The Australian Museum Eureka prizes will be awarded for evolutionary research into sustainable food production, antimicrobial resistance and the future of AI
The Australian Museum (AM) has today announced the 45 finalists selected for Australia’s leading science awards, the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
Finalists from almost every state and territory across Australia are in the running for 14 AM Eureka Prizes in four categories, including excellence in Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Engagement and School Science.
The Eureka Prizes are the nation’s premier science awards, offering $140,000 in prize money across a broad spectrum of research, from environmental to innovative technologies, citizen science, leadership and mentoring.
Finalists for the 2022 AM Eureka Prizes include:
- A team who developed a completely new class of drugs that can effectively put cancer cells to sleep;
- Research into how our diets impact the environment;
- A novel scientific approach to the control of the Crown of Thorns Starfish on the Great Barrier Reef;
- An open-access access initiative to reinvigorate antibiotic research and drug discovery;
- A world-renowned expert on Artificial Intelligence (AI) who is a key voice in understanding and preparing for our AI future;
- Multiple initiatives making STEM accessible for underrepresented communities (First Nations, LGBTQIA+ and people living with a disability);
- A new nanofabricated microscope slide that has the capacity to revolutionise cancer detection.
The winners of the 2022 AM Eureka Prizes will be announced on Wednesday 31 August at an awards ceremony held at the Australian Museum. An online livestream of the awards will also be open to all audiences to view on the night. Register for the livestream at australian.museum/eurekaprizes.
Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO said the AM Eureka Prizes recognise the incredible achievements and advancements made by Australia’s leading scientists.
“Since the prizes were established in 1990, more than four million dollars in prize money and a total of 476 Eureka Prizes have been awarded,” Kim McKay said.
“Past winners, such as world leading quantum physics scientist, Professor Michelle Simmons who was recognised with an AM Eureka Prize in 2016, named Australian of the Year in 2018 and winner of the British 2022 Bakerian Medal and Lecture award for her seminal contributions to our understanding of quantum physics, have gone on to become world renowned for their contributions to scientific discovery.
“Today, 32 years on, the AM Eureka Prizes remains the only national science awards to bring together leading scientists, emerging researchers and young schoolchildren.
“The Australian Museum is proud to celebrate the pioneering achievements of this year’s finalists. The impact that their work will have on society will be felt for many years to come,” Kim McKay concluded
Chief scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute, Professor Kristofer Helgen said the AM Eureka Prizes were established to identify the outstanding scientists who will advance science and technology as well as the missions important to our participating partners.
“Winners of the AMEP awards are often recruited into leading industry and academic positions, so fostering development and increasing awareness of careers in science and technology is fundamental to our nation’s future,” Professor Helgen added.
See the prizes awarded in a live broadcast, make sure you register for the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists awards at australian.museum/eurekaprizes
