The Prime Minister's Prize for Science this year has been awarded to Professors Ezio Rizzardo and David Solomon from the CSIRO and the University of Melbourne.
The $300,000 prize recognises their work in reinventing polymer science by devising a means of custom building plastics and other polymers for plastic solar cells, drug delivery, paints, adhesives, lubricants and everything in between.
Their techniques are employed in the laboratories and factories of 3M, Dulux, DuPont, L’Oréal, IBM and more than 60 other companies.
Their work has been cited more than 12,000 times in the scientific literature and is integral to more than 500 patents.
The Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year was awarded to Associate Professor Min Chen of the University of Sydney after she discovered a new form of chlorophyll — the molecule central to photosynthesis — on which we depend for food, shelter, and the oxygen we breathe. Her discovery has implications for solar energy and agriculture.
The government recognised in particular the work of Professors Rizzardo, Solomon and Chen is contributing to Australia’s clean energy future.
Full citations, photos, videos and overlay are available at www.innovation.gov.au/scienceprizes
