Royal Society of NSW News & Events

The Society was delighted to learn that one of its Fellows, and also the Librarian of the Society, Professor Stephen Garton AM FRSN FAHA FASSA, was elected by the Australian Academy of the Humanities as its twentieth President. Professor Garton will serve a three-year term commencing in 2024. Professor Garton’s research expertise is Australian hist...

The Society was deeply saddened to learn of the peaceful passing of Professor Ian Metcalfe MRSN, in Sydney, on 21 December 2023. Ian was a devoted husband to Amarjit Kaur, an incredible father to Noreen and David, and a beloved grandfather to John and James. He was a globally recognised and accomplished professor, researcher, lecturer, and author i...

The Royal Society of New South Wales was delighted to learn of the announcement by the University of Manchester that its next Vice-Chancellor, from 1 August 2024, will be Professor Duncan Ivison FRSN FAHA. Most recently Professor Ivison, who is a Professor of Political Philosophy, was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydne...

The December 2023 issue of the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of NSW, published on 18 December, is now available online. This issue includes eight papers, abstracts from nine recent PhD theses, and obituaries for two Fellows of the Society, Emeritus Professor Stephen Gaukroger FRSN FAHA (University of Sydney) and Emeritus Professor Ad...

The Royal Society of NSW warmly welcomes 23 new members to the Society's ranks, effective from 29 November 2023. FellowsProfessor Sally CrippsProfessor Yingjie Jay GuoProfessor Richard HoldenProfessor Amir KartonDr Jiao Jiao LiProfessor Aduli Malau-AduliProfessor David MillerProfessor Deo PrasadProfessor Nicholas ReidProfessor Craig SimmonsProfesso...

At the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS) in early December, RSNSW Fellow and former Treasurer of the Society's Hunter Branch, Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA of the University of Newcastle, was announced as the winner of the AustMS George Szekeres Medal — the AustMS' most prestigious Medal that recognises...

On 7 December 2023, the Minister for Industry and Science, Mr Ed Husic MP, announced the appointment of Society Fellow, Emeritus Professor Roy Green FRSN, to the Board of CSIRO. On his LinkedIn page, Mr Husic noted that Roy Green has been a massive champion of Australian industry, innovation, and advanced manufacturing — a believer in our nation’s ...

The Society's 1318th Ordinary General Meeting, held in the Gallery Room of the State Library of NSW on 29 November 2023, was treated to a most thought-provoking lecture on sea-level rise by the winner of the 2022 RSNSW James Cook Medal, Emeritus Professor John Church AO FAA FTSE of the UNSW Sydney Climate Change Research Centre.  His talk, tit...

Most face-to-face events and all online events conducted by the Royal Society of New South Wales are recorded and made available for subsequent viewing on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/royalsocnsw. The past five weeks have been very active for the Society's Program Committee, with five events posted to YouTube. The 30th October 2023 featured a j...

In November 2023, the Society was delighted to learn that the distinguished artist and Society Fellow, Ben Quilty FRSN FAHA, had been inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Ben Quilty, who lives and works in Gundungurra Country, south of Sydney, is widely known for his thick, gestural oil paintings. As...

The Society was delighted to learn that Society Fellow, Professor Catherine Coleborne FRSN FASSA FAHA, Professor of History and Director, Research Ethics and Integrity at the University of Newcastle, had been inducted as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities during November 2023. Professor Coleborne has received international recogni...

The Royal Society of New South Wales has long recognised distinguished achievements in various fields of knowledge through its Awards. Some are amongst the oldest in Australia while others are more recent. In this year, 2023, the Society has broadened and streamlined its Awards portfolio to recognise recent and evolving fields and disciplines, and ...

Recently the Society learned of an Honorary Doctorate being awarded to our Vice-President, Emeritus Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN, by Western Sydney University at its recent October 2023 graduations. The RSNSW Council was also delighted to belatedly learn of the same honour, an Honorary Doctor of Letters, being awarded to another of our Fellows ...

Paul Jeans FRSN was farewelled in style by town and gown at the “Celebration and Thank You to Our Chancellor” dinner in the Great Hall of the University of Newcastle on 24 November. Serving as Chancellor for the past ten years, Paul will be retiring from his role at the end of 2023. The speakers paying tribute to Paul were as one in saying what a p...

The Royal Society of NSW was delighted to learn that two of its Fellows were named as recipients of the 2023 NSW Premier's Prizes for Science and Engineering, announced at a ceremony held at Government House, Sydney on the evening of Wednesday, 15 November. Emeritus Professor Trevor McDougall AC FRS FRSN FAA of UNSW Sydney was named the 2023 NSW Sc...

The Society's 1317th Ordinary General Meeting and 2022 Clarke Memorial Lecture was held in the Metcalfe Theatre of the State Library of NSW on 8 November 2023 at which the audience enjoyed a highly informative presentation titled "Caves as observatories of groundwater recharge", on the critical role of groundwater, delivered by Professor Andy Baker...

The Society was delighted to learn that Society Fellow, Professor Muireann Irish FRSN FASSA, an ARC Future Fellow and Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience one the School of Psychology and the Brain and Mind Centre of the University of Sydney, has been inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in November 2023. The Academy c...

The Council of the Society was delighted to learn that Fellow and former Society President, Emeritus Professor Brynn Hibbert AM FRSN of the School of Chemistry at UNSW Sydney has been awarded the 2023 Royal Australian Chemical Institute Leighton Memorial Medal, which recognises eminent services to chemistry in Australia. Brynn is a retired ana...

Society Fellow and Vice-President,  Professor Peter Shergold AC FRSN FASSA, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Western Sydney University (WSU). Professor Shergold, who is the Emeritus Chancellor of WSU, was recognised for his outstanding contributions to Australian public life and education during a recent WSU graduation...

The Royal Society of NSW and Learned Academies Forum for 2023, with the theme of  Our 21st Century Brain, was hosted at Government House Sydney by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC on 2 November 2023.  The archived page of the 2023 Forum, with links to the program brochure and video presentations, is now available from ...