also:

• recognised 20 leading scientists with honorific awards, and announced support for scientists with grants, fellowships and conference funding
• helped early-career researchers take part in international events
• participated in NAIDOC Week, and supported the research of five scientists through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award.

Engaging with a broad audience remained a high priority, with science celebrated at the Academy’s flagship event, Science at the Shine Dome, and through many other events and public outreach activities across the year. The Academy’s widely used education programs continued to provide support for teachers of science and mathematics.

“Emerging from lockdowns … the Academy’s activity and influence grew with a renewed sense of purpose. Attention shifted to the many continuing challenges for which science can provide solutions and on which the Academy can have impact,” Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish said in his introduction to the report.

Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia said the annual report demonstrates how the Academy “continued in our mission to have science heard wherever decisions are made. This year saw significant advances in terms of science informing decisions in the parliament, the justice system, the classroom, and across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Academy continued in our mission to have science heard wherever decisions are made. 

“We welcome the constructive relationship we have with the government, enabling many Fellows to share their expertise directly with decision-makers,” she said.

Both recognised the critical contribution of Academy Fellows to science, and the support of many donors and partners who are vital for the independent work of the Academy.

“As we look towards the future, the important role and mission of the Academy is clearer than ever,” Professor Jagadish said.

Read more about the Academy’s achievements in the 2022 Annual Report.

Using climate clues stored in mangroves to better understand our history of droughts and flooding rains, and how storms reduce the ability of kelp forests to fight ocean acidification—these are the outcomes of two projects awarded funding in 2020 through the Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology.

The grant of up to $20,000 is awarded annually and funded through a generous philanthropic bequest from the estate of the late Thomas Lewis Davies to the Australian Academy of Science.

Associate Professor Danielle Verdon-Kidd

One recipient, the University of Newcastle’s Associate Professor Danielle Verdon-Kidd, set out to improve our ability to quantify the future risk of extreme droughts and floods in New South Wales by tapping into new sources of pre-instrumental climate information.

Using cutting-edge dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) techniques in grey mangroves, Associate Professor Verdon-Kidd’s team found the oxygen isotopes in the trees’ growth layers could be used as a reliable hydroclimate proxy. They could measure the proportions of freshwater and seawater the trees were exposed to throughout their lifespans, providing important clues on rainfall.

Since several trees dated back to the mid-1700s and one was found to be 500 years old, this approach allowed Associate Professor Verdon-Kidd to collect data over several centuries—further back than existing instrumental records.

“The longest gauged rainfall record for the surrounding region extends back to 1862, so core samples from these trees show potential for significantly extending the local instrumental hydroclimate record for the lower Hunter wetlands,” Associate Professor Verdon-Kidd said.

“Importantly, the samples cover a period of documented—but not yet quantified—climate extremes, including Sturt’s Drought [1809–30], which caused the Darling River to cease flowing.”

The grant helped to fund the fieldwork, travel, lab analysis and associated conference presentations for herself and PhD student Matthew Goodwin, who has also worked closely on the project.

Associate Professor Verdon-Kidd said the grant had helped set her career on a new and exciting trajectory over the last few years.

“This award has provided me with an opportunity to extend my climate extremes research into paleoclimate data development using novel—overlooked until now—tree species,” she said.

“I believe this award has contributed to my recent success in an ARC Discovery grant on reconstructing climate extremes across the Pacific using stalagmites, and my promotion to Associate Professor in January 2023.”

Due to COVID-related delays, the lab analysis is still underway, but Associate Professor Verdon-Kidd said they were on track to develop the first high-resolution hydroclimate reconstruction for coastal NSW this year, which she hoped to publish in a scientific journal.

Dr Beth Strain

The other award recipient, Dr Elisabeth (Beth) Strain, moved to the University of Tasmania shortly after being awarded the funding in November 2019 but also had to navigate significant delays to fieldwork due to the pandemic and unseasonably rough weather that limited diving trips in 2021 and 2022.

