University congratulates 2021 Australian Academy of Science Fellows

Exceptional University of Melbourne researchers have been recognised for their contributions to science through their election as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science.

Professors Robin Gasser from the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, John Sader from the Faculty of Science and Mark Dawson from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences were elected to the Academy by their peers, in recognition of the significance of their research in their respective fields.

University of Melbourne Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Mark Hargreaves said the election of new Fellows reflects on their significant contributions and, more widely, on the world-class research capability of the University.

“I’d like to offer my congratulations to our new Fellows on their outstanding achievements and contributions,” Professor Hargreaves said.

“Election to the Australian Academy of Science is fitting recognition for a lifetime of hard work, commitment and dedication to research.”

Professor Hargreaves also wanted to acknowledge and congratulate the new Fellows from affiliated partners: Professors Brendan Crabb (Burnet Institute) and Gordon Smyth (WEHI) who hold honorary positions with the University.

“At the University of Melbourne we are privileged to be a part of a wider precinct that allows for deep and meaningful collaboration across hospitals, medical research institutes, biotechnology organisations and universities.  Our research capability and capacity will be further enhanced by the opportunities associated with the recently announced Australian Institute for Infectious Disease.”

The University of Melbourne 2021 Academy of Science Fellows:

• Professor Robin Gasser is an eminent veterinary scientist.  His research has generated deep knowledge and understanding of the biology of parasites, their interactions with their hosts and the diseases they cause by applying and integrating a range of advanced technologies to explore their genomes and function.

• Professor John Sader developed pioneering measurement techniques that revolutionised the characterisation of materials using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).  The Sader Method is an international standard for AFM calibration, as is the Sader-Jarvis Method for atomically resolved AFM measurements.
• Professor Mark Dawson is a clinician-scientist whose research focuses on studying the biological mechanisms by which epigenetic regulators facilitate the induction, maintenance, and progression of cancer.

The University of Melbourne honoraries are:

• Professor Brendan Crabb has made several discoveries of significance on human malaria. His team discovered the malaria translocon, a protein machine that allows the translocation of malaria proteins into its host cell, a highly vulnerable point in the parasite’s life cycle.
• Professor Gordon Smyth is a statistician and bioinformatician who is known for his work on statistical computing and statistical modelling.  He has long-standing interests in nonlinear estimation, dispersion estimation and algorithm development.

The new Fellows will be formally inducted into the Australian Academy of Science at an online event on Wednesday 3 November, 2021.