Professor

Kishan Dholakia

FAA

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Professor Kishan Dholakia has made a distinguished, internationally renowned contribution based on the science of light. He has developed methods to structure light in space and time to advance the frontiers of imaging, trapping and precision measurement. This has led to original methods to image in biology and medicine with a very wide field of view, at unprecedented depth, retaining high resolution to elucidate biological processes in real time. Using the structuring of light he has expanded his impact into precision measurement including determining the wavelength of light and measuring distances to new levels of accuracy.

Fields of research

40 ENGINEERING
  • 4018 NANOTECHNOLOGY
    • 401809 Nanophotonics
51 PHYSICAL SCIENCES
  • 5102 ATOMIC, MOLECULAR AND OPTICAL PHYSICS

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Laser Spectroscopy
  • Nanophotonics
  • Optical Physics
  • Precise Measurement
  • Biophysics
  • Photonics
  • Biophotonics

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor

Graeme Cumming

FAA

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Professor Graeme Cumming is an internationally leading and widely cited interdisciplinary ecologist and conservation biologist. He has been instrumental in developing novel conceptual frameworks, systems models, statistical tools, and empirical analyses to support sustainable ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. Among his most significant contributions are new approaches to understanding social-ecological scale mismatches, system identity, growth trajectories in resource-dependent societies, and causes of social and ecological collapse. His work extends our understanding of the critical roles of scale, location, and the spatial dynamics of land- and seascape change for the resilience and sustainability of linked systems of people and nature.

Fields of research

31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
  • 3103 ECOLOGY
    • 310302 Community Ecology
    • 310305 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology)
41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
  • 4102 ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
    • 410204 Ecosystem services (incl. pollination)
    • 410206 Landscape Ecology
  • 4104 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
    • 410401 Conservation and biodiversity
    • 410404 Environmental Management

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Disturbance Ecology
  • Environmental Management
  • Species Distribution Models
  • Conservation Science
  • Community Ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Resilience
  • Marine Ecology
  • Landscape ecology, conservation and biodiversity
  • Terrestrial Ecosystems
  • Marine Ecosystems
  • Social-ecological Systems
  • Spatial Statistics

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor Dr

Jochen Brocks

FAA

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Professor Jochen Brocks has pioneered technologies to detect traces of molecular fossils in billion-year-old sedimentary rocks, opening a new window on life in primordial oceans. His work has transformed textbook knowledge about the early evolution of nucleated life – our single-celled ancestors – and helped solve the puzzle of why the first animals emerged on Earth. His discoveries include some of the most profound ecological transformations in our planet’s history, with far-reaching implications for our understanding of the evolution of the carbon cycle and the potential for complex life on other planets. His work isolating cholesterol-like molecules – a signature of animal life – from a 550-million-year-old fossil was one of Science’s top 10 breakthroughs across all scientific disciplines worldwide in 2018.

Fields of research

31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
  • 3103 ECOLOGY
    • 310306 Palaeoecology
37 EARTH SCIENCES
  • 3703 GEOCHEMISTRY
    • 370302 Inorganic Geochemistry
    • 370304 Organic Geochemistry
  • 3705 GEOLOGY
    • 370506 Palaeontology (incl. Palynology)

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Stable Isotopes
  • Astrobiology
  • Early Life
  • Earth Evolution
  • Biochemical Evolution
  • Geobiology
  • Compound Specific Isotopes
  • Organic Geochemistry
  • Palaeontology

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor

Cyrille Boyer

FAA

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Professor Cyrille Boyer is a world-renowned polymer chemist. His pioneering work on light-activated polymerisation using photocatalysts has transformed the way we create and manipulate polymers – the fundamental components of countless everyday materials. This innovation has enabled the precise synthesis of intricate polymers and polymeric nanoparticles, opening new possibilities in fields such as antimicrobial polymers, advanced 3D-printed materials and sophisticated nanoparticle design. An advocate for sustainability, Professor Boyer also applies his expertise to develop innovative depolymerisation and recycling techniques using photocatalysts, driving progress toward a more eco-friendly and sustainable future.

Fields of research

34 CHEMICAL SCIENCES
  • 3403 MACROMOLECULAR AND MATERIALS CHEMISTRY

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Characterization of Polymers
  • Free Radical Polymerization
  • Nanomedicine

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor

Philip Boyd

FAA FRS

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Professor Philip Boyd is a pioneer in ocean biogeochemistry, linking marine biology to the elemental cycles that drive many of Earth’s life support systems. He has fundamentally advanced understanding of the interactions between ocean biogeochemistry, Earth's carbon cycle and climate. Professor Boyd established how environmental controls, particularly iron supply, set the magnitude of phytoplankton photosynthetic carbon fixation in the modern, past and future ocean. His work has particular importance in assessing the role of Southern Ocean phytoplankton in transferring this fixed carbon to great depths, providing insights into the potential and challenges of deliberate human ocean interventions to influence Earth’s carbon cycle.