Despite the setbacks, after studying the changes in wave height, pH and dissolved oxygen in the seawater of kelp forests and barren habitat, her work has shown that kelp forests’ abilities to combat ocean acidification are hindered by decreases in kelp density and increases in wave height.

“Field measurements demonstrated that natural kelp forests had higher values of seawater pH and dissolved oxygen during the afternoon than barren habitat, but the differences were only significant when conditions were calmer,” Dr Strain said.

The research will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the role of natural kelp forests in modifying seawater chemistry, Dr Strain said.

“This suggests the benefits of kelp forests in providing local climate refuges to calcified species from ocean acidification are variable through time and could be dampened by the increased wave exposure and storminess associated with climate change,” she said.

Dr Strain said the award allowed her to purchase equipment for her research, build her scientific profile, and develop an ongoing international collaboration with a US-based researcher who has significant expertise in her field.

Dr Strain presented at two international symposia in early 2023 and has a paper currently under review with a scientific journal. She was also invited to collaborate on a large kelp forest restoration project in Tasmania funded by the Sea Forest Foundation.

About this grant

Applications for the 2024 Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology are now open, along with other funding opportunities.

The 2023 recipients of the grant are seeking to understand the drivers of wheat responses to warm nights, looking at the impact of artificial night-time light on reefs, and more.

An engineer, a microbiologist and an ecologist are among 20 researchers recognised for their outstanding contributions to science by being elected Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science.

The new Fellows include engineer Professor Zaiping Guo, who is designing the next generation of batteries.

She has made pioneering contributions to our understanding of how electrode materials and electrolytes behave, leading to the development of more powerful, longer lasting and safer rechargeable batteries for portable devices, electric vehicles and smart grids.

Ecologist and Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh has shown how the loss of microbial diversity in soils can reduce the functioning of ecosystems.

His research has been translated into products and guidelines to improve soil health and led to changes in farm management practices in the agriculture sector. Professor Singh has also conducted global studies that have demonstrated the central role of soil microbes in predicting, mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Antimicrobial pharmacologist Professor Jian Li’s research delivered a novel antibiotic to combat life-threatening superbugs. His research has also led to the first scientifically based dosing guidelines for ‘last defence’ polymyxin antibiotics and improved global clinical practice around treating deadly bacterial infections.

They are joined by 17 other outstanding researchers from across the breadth of Australian science, including experts in neuroscience, infectious diseases and plant biology.

President of the Australian Academy of Science Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC congratulated the new Fellows on their contributions to science.

“Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for ground-breaking research and contributions that have had clear impact,” Professor Jagadish said.

“There is no greater professional honour than being recognised by your own peers and the leaders within your own field of research for your achievements.

Fellows … are elected by their peers for ground-breaking research and contributions that have had clear impact.

“This year’s new Fellows come from countries including Germany, China, India and Italy and all now call Australia home.”

The Academy’s new Fellows for 2023 are:

• Professor Timothy Brodribb FAA, Plant Evolutionary Physiologist, University of Tasmania
• Professor Liming Dai FAA, Materials Scientist, UNSW Sydney
• Professor Mariapia Degli-Esposti FAA FAHMS, Immunologist, Monash University
• Professor Michael Fuhrer FAA, Materials Physicist, Monash University
• Professor Zaiping Guo FAA, Materials Scientist, University of Adelaide
• Professor Elaine Holmes FAA, Computational Biologist, Murdoch University
• Professor David Keith FAA, Ecologist and Conservation Biologist, UNSW Sydney
• Professor David Komander FAA, Biochemist and Structural Biologist, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
• Professor Sharon Lewin AO FAA FAHMS, Infectious Diseases Physician and Virologist, University of Melbourne
• Professor Jian Li FAA, Antimicrobial Pharmacologist, Monash University
• Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn FAA, Ecologist, Western Sydney University
• Professor Louis-Noël Moresi FAA, Computational Geophysicist, Australian National University
• Professor Richard James Payne FAA, Chemical Biologist, University of Sydney
• Professor Shizhang Qiao FAA, Materials Scientist, University of Adelaide
• Professor Pankaj Sah FAA FAHMS Neuroscientist, Queensland Brain Institute
• Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh FAA, Soil Ecologist, Western Sydney University
• Professor Peter Taylor FAA, Applied Mathematician, University of Melbourne
• Professor Leslie Weston FAA, Plant Biologist and Biochemist, Charles Sturt University
• Professor Andrew Wilks FAA FTSE FAHMS, Molecular Biologist, SYNthesis Group
• Distinguished Professor Xinghuo Yu FAA, Electrical Engineer, RMIT University

