Professor Edward C. Holmes from the University of Sydney has won the 2021 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for his groundbreaking work in COVID-19 research.
Professor Holmes was the first person in the world to share the genome sequence of the COVID-19 virus.
The impact of sharing this vital information has had on the global scientific response to the virus was immense, allowing for work to begin on developing a vaccine, just days following the publication of his findings.
With a lengthy career specialising in viral diseases, Professor Homes is considered the global authority on their evolution, and has played a major role in the scientific understanding of some of the world’s deadliest viral diseases.
Following his success in the genomic sequencing of COVID-19, Professor Holmes is now at the forefront of research into the origins and evolution of the virus.
This year’s prize also recognised the work of six other scientists, innovators and teachers who have excelled in their fields.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s prizes were a virtual event.
Recipients of the 2021 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Professor Edward C. Holmes, University of Sydney
Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
Professor Anthony Steven Weiss AM, University of Sydney
Prize for New Innovators
Associate Professor Michael Bowen, Kinoxis Therapeutics
Malcolm Mcintosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Dr Keith Bannister, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Professor Sherene Loi, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria
Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Mrs Megan Hayes, Mudgeeraba Creek State School, Queensland
Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools
Mr Scott Graham, Barker College, New South Wales
Find out more about the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.
Nominations for the 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science will open early next year.
Learn more about previous winners of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and their ground-breaking discovery in gravitational wave astronomy and internationally-acclaimed research in mathematics.