The Royal Society of NSW is delighted to learn of the recognition of one of its Fellows and a previous Society Award winner in the recently announced list of new Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science, elected in May 2023.

They are Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn FRSN FAA (Ecologist, Western Sydney University), a Fellow of the Society, and Professor Richard Payne FAA (Chemical Biologist, University of Sydney), the winner of the Society’s 2020 Liversidge Lecture.

The Academy citation for Belinda Medlyn notes that she ‘is a plant physiological ecologist and mathematical modeller known for her ground-breaking contributions to understanding and predicting plant responses to climate change. Bridging the traditional divide between experimental ecology and modelling with innovative quantitative syntheses, her work has provided a compelling basis for long-term prediction of plant responses to rising CO2 concentrations, warming temperatures, and drought. Her work has been integrated into the mathematical models used to predict Earth system dynamics worldwide. ’ Professor Medlyn is a highly-cited researcher being named in Clarivate’s Highly Cited (HiCis) Research list for 2028, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The Academy citation for Richard Payne states that ‘he is an international leader in the fields of organic chemistry and chemical biology. He is recognised for pioneering a number of technologies for accessing precisely modified peptides and proteins for applications in biology and medicine. His lab is also recognised for the development of modified peptide drug leads for a range of diseases, such as anti-inflammatories, anti-thrombotics, and anti-infectives (including for COVID-19). The impact of his research has led to the award of more than 20 prestigious prizes, including the Malcolm McIntosh Prime Minister’s Prize and the AJ Birch and HG Smith Medals from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. ’

The Council of the Royal Society of NSW extends its warmest congratulations to Professor Medlyn and Professor Payne on this recognition of their outstanding scientific achievements.