Corresponding Members

The Academy is also admitting two Corresponding Members for 2023:

• Professor Gareth H McKinley FAA FRS, Mechanical Engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
• Professor Linfa Wang FAA FTSE, Virologist, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

Corresponding Membership is a special category within the Fellowship, comprising eminent international scientists with strong ties to Australia who have made outstanding contributions to science.

There are currently 36 Corresponding Members of the Academy including Sir David Attenborough, Professor Elizabeth Blackburn and Sir Fraser Stoddard.

More information

Following the 2023 election of our new Fellows, the Fellowship now stands at 601 Fellows.

The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London, with the distinguished physicist Sir Mark Oliphant as founding President. The Academy will celebrate its 70^th anniversary in 2024.

Find out more about criteria for ordinary and special election to the Academy and how to nominate a scientist for Fellowship.

Academy Fellow and polymer chemist Dr Graeme Moad is one of two Australian scientists elected this year to the Royal Society, the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

Dr Moad and Murdoch University’s Dr Rajeev Varshney are two of the 80 outstanding researchers, innovators and communicators from around the world who have been recognised in 2023 for their substantial contributions to the advancement of science.

Dr Moad, who is based at CSIRO, was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2012 and awarded the David Craig Medal and Lecture in 2020.

He is a world leader in polymer chemistry, where he has made pioneering contributions to the fields of polymer design and synthesis, polymerisation kinetics and mechanism, and polymer nanocomposites.

Dr Moad’s research on novel synthetic methods for the controlled synthesis of polymers has contributed to new materials for industrial uses, nanotechnology, organic electronics and bio-applications.

President of the Australian Academy of Science Professor Chennupati Jagadish said the honours were well deserved.

“We at the Australian Academy of Science are all delighted to hear the news of the election of two Australian scientists to the Royal Society,” Professor Jagadish said.

“Dr Moad made pioneering contributions to polymer chemistry, in particular polymerisation using reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT), which is used in industry worldwide.”

We asked Dr Moad about his election to the Royal Society and career.

How did you feel when you were notified of your election to the Royal Society?

Professor Andrew Holmes, who submitted the nomination and is knowledgeable of the Royal Society, had told me he thought I had a worthy—and he thought deserving—application, Professor Dave Solomon also.

Nonetheless, that I have been elected came as a pleasant surprise.

With Dr Ezio Rizzardo being FRS, I was not at all confident that my application would get up in the same field for, in part, similar work.

What does it mean for your science to be recognised in this way?

It is important to have the chemistry we have been doing recognised as significant. RAFT chemistry, having been utilised in so many applications, is now recognised as a major breakthrough in polymer chemistry. And we continue to make breakthroughs. Maybe the recognition will convince those who fund research to continue to fund it.

The Australian Academy of Science has hosted the final of three expert roundtables on the likely impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Academy was engaged in January 2023 by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to convene experts for a series of roundtables and produce a synthesis report.

This report will be considered by the Reef 2050 Independent Expert Panel in their advice to government on the current and likely health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef in the face of climate impacts and potential reef interventions.

The first roundtable focused on the health and functioning of the Great Barrier Reef in the face of current climate impacts and the climate impacts that may be anticipated in the medium-term future (2040 – 2060) under low and high emission scenarios.

The second roundtable explored the potential interactions, combined benefits and conflicts between reef intervention strategies and technologies, with focused discussion on understanding knowledge gaps and barriers to the deployment of technologies and interventions at scale.

