Winners of the 2019 and 2020 Edgeworth David Medal of the Royal Society of NSW, respectively Professor Si Ming Man, of the Australian National University, and Associate Professor Brett Hallam of UNSW Sydney, have been (respectively) awarded the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year and the Prize for New Innovators in the 2022 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science, announced on 21 November2022.
Professor Si Ming Man was awarded the 2022 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year for his work in advancing understanding of the fundamental process of inflammation. This work has made progress towards the discovery of new therapies for inflammatory diseases and cancer. Currently, he is currently involved in clinical testing for a new class of antimicrobial drugs that could improve the global issue of antibiotic resistant bacteria. He is also involved in clinical studies looking into the roles of immune receptors in early diagnosis and personalised therapy for bowel cancer patients.
Professor Brett Hallam was awarded the 2022 Prize for New Innovators for the commercialisation of his innovative technology that has dramatically improved the performance of solar cells. His discoveries have improved the performance of solar cells by 10%, a significant increase in the field, and have contributed to an improved global economy. In 2021, technologies founded by Associate Professor Hallam have provided benefits to Australian consumers of approximately $500 million and $17 billion globally, with these figures rapidly increasing as the industry continues to expand.
The Council of the Royal Society of NSW extends its very warm congratulations to both Professor Si Ming Man and Professor Brett Hallam on this further recognition of their outstanding research achievements and the impact of the research, and is delighted that both have been recipients of the Society's Edgeworth David Medal that recognises distinguished contributions by young scientists under the age of 35.
For further information and background, together with videos capturing the work of Professors Man and Hallam, please see the announcement on the Department of Industry website.