Monash University’s researchers named as Academy Fellows

Three Monash researchers have been elected as 2023 Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science for their outstanding contributions to science and research.

Professor Jian Li (Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute), Professor Mariapia Degli-Esposti (Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute) and Professor Michael Fuhrer (Faculty of Science) are among 20 researchers elected this year and join an Academy with a total of 601 Fellows.

Professor Mariapia Degli-Esposti is a world-renowned immunologist with recognised expertise in viral infection, autoimmunity and immune regulation. Her research has been instrumental to understanding the immunological pathways invoked in response to viral infections, pathophysiology of diseases and the development of improved therapies to address complex immune responses.

ARC Laureate Professor Michael Fuhrer is a materials physicist and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET), which aims to reduce energy usage in information technology and computation by developing low-energy electronic devices. Professor Fuhrer created the first nanotube single-electron memory and graphene terahertz detectors.

Professor Jian Li is an antimicrobial pharmacologist and Head of the Antimicrobial Systems Pharmacology Laboratory at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. His research has been instrumental to developing antibiotics to combat superbugs, and contributing to the first scientifically-based dosing guidelines for polymyxin antibiotics adopted worldwide.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Rebekah Brown, congratulated Professor Li, Professor Degli-Esposti and Professor Fuhrer on their Fellowships.

“Only Australia’s most distinguished scientists are elected as Australian Academy of Science Fellows by their academic peers – it really is a huge achievement. It’s terrific recognition of our researchers’ excellence and capability, the significance and impact of their research – not to mention their reputation among peers.”