The third roundtable challenged participants to consider whether we are doing all that we can for the Reef. Participants confirmed a need for integrity, honesty and leadership to communicate that the Reef is under real and imminent threat.

Participants also discussed where future research efforts may be required to explore what we do not know and how existing information could be better integrated and shared.

A final report to be delivered later this year will present the outcomes of the roundtable process to the Independent Expert Panel for its consideration. Following this, the report will be made publicly available as a resource for governments and the non-government sector.

See more information and the project terms of reference. 

Roundtable participants

Chairs

Ms Christine Grant

The Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett

Participants

Dr Ken Anthony

Dr Line Bay

Dr Roger Beeden

Dr Andrew Brooks

Dr Emma Camp

Ms Julia Chandler

Dr Anthea Coggan

Dr Allan Dale

Dr Jon Daly

Ms Samarla Deshong

Dr Leanne Fernandes

Ms Mibu Fischer

Ms Manuwuri Traceylee Forester

Associate Professor Alana Grech

Ms Nyssa Henry

Mr Scott Heron

Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg

Distinguished Professor Stewart Lockie

Mr Stan Lui

Professor Ian McLeod

Mr David Mead

Mr Gareth Phillips

Dr Cedric Robillot

Distinguished Professor Marcus Sheaves

Dr Jenny Skerratt

Mrs Wendy Slater

Ms Diane Tarte

Dr Bruce Taylor

An Australian Academy of Science collection of papers belonging to one of the twentieth century’s most influential physicists has been digitised as part of an ongoing collaborative project with the National Library of Australia.

Professor Sir Mark Oliphant AC KBE FAA FTSE FRS (1901 – 2000) is perhaps best known for his pioneering research into nuclear physics at Cambridge in the 1930s, his role in the development of atomic weapons and his remarkable contribution to World War II-era radar research.

Professor Oliphant was one of several distinguished scientists who returned to Australia in the years following the war who collectively did much to establish a national scientific identity separate from the traditional research powerhouses in Europe and America. He was the only expatriate scholar to accept an invitation to establish a research school at the nascent Australian National University (ANU), where he became the foundation Director of the Research School of Physical Sciences and, along with physicist Dr David Forbes Martyn, was the instigator behind the formation of the Australian Academy of Science.

Founding the Academy

The Academy’s Sir Mark Oliphant collection provides a documentary record of its early years under Professor Oliphant’s inaugural presidency and is now freely accessible via Trove. It depicts a fascinating saga of Australian science and politics in the 1950s and 60s, critical decades in which the country’s key scientific characters worked together to create the learned Academy that represents Australian science today.

The collection shows Professor Oliphant’s efforts to bypass the regional and personal antagonisms that had sunk earlier efforts to create a national academy and points to influential personalities acting behind the scenes as the organisation emerged. It touches on the decision to ask Australians inducted into the Royal Society of London to be the first Fellows of the new Academy in an attempt to remove bias from the selection process. The theory was that if they had been honoured by such a prestigious foreign institution, they would surely be acceptable as founders of its Australian counterpart. This solution solved one problem but created others when it became apparent that while the Royal Society was indifferent to Australia-based squabbles, its local Fellows were not.

Professor Oliphant’s term as Academy President began in 1954, the year the Academy was formed, and his papers describe it as fraught. At any moment, he might be asked to deal with a member of the brand-new Academy Council threatening resignation, accusations that others were airing grievances in the press, arguments over who should be elected to the Fellowship and unfolding drama arising from the Academy’s relationship with CSIRO, the state universities and ANU, and their various areas of responsibility.

He found support in close collaborators like Dr David Martyn, biochemist Dr Hedley Marston and retired CSIRO chair Sir David Rivett. Their tireless work on behalf of the infant Academy kept it afloat despite records showing the three had wildly differing views and did not always like one another during the challenging early years of the organisation.  Oliphant was often left to bridge the gap and play peacemaker, a role at which the gregarious but outspoken and blunt man proved adept but did not relish. 

