Official photo of the recipients at Parliament House with the Prime Minister, Minister and Chief Scientist

Left to right: Professor Chris Greening, Ms Donna Buckley, Associate Professor Lara Herrero, Dr Cathy Foley AO Chief Scientist, Hon Anthony Albanese MP Prime Minister of Australia, Hon Ed Husic MP Minister for Industry and Science, Professor Yuerui (Larry) Lu, Mrs Judith Stutchbury, Professor Glenn King and Professor Michelle Simmons AO

The 2023 recipients continue to represent the very best in Australian science, innovation and education. Their achievements showcase quantum technology, conservation efforts, medical discoveries and creative ways of inspiring our next generation.

Award-winning wildlife scientist, Dr Vanessa Pirotta, hosted the 2023 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science at Parliament House on Monday 16 October. Guests from across the Australian science, research, technology and education community attended the presentation dinner.

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia and the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science announced the recipients. Highlights from the presentation dinner will be available soon.

2023 prize recipients

2023 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Prof Simmons was recognised for creating the new field of atomic electronics. Her discoveries are powering the transition from the digital to the quantum age.
2023 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
Prof King was recognised for pioneering using peptides from Australian funnel-web spider venom for sustainable crop protection and potentially human therapeutics.
2023 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Mrs Stutchbury was recognised for creating experiences for her students to learn about marine conservation and protecting endangered species in the Great Barrier Reef.
2023 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Ms Buckley was recognised for inspiring students with diverse, creative backgrounds to apply mathematics to real-world problems like cybersecurity. She’s also introducing them to careers in science.
2023 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Prof Greening has redefined life through his world-first discovery that microbes live on air. He discovered that microbes help regulate climate change, removing harmful gases from the air.
2023 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Prof Lu was recognised for discovering interlayer exciton pairs, which can help unravel the phenomenon of superfluidity. This is paving the way for a new generation of electronic devices.
2023 Prize for New Innovators
Assoc Prof Herrero took less than 10 years to translate research into a world-first drug with the potential to treat viral arthritis by repurposing a known drug.

Event highlights

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