SBS researchers elected as new Australian Academy of Science Fellows
Being elected as a Fellow is one of the highest honours in Australian science.
School of Biomedical Sciences researchers Professor Katherine Kedzierska and Professor Laura Mackay have been elected as new Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS), in recognition of their outstanding scientific achievements.
They are among 26 Fellows and two Corresponding Members to join the Australian Academy of Science’s Fellowship of 647 distinguished Australian scientists.
AAS President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish, said this year's elected Fellows showed both the depth of Australia’s science expertise and the path from discovery to impact.
“This cohort includes scientists whose work is rewriting the textbooks and has changed the world,” Professor Jagadish said.
Professor Katherine Kedzierska, Head of the Human T cell Laboratory in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Doherty Institute, is a global expert in human T cell immunity. Her research has advanced understanding of immune responses to infectious diseases, including influenza and COVID-19, helping to inform vaccine development and pandemic preparedness strategies.
Professor Kedzierska holds concurrent appointment as Deputy Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chair of the Departmental Graduate Research Committee, and Visiting Professor at Hokkaido University in Japan. She is an NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Dame Kate Campbell Fellow and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Professor Laura Mackay (Department of Microbiology and Immunology) is Laboratory Head and Immunology Theme Leader at the Doherty Institute and Sir Gustav Nossal Professor of Immunology at WEHI. She is a world-leading researcher in tissue-resident immune cells. Her research has transformed understanding of how immune memory functions within tissues and how these cells protect against infection and disease.
Professor Mackay holds multiple prestigious fellowships and awards. She is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Bill & Melinda Gates International Scholar, a Dame Kate Campbell Fellow, a Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation Senior Medical Research Fellow and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Leadership Fellow. In 2022, she became the youngest ever Fellow elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Established more than 70 years ago, the Australian Academy of Science’s Fellowship is made up of the nation's top scientists. The Academy provides independent, authoritative and influential scientific advice, promotes international scientific engagement, builds public awareness and understanding of science, and champions, celebrates and supports excellence in Australian science.