Enduring influence

The collection points to Oliphant’s ongoing influence over the Academy. His well-documented 1954 objection to electing Sydney-based Professor Harry Messel to the Fellowship – which can be traced to Oliphant's fear that Messel would hand over research into atomic energy to private industry – may have kept Messel from any recognition by the organisation until 2014, when he was awarded the Academy medal for his contribution to Australian science.

Indications of Oliphant’s place in the broader social and political landscape can be seen in copies of his correspondence with Prime Minister Robert Menzies and Federal Treasurer Arthur Fadden, which range from discussing government support for scientific research to encouraging the creation of an Australian National Museum, a full 25 years before one was established in 1980.

For more information on Sir Mark Oliphant’s scientific legacy and his second career as Governor of South Australia, see the biographical memoir first published in Historical Records of Australian Science in 2000, or explore the archive collection held by the Barr Smith Library of the University of Adelaide.

The Academy thanks philanthropist Mr David Anstice, whose support made digitisation of the Sir Mark Oliphant collection possible. If you would like more information about supporting the archive digitisation project, please contact our Philanthropy Manager at philanthropy@science.org.au.

Australia’s scientists have welcomed a submission by the Inquiry’s assisting lawyers that it is open for the Inquirer, former Chief Justice of NSW Tom Bathurst AC KC, to find reasonable doubt about Kathleen Folbigg’s convictions.

Ms Folbigg was convicted in 2003 of the murder of three of her children, infliction of grievous bodily harm on one child and the manslaughter of her first born.

The submission was made today by the Counsel Assisting the Second Inquiry into Ms Folbigg’s convictions.  

In that submission, Counsel Assisting said that reasonable doubt can be found based on the evidence received by the Inquiry and noted that the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has accepted Counsel Assisting’s submission.

The Australian Academy of Science’s Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia said while the Inquiry process must be allowed to fully take its course, she was relieved that science has been heard.

“The Academy is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist this Inquiry as an independent scientific advisor. It demonstrates a role for independent scientific advice in the justice system, particularly where there is complex and emerging science,” Ms Arabia said.

The Inquiry is believed to be one of the first times worldwide that a learned academy has acted as an independent scientific adviser during a public inquiry into an individual’s criminal convictions.  

“The new genetic evidence in this case has now been peer reviewed by scientists and thoroughly tested during this Inquiry and has informed the submission made by Counsel Assisting that reasonable doubt can be found in relation to Ms Folbigg’s convictions,” Ms Arabia said.

“We hope this case opens the door to a more refined consideration of science in the nation’s judicial systems.

“Australia must now start looking ahead to reforms to ensure there are mechanisms for re-examination of cases after appeals have been exhausted, when new scientific evidence is forthcoming,” Ms Arabia said.

The Academy would like to acknowledge the contributions of many of the scientific experts called to give evidence at the Inquiry.

In particular, we would like to acknowledge Academy Fellow Professor Carola Vinuesa FAA FRS. Her research with 26 co-authors, in a leading international medical journal, led to the establishment of this second Inquiry.  

The Academy would like to thank the legal team who has assisted the Academy pro bono throughout the Second Inquiry.

In particular, our barristers at Maurice Byers Chambers, Dr Duncan Graham SC, Anna Payten, and Dr Tamsin Waterhouse, and our lawyers at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, Stacey King and Kylie Agland, with special thanks to Dr Waterhouse and Ms King.

The Academy also thanks David Wallace for his wise and ongoing counsel.

Dr Nicolas Flament’s research allows us to not only peer under Earth’s crust but to uncover what the planet’s interior looked like hundreds of millions of years ago.

Based at the University of Wollongong, Dr Flament was the recipient of the 2021 Anton Hales Medal from the Australian Academy of Science. He uses supercomputers at Australia’s National Computational Infrastructure to model the movement of tectonic plates and underlying mantle, connecting the evolution of the deep Earth with the evolution of its surface.

By identifying areas that may have been affected by mantle plumes, his models can predict where there may be deposits of important minerals and metals.

