Professor McFadden’s research into eukaryotic organelles shows that the parasite responsible for malaria contains a relict chloroplast and thus evolved from a parasitic alga. Thus, quite unexpectedly, his botanical research has allowed him to pioneer a novel approach to combating this deadly parasite. He has been awarded the Australian Academy of Science’s Frederick White Prize, election to the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research, a Howard Hughes International Scholar Award, the David Syme Prize, a shared NH&MRC Program Grant, and an ARC Professorial Fellowship. He has published 116 papers in high impact journals including Nature (6) and Science (3).