SBS congratulates Professor Anne Kelso – appointed a Companion to the Order (AC)
Professor Kelso's 2026 Australia Day citation honours her contribution to health and medical research sciences, influenza preparedness, and gender equity.
The School of Biomedical Sciences extends warm congratulations to Professor Anne Kelso, who was appointed a Companion to the Order (AC) in this year’s Australia Day honours.
The appointment recognises Professor Kelso’s distinguished contribution to health and medical research, which began with her Bachelor of Science (Honours) and PhD in immunology at the University of Melbourne. She is a former CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and was the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Doherty Institute and the CRC for Vaccine Technology at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. She received her honorary professorial appointment at the University of Melbourne in 2023 and is Chair of the Doherty Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board.
The citation also honours her determined contribution to gender equity and global public health. Speaking to The Mandarin public sector news site, Professor Kelso said her background as a laboratory researcher helped her “bridge the gap” between academic institutions and political offices.
“The motivation of people in the parliament is different from the motivation of the people who are doing research in our universities and institutes and hospitals, and they’re working in very different cultures,” she explained. Professor Kelso added that deep mutual understanding is needed for government to understand why it should invest – and keep investing – in research.