“I’ve been concentrating more on the deep Earth recently, specifically on how structures in the deep Earth move and create mantle plumes,” Dr Flament said.

Mantle plumes are hot rock columns that rise from Earth’s mantle to the surface, creating giant volcanoes and eruptions.

“These volcanoes are of interest to geologists because they can concentrate some metals and critical minerals—such as nickel, copper and rare-earth elements—that are essential now as the world is trying to transition to a low-carbon economy,” Dr Flament said.

For example, copper is crucial for most electrical technologies, and forecasts predict that to keep up with demand we will need to extract as much copper from the ground in the next 25 years as has been extracted to date.

Dr Flament’s work can help us find a more sustainable and efficient approach to finding these deposits, while also unlocking Earth’s history and its geological milestones.

“I’m fascinated and super excited about the processes and what we learn about the history of Earth … It’s not using my work that will help [mining companies] find a deposit, but it might help them understand processes that might help them find a deposit. What we’re doing together is learning about Earth, its processes, and Earth’s deep interior over time.”

Dr Flament won the Anton Hales Medal for early-career researchers in the Earth sciences in 2021.

“Receiving the Anton Hales Medal is a major recognition of one’s career achievements so far and can help secure grants and promotions and reflects positively on the institution where the scientist is based,” Dr Flament said.

He recommends that anyone eligible should nominate, to elevate the important work Earth scientists do.

If you are an early-career researcher with outstanding contributions to the Earth sciences, residing and conducting research mainly in Australia, consider nominating for the Anton Hales Medal. This prestigious award is named after the late Professor Anton Hales, who founded the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University.

Nominations for the 2024 medal close on 1 May 2023.

Fairy circles—barren patches which make polka-dot patterns in dry and desert areas—were first described by scientists in Namibia in the 1970s, sparking an international debate about their origins.

Now the scientific mystery about their formation has new evidence in Australia, thanks to collaborations between Indigenous people’s knowledge and scientists with a research grant from the Australian Academy of Science.

The new research has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, authored by a cross-cultural team of researchers and Aboriginal people from Australia’s Western Desert region.

The research publication is one of the few times Indigenous Australians have been co-authors on research published in the high-ranking journal.

The team is led by ethnoecologist Dr Fiona Walsh, based in Mparntwe/Alice Springs. She is an independent consultant and adjunct at the University of Western Australia, who was awarded an Academy Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology in 2020 to investigate ‘fairy circles’.

Fairy circles, called linyji in Manyjilyjarra language and mingkirri in Warlpiri language, are patches over the top of both active and old termite colonies and are widespread across spinifex grasslands. Research by an international team had concluded that fairy circles came about from plants competing for water and nutrients.

“However, when we worked with Aboriginal people to look at their practices and stories, art and designs, we arrived at different conclusions,” Dr Walsh said.

“Aboriginal people had told us that these hard bare ‘pavements’ are the homes of spinifex termites.

Deep and complex stories

“We saw similarities between the patterns in Aboriginal art and aerial views of the pavements and found paintings that have deep and complex stories about the activities of termites and termite ancestors.

“I remain surprised by what we have learnt about termites and pavements. It is as if something widely visible to Aboriginal people has been ‘hiding in plain sight’ to contemporary ecologists.

“Our learnings were led by Aboriginal people’s knowledge with clues in artworks and scattered sources.”

Dr Walsh said the Academy grant of $20,000 brought benefits far greater than anticipated.

“The funding was essential, but also the Academy’s validation of the research concept, and the recognition that goes with an Academy award, gave the project vital impetus too.”

In the journal paper the researchers concluded that through two-way learning, Aboriginal knowledge can lead, inform, contrast and intertwine with science.

“Aboriginal people refined their encyclopedia and authoritative knowledge when living continuously on this continent for at least 65,000 years and their knowledge is critical to improving ecosystem management and in understanding and caring for Australia’s deserts,” Dr Walsh said.

Read more about this research.

Applications for the 2024 Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology are now open and close on 1 June.