Fields of research

31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
  • 3107 MICROBIOLOGY
    • 310703 Microbial Ecology
37 EARTH SCIENCES
  • 3702 CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE
  • 3708 OCEANOGRAPHY

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Oceanography
  • Modelling
  • Phycology
  • Oceans

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor

Celine Boehm

FAA

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Professor Céline Bœhm has made landmark contributions to dark matter research, leading to a paradigm shift by demonstrating that dark matter particles could be much lighter than previously considered. Her pioneering work on light dark matter has catalysed pivotal experiments like NA64, SENSEI and DAMIC, and driven innovative searches at the Large Hadron Collider and low-energy particle physics experiments. The introduction of her simplified models framework has become a cornerstone in the field. Professor Bœhm’s influence is illustrated by her highly cited publications, including her famous paper on scalar dark matter. Her research on dark matter interactions in cosmology has sparked new avenues, using large-scale structure surveys to constrain microscopic interactions. Professor Bœhm has also demonstrated exceptional leadership by running a European Space Agency Consortium.

Fields of research

51 PHYSICAL SCIENCES
  • 5107 PARTICLE AND HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS
    • 510701 Astroparticle physics and particle cosmology

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Nuclear Physics
  • Extragalactic Astronomy
  • Mathematical Physics
  • Fusion
  • Theoretical Physics
  • Cosmic Radiation
  • Cosmology
  • Particle Physics

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor

Nicole Bell

FAA

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Professor Nicole Bell has made outstanding contributions to dark matter and neutrino physics, significantly advancing our understanding of the fundamental constituents of the Universe. She has used astrophysics and cosmology to place stringent constraints on neutrino properties and has developed self-consistent descriptions of dark matter interactions. She also demonstrated that neutron stars can act as powerful dark matter probes. She has served as President of the Australian Institute of Physics and has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity in STEM.

Fields of research

51 PHYSICAL SCIENCES
  • 5107 PARTICLE AND HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS
    • 510701 Astroparticle physics and particle cosmology
    • 510703 Particle Physics

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Astrophysics
  • Particle Physics
  • Dark Matter
  • High Energy Physics
  • Theoretical Physics
  • Physics
  • Cosmology

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor Dr

Yong-Guan Zhu

FAA

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Soil is the vital natural resource for food security and environmental quality, as is increasingly recognised worldwide. Professor Yongguan Zhu takes interdisciplinary approaches to soil problems and has made fundamental discoveries in understanding the dynamics of contaminants, nutrients and antimicrobial resistance in the soil-plant-microbe nexus. His focus is on mechanisms of contaminant pathways from soil to crop plants (e.g. arsenic in rice) and the environmental dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Professor Zhu has developed groundbreaking solutions to mitigate threats to soil-related quality of life, and has established extensive collaborative networks with China, Australia and the developing world.

Fields of research

41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
  • 4106 SOIL SCIENCES

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Microbiome
  • Environmental Ecology
  • Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Soil Biology
  • Environmental Biology
  • Microplastics pollution

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Professor

Ajay Sood

FAA

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Professor Ajay Sood is a pre-eminent physicist, internationally renowned for his discoveries in both hard and soft condensed matter. His extraordinarily diverse contributions, ranging from flow-induced energy generation in carbon nanotubes to bacteria-driven stochastic heat engines, have arisen from a combination of elegant experimentation and theoretical modelling. He has initiated several contemporary research areas including confined and interface phonons in superlattices, and in situ Raman studies of graphene and other 2D material devices having potential applications in device metrology and semiconductor technology. His landmark contributions to soft and active matter include the discovery of instabilities under shear flow (now called rheochaos) and emergence of flocking in active granular matter. The originality, diversity, significance and breadth of Professor Sood’s contributions are truly exceptional.

Fields of research

51 PHYSICAL SCIENCES
  • 5104 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

For full list of research codes, please visit the ARC Website .

Expertise type

  • Optical Physics
  • Nanomaterials
  • Nanoscience
  • Nonlinear Optics
  • Spectroscopy
  • Soft Materials
  • Quantum Physics
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Science Policy

Please contact fellowship@science.org.au to request any updates to the data.

Academy honours Australia's eminent scientists

The Academy has elected 28 new members for 2026, recognising outstanding contributions from ancient dinosaur discoveries to next-generation electronics.
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A collage of the cohort of new Fellows and Corresponding Members for 2026

Today 26 Fellows and two Corresponding Members join the Australian Academy of Science’s Fellowship of 647 distinguished Australian scientists working across fields from fundamental physics to biomedical research. 

President of the Academy Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC said this year's cohort demonstrated both the depth of Australian science and the path from discovery to impact. 

“This cohort includes scientists whose work is rewriting the textbooks and has changed the world,” Professor Jagadish said.  

“Professor Andrew Dzurak led the team that built the world's first silicon quantum bits and is now scaling them toward manufacturable quantum computers.  

