Fellowships celebrate lifelong dedication to science

The University of Adelaide’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter Høj AC, Emeritus Professor Peter Langridge, and Professor Timothy Hughes, are among 22 new Fellows of The Australian Academy of Science.

Professor Høj has dedicated decades of his life to education and research with his career beginning at the University of Copenhagen where he undertook his undergraduate, Masters and PhD studies.

“I’ve always been driven by the desire to do meaningful work, conducting and enabling research and education that society genuinely needs,” said Professor Høj.

“Bridging the gap between research and its application for societal benefit has been a pivotal motivation for me personally and through my leadership positions.”

“I have been lucky enough to work with, and be inspired by, the best minds in Australia’s research community. To be honoured by them is, in turn, a true honour.”

He has worked as Foundation Professor of Viticultural Science and Professor of Oenology at the University of Adelaide, Managing Director of The Australian Wine Research Institute, CEO of The Australian research Council and as Vice-Chancellor of three Universities. In 2019 Professor Høj was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

Emeritus Professor Langridge’s Fellowship is in recognition of his pioneering work in the field of plant genomics, and his contribution to strengthening agricultural production in Australia and internationally.

“It is great to be honoured with a Fellowship from the Australian Academy of Sciences and help play a role in supporting science at a time when we need science-based decision making more than ever,” he said.

Professor Langridge, who works at the University’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, initiated the application of molecular marker technology in large cereal and legume breeding programs in Australia; these technologies were ultimately adopted by all major cereal breeding programs in the country.

He also pioneered the introduction of plant functional genomics in Australia into crop improvement programs and was a member of a core group that worked on the international barley and wheat genome sequencing programs.

Professor Langridge completed a PhD in Plant Genetics at the Australian National University, and his extensive career includes stints at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, Universities of Hamburg and Freiburg in Germany. He currently leads the Wheat Initiative, an organisation set up by the G 20 Group of Countries and headquartered in Germany.

Professor Langridge was named South Australian Scientist of the Year in 2011 by the South Australian Government, and has received honours including an Australian Technology Commendation for Excellence in Agrobiotechnology.

Both Professor Peter Høj and Professor Peter Langridge have previously received the highest honour the University of Adelaide can give, Honorary Doctorates (Doctor of Science, honoris causa), commemorating their contribution to academia and South Australian society more broadly.

Professor Timothy Hughes of the University of Adelaide Medical School joins Professors Høj and Langridge in becoming a Fellow of The Australian Academy of Science.

Alongside his work as Beat Cancer Professor at the University of Adelaide, Professor Hughes is Precision Cancer Medicine Theme Leader at South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and a Consultant Haematologist at The Royal Adelaide Hospital.

An international expert in the biology and treatment of leukaemia, Professor Hughes led the establishment of the molecular response criteria that are used world-wide to measure response in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), and has led to many of the key global and national trials in CML.

He has been integral in transforming CML from a fatal disease to a treatable chronic disease, heralding an exciting new era in cancer therapy.

“This Fellowship from the Academy of Sciences means so much to me,” said Professor Hughes.

“I was inspired by working with some of the leaders in the CML field in the 1980s to take on the challenge of better understanding this fascinating and challenging disease and work towards a cure”.

“In turn I hope to inspire future generations of scientists to tackle the challenges facing us today.”

Professor Hughes is also Chair of the International Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Foundation, and recipient of the National GSK Award for Research Excellence and the National Ramaciotti Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research.

Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the most distinguished scientists in the country, elected by their peers for ground-breaking research and impactful contributions. A full list of 2022 fellows can be found on their website.