The Edgeworth David Medal
The Edgeworth David Medal is awarded each year for distinguished contributions by a young scientist under the age of thirty-five (35) years on 1 January in the year in which the medal is awarded, for work done mainly in Australia or its territories, or contributing to the advancement of Australian science.
Nominations for the award close on 30 September of each year. A letter of nomination and the nominee’s full curriculum vitae should be sent to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The medal is presented at the Society's Annual Dinner.
The medal is named after the pioneering geologist and longstanding supporter of the Society, Sir Edgeworth David FRS, who wrote the first comprehensive record of the geology of Australia. In September 1942, Henry Ferdinand Halloran, who had joined the Society in 1892, decided to celebrate his jubilee as a member by making a donation to the Society. In May 1943 the Council decided to use some of Henry Halloran’s gift to establish the Edgeworth David Medal, to be awarded annually to scientists under the age of 35 years.
In October 1943, the sculptor Lyndon Dadswell was commissioned to draw up a design for the Edgeworth David Medal. About three years elapsed before Dadswell finalised the design. The Council of the Society had decided at an early stage that a portrait of the late Professor Sir Edgeworth David would appear on the obverse side of the medal. Members of Council were not satisfied that the first plaster cast of the medal was a good likeness of Sir Edgeworth and a modified design was finally accepted by Council in March 1947.
The first award of the Edgeworth David Medal was made at the Annual General Meeting of the Society in April 1949.
The Edgeworth David Medal 2020
The Edgeworth David Medal for 2020 has been awarded to Associate Professor Brett Hallam of the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW (Sydney). In less than six years from completion of his PhD, Scientia Fellow Brett Hallam has established himself as a national and international leader in the highly competitive field of crystalline silicon photovoltaics, particularly in the areas of light induced degradation, hydrogen passivation and defect engineering. Although he has made a major impact on photovoltaics globally, this is in addition to his profile and leadership in crystalline silicon photovoltaics in Australia. Professor Hallam’s research addresses one of the key challenges in sustainability, that is, access to clean electricity. His work on hydrogen passivation to avoid light induced degradation of solar cells means that the cost of photovoltaics can be reduced greatly, increasing the competitiveness of this form of electricity compared with that generated by fossil fuels.
The Edgeworth David Medal 2019
The Edgeworth David Medal for 2019 has been awarded to Professor Si Ming Man, of the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University. Professor Si Ming Man is an outstanding young researcher in the field of innate immunology, attaining a full professorship only six years after his PhD graduation. Six of his recent papers are recognised as “highly cited”, being in the top 1% of the field. His research has identified a class of disease-fighting “killer” proteins, produced by the cell, which can directly attack bacteria, causing these pathogens to die and release signals that can rapidly trigger activation of the immune system. Further studies have shown that immune receptors have critical roles in preventing gut inflammation and the development of colorectal (bowel) cancer, while most recently he has discovered that toxins from foodborne bacteria can be detected and blockaded by immune receptors to prevent sepsis.
The Edgeworth David Medal 2018
The Edgeworth David Medal for 2018 was awarded to Associate Professor Elizabeth J. New. She is an inorganic chemist working in the field of molecular imaging and medical sensors. Associate Professor New’s research has progressed the field in several ways, including synthesising new chemical tools that can sense chemical environments, promoting a translational approach to the development of new chemical sensors and establishing generalised methods that are now widely used to improve and evaluate potential cellular probes.
