The Royal Society of New South Wales is delighted to learn that four of its Fellows, Professor Renae Ryan AM FRSN, a neuroscientist from the University of Sydney,  Professor Richard Kingsford FRSN, an environmental scientist and river ecologist from UNSW Sydney, Professor Toby Walsh FRSN FAA, a computer scientist and artificial intelligence researcher from UNSW Sydney, and Professor Karu Esselle FRSN, an antenna engineer from the University of Technology Sydney, have been awarded Australian Museum Eureka Prizes for 2023 at a ceremony held in Sydney on the evening of Wednesday, 23 August. 

The Council of the Society warmly congratulates Professors Kingsford, Ryan, Walsh, and Esselle on their achievements, and on this recognition of the impact of their outstanding research.

Professor Renae Ryan has won the 2023 University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers.  Professor Ryan has advanced the careers of many young researchers through mentorship, networking, and advocacy. Driving university-wide gender equity initiatives and founding the Sydney Medical School Early Career Researcher Network, she helped increase the representation of women at the professorial level in her faculty, fostering a more inclusive and supportive academic environment.

Professor Richard Kingsford is the leader of the UNSW Waterbirds Aerial Survey Team which has won the 2023 NSW Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Applied Environmental Research. This team has conducted one of the largest and longest-running wildlife surveys in the world. As well as influencing the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and the nomination and management of Ramsar-listed wetlands, their data has contributed to the gazettal of three new national parks, and the conservation of waterbirds and freshwater ecosystems, including rivers.

Professor Toby Walsh is the winner of the 2023 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science.  Professor Walsh is a world-renowned authority in artificial intelligence (AI), exploring subjects such as self-driving cars and autonomous weapons. On television, in books, and at academic forums he leads conversations about our AI-driven future: what it will look like, how we can prepare, and what we should be wary of.

Professor Karu Esselle is the leader of the MetaSteerers Team from the University of Technology Sydney, the Defence Science and Technology Group, and Macquarie University which has won the 2023 Department of Defence Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia. This team has developed a low-profile, energy-efficient and steerable antenna system to help the Australian Defence Force (ADF) gain a crucial advantage in battle. Their unique system allows the ADF to transmit large volumes of data or track suspicious radio activity across a wide bandwidth while remaining almost invisible to adversaries.

To read further, please see the announcement on the Australian Museum website.