“Professor Sherene Loi's research has changed how breast cancer is diagnosed in hospitals worldwide.  

“Emeritus Professor John Long has identified 90 previously unknown prehistoric taxa, reshaping our understanding of vertebrate evolution. 

“Their work, and that of all 26 new Fellows, shows what Australia is capable of when its scientists are supported from fundamental discovery through to global application.”

Diverse research fields represented

Another of this year’s elected Fellows is Professor Yun Liu (Australian National University), an applied materials chemist whose pioneering research in defect and crystal chemistry has revolutionised materials design for future technologies, driving progress in electronics, energy and environmental applications. 

Professor Liu’s research relies on world-class facilities, including neutron and synchrotron sources, high-resolution electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes.  

“These tools allow us to probe matter at the atomic scale and solve complex problems in ways that were unimaginable decades ago,” she said.  

“Every material you study is different, which means every day brings new challenges, and you are constantly acquiring new knowledge and skills. 

“There is a sense of exploration, discovery and excitement that never fades.” 

Palaeontologist Professor John Long (Flinders University) is also among this year’s new Fellows. His research has helped shape our understanding of vertebrate evolution and established him as a global leader in palaeontological research. 

From Antarctica to Africa, Professor Long has discovered and formally identified 90 previously unknown prehistoric taxa. His discoveries include new kinds of ancient fishes, the world's oldest reptile tracks, and Australia's oldest theropod dinosaur. 

Research by world-leading immunologist Professor Katherine Kedzierska (The University of Melbourne), another new Fellow for 2026, has significantly advanced our understanding of how the human immune system responds to dangerous viral threats including pandemic, avian and seasonal influenza viruses.  

Professor Kedzierska was among the first researchers to investigate immune responses during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and avian H7N9 influenza in 2013. She has made important contributions to our understanding of immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, work that underpins Australia's preparedness for future pandemic threats. 

From discovery to global application

The work of this year's cohort moves Australian science from discovery to global application.  

Professor Andrew Dzurak (University of New South Wales) led the team that demonstrated the world's first silicon quantum bits and now leads Diraq, scaling that technology toward manufacturable quantum computers.  

Professor Sherene Loi (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre) established a breast cancer biomarker now used in routine pathology worldwide and included in the World Health Organization Classification of Tumours.  

Professor Robert Furbank (Australian National University) leads international work to redesign rice and wheat for higher yields and Professor Huanting Wang (Monash University) has licensed his membrane technology to companies across three continents. 

Together, the 28 new members admitted to the Academy in 2026 span fundamental discovery, translational research and the commercial application of Australian science. 

New Fellows of 2026 

  • Professor Nicole Bell FAA, The University of Melbourne
  • Professor Céline Bœhm FAA, The University of Sydney
  • Professor Philip Boyd FAA FRS, University of Tasmania
  • Professor Cyrille Boyer FAA, University of New South Wales
  • Professor Jochen Brocks FAA, Australian National University
  • Professor Graeme Cumming FAA, The University of Western Australia
  • Professor Kishan Dholakia FAA, Adelaide University
  • Professor Andrew Dzurak FAA, University of New South Wales  
  • Professor Aleksandra Filipovska FAA FAHMS, The University of Western Australia
  • Professor Jennifer Flegg FAA, The University of Melbourne
  • Professor Robert Furbank FAA, Australian National University
  • Professor Katherine Kedzierska FAA FAHMS, The University of Melbourne
  • Distinguished Professor Yun Liu FAA FTSE, Australian National University
  • Professor Sherene Loi FAA FAHMS, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
  • Emeritus Professor John Long FAA, Flinders University
  • Professor Laura Mackay FAA FAHMS, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
  • Professor Stefan Maier FAA, Monash University
  • Professor Paul Martin FAA, The University of Sydney
  • Distinguished Professor Nicolle Packer FAA, Macquarie University
  • Professor David Raubenheimer FAA, The University of Sydney
  • Professor Timothy Schmidt FAA, University of New South Wales
  • Professor Enrico Valdinoci FAA, The University of Western Australia
  • Professor Huanting Wang FAA FTSE, Monash University
  • Professor Alpha Yap FAA, The University of Queensland 

2026 Special Election 

Each year the Academy’s Council may elect up to four persons whose election would expand the diversity of the Fellowship and be of significant benefit to the Academy and the advancement of science.  

Specially elected members this year are: 

  • Dr Deborah Rathjen FAA FTSE, Carina Biotech
  • Ms Sally-Ann Williams FAA FTSE, Board member with the Australian Research Council, Bank Australia and the Australian Ocean Lab 

2026 Corresponding Members 

The Academy has also elected two Corresponding Members, eminent international scientists with strong ties to Australia who have made outstanding contributions to science: 

  • Professor Ajay Sood FAA FRS (India), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore India and Government of India, New Delhi
  • Professor Yongguan Zhu FAA (China), Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Find out more about the 2026 cohort

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