List of Past Recipients of the Edgeworth David Medal
| Year | Recipient | Discipline |
| 1948 | R.G. Giovanelli & | Astrophysics |
| E. Ritchie | Organic Chemistry | |
| 1949 | T.B. Kiely | Plant Pathology |
| 1950 | R.M. Berndt & | Anthropology |
| Catherine H. Berndt | Anthropology | |
| 1951 | J.G. Bolton | Radio Astronomy |
| 1952 | A.B. Wardrop | Botany |
| 1954 | E.S. Barnes | Mathematics |
| 1955 | H.B.S. Womersley | Botany |
| 1956 | J.M. Cowley | Chemical Physics |
| 1957 | J.M. Cowley & | Chemical Physics |
| J.P. Wild | Radio Astronomy | |
| 1958 | P.I. Korner | Physiology |
| 1960 | R.D. Brown | Chemistry |
| 1961 | R.O. Slatyer | Climatology |
| 1962 | R.F. Isbell | Soil Science |
| 1963 | W.H. Fletcher | Physics |
| 1964 | M.E. Holman | Physiology |
| 1965 | J.L. Dillon | Agricultural Economics |
| 1966 | R.I. Tanner | Mechanical Engineering |
| 1967 | D.H. Green & | Geology |
| W.J. Peacock | Botany | |
| 1968 | R.M. May | Physics |
| 1969 | B.W. Ninham | Physics |
| 1970 | D.A. Buckingham | Inorganic Chemistry |
| 1971 | W.F. Budd | Glaciology |
| 1972 | D.H. Napper & | Physical Chemistry |
| J. Stone | Physiology | |
| 1973 | C.D. Osmond | Plant Biology |
| 1974 | A.W. Snyder | Physics |
| 1975 | F.J. Ballard | Biochemistry |
| 1976 | R.H. Street | Mathematics |
| 1977 | R.A. Antonia | Mechanical Engineering |
| 1978 | JT.W. Cole & | Astronomy |
| M.G. Clark | Physiology | |
| 1979 | G.C. Goodwin | Electrical Engineering |
| 1980 | Michael Anthony Etheridge | Geology |
| 1981 | Martin Andrew Green | Applied Physics |
| 1982 | Nhan Phan-Thien | Mechanics |
| 1983 | Denis Wakefield | Ocular Immunology |
| 1984 | Alan James Husband | Pathology |
| 1985 | Simon Charles Gandevia & | Clinical Neurophysiology |
| Brian James Morris | Molecular Biology | |
| 1986 | Leslie David Field & | Chemistry |
| Peter Gavin Hall | Statistics | |
| 1987 | Andrew Cockburn | Zoology |
| 1988 | Peter Andrew Lay | Inorganic Chemistry |
| 1989 | Trevor William Hambley | Chemistry |
| 1990 | Timothy Fridjof Flannery | Taxonomy & Phylogeny - Macropodidea |
| 1991 | Mark Harvey | Taxonomy - Invertebrates |
| 1992 | Peter James Goadsby & | Neurophysiology |
| Keith Alexander Nugent | Optics | |
| 1993 | John Skerritt | Agriculture (Genetics) |
| 1994 | Richard Hume Middleton | Electrical Engineering |
| 1995 | Anthony Bruce Murphy | Physics |
| 1996 | Peter Alexander Robinson | Physics |
| 1997 | Albert Zomaya | Mathematics |
| 1999 | Dr Merlin Crossley | Molecular Biology |
| 2000 | Dr Michael Coon Yoong Lee | Zoology |
| 2001 | Dr Samantha Richardson | Evolution |
| 2002 | Professor Marcella Bilek | Physics |
| 2003 | Dr Stuart Robert Batten | Chemistry |
| 2004 | Dr Cameron Kepert | Chemistry |
| 2005 | A/Prof Christopher Barner-Kowollik | Chemistry |
| 2006 | Professor Barry Brook | Environmental Science |
| 2007 | A/Prof Stuart Wyithe | Astrophysics |
| 2008 | Dr Adam Micolich | Physics |
| 2009 | A/Prof Nagarajan Valanoor | Materials Science |
| 2010 | A/Prof Angela Moles | Botany |
| 2011 | Dr Trent Woodruff | Pharmacology |
| 2012 | Dr Joanne Whittaker | Geophysics |
| 2012 | A/Prof David Wilson | Mathematics and Public Health |
| 2013 | A/Prof David Wilson | Epidemiology |
| 2014 | A/Prof Richard Payne | Chemistry |
| 2015 | A/Prof Simon Ho | Biology and Evolution |
| 2016 | Dr. Muireann Irish | Neuroscience |
| 2017 | Dr Angela Nickerson | Psychology |
| 2018 | Associate Professor Elizabeth J. New | Chemistry |
| 2019 | Professor Si Ming Man | Immunology |
| 2020 | Associate Professor Brett Hallam | Photovoltaic Engineering |
