Richard Payne is an international leader in the fields of organic chemistry and chemical biology. He is recognized for pioneering a number of technologies for accessing precisely modified peptides and proteins for applications in biology and medicine. His lab is also recognized for the development of modified peptide drug leads for a range of diseases, such as anti-inflammatories, anti-thrombotics and anti-infectives (including for COVID-19). The impact of his research has led to the award of more than 20 prestigious prizes, including the Malcolm McIntosh Prime Minister’s Prize and the AJ Birch and HG Smith Medals from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.