The Edgeworth David Medal
The Edgeworth David Medal is awarded for distinguished contributions by a young scientists under the age of thirty-five (35) years for work done mainly in Australia or its territories; or contributing to the advancement of Australian science. It is named after the pioneering geologist and longstanding supporter of the Society, Sir Edgeworth David FRS, who wrote the first comprehensive record of the geology of Australia.
Nominations for the Edgeworth David Medal 2017 will close on 30 September 2017. A letter of nomination and the nominee's full curriculum vitae should be sent to the Awards Committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
In September 1942, Henry Ferdinand Halloran, who had joined the Society in 1892, decided to celebrate his jubilee as a member by making a donation to the Society. In May 1943 the Council decided to use some of Henry Halloran's gift to establish the Edgeworth David Medal, to be awarded annually to scientists under the age of 35 years.
In October 1943, the sculptor Lyndon Dadswell was commissioned to draw up a design for the Edgeworth David Medal. About three years elapsed before Dadswell finalised the design. The Council of the Society had decided at an early stage that a portrait of the late Professor Sir Edgeworth David would appear on the obverse side of the medal. Members of Council were not satisfied that the first plaster cast of the medal was a good likeness of Sir Edgeworth and a modified design was finally accepted by Council in March 1947.
The first award of the Edgeworth David Medal was made at the Annual General Meeting of the Society in April 1949.
The Edgeworth David Medal 2016
Edgeworth David Medal for 2016 has been awarded to Dr. Muireann Irish. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Psychology, UNSW, a Senior Research Officer, FRONTIER, Neuroscience Research Australia, and an Associate Investigator, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Memory Node.
Dr Irish’s research focuses on memory disruption in dementia, and she is considered to be at the forefront of cognitive neuroscience. Her research contributions include, amongst many, establishing the impairment of planning in dementia patients and differentiation among dementia syndromes at initial presentation. She is also a spokesperson for women in science.
| Year | Recipient | Discipline |
| 1948 | R.G. Giovanelli & | Astrophysics |
| E. Ritchie | Organic Chemistry | |
| 1949 | T.B. Kiely | Plant Pathology |
| 1950 | R.M. Berndt & | Anthropology |
| Catherine H. Berndt | Anthropology | |
| 1951 | J.G. Bolton | Radio Astronomy |
| 1952 | A.B. Wardrop | Botany |
| 1954 | E.S. Barnes | Mathematics |
| 1955 | H.B.S. Womersley | Botany |
| 1956 | J.M. Cowley | Chemical Physic |
| 1957 | J.M. Cowley & | Chemical Physics |
| J.P. Wild | Radio Astronomy | |
| 1958 | P.I. Korner | Physiology |
| 1960 | R.D. Brown | Chemistry |
| 1961 | R.O. Slatyer | Climatology |
| 1962 | R.F. Isbell | Soil Science |
| 1963 | W.H. Fletcher | Physics |
| 1964 | M.E. Holman | Physiology |
| 1965 | J.L. Dillon | Agricultural Economics |
| 1966 | R.I. Tanner | Mechanical Engineering |
| 1967 | D.H. Green & | Geology |
| W.J. Peacock | Botany | |
| 1968 | R.M. May | Physics |
| 1969 | B.W. Ninham | Physics |
| 1970 | D.A. Buckingham | Inorganic Chemistry |
| 1971 | W.F. Budd | Glaciology |
| 1972 | D.H. Napper & | Physical Chemistry |
| J. Stone | Physiology | |
| 1973 | C.D. Osmond | Plant Biology |
| 1974 | A.W. Snyder | Physics |
| 1975 | F.J. Ballard | Biochemistry |
| 1976 | R.H. Street | Mathematics |
| 1977 | R.A. Antonia | Mechanical Engineering |
| 1978 | JT.W. Cole & | Astronomy |
| M.G. Clark | Physiology | |
| 1979 | G.C. Goodwin | Electrical Engineering |
| 1980 | Michael Anthony Etheridge | Geology |
| 1981 | Martin Andrew Green | Applied Physics |
| 1982 | Nhan Phan-Thien | Mechanics |
| 1983 | Denis Wakefield | Ocular Immunology |
| 1984 | Alan James Husband | Pathology |
| 1985 | Simon Charles Gandevia & | Clinical Neurophysiology |
| Brian James Morris | Molecular Biology | |
| 1986 | Leslie David Field & | Chemistry |
| Peter Gavin Hall | Statistics | |
| 1987 | Andrew Cockburn | Zoology |
| 1988 | Peter Andrew Lay | Inorganic Chemistry |
| 1989 | Trevor William Hambley | Chemistry |
| 1990 | Timothy Fridjof Flannery | Taxonomy & Phylogeny - Macropodidea |
| 1991 | Mark Harvey | Taxonomy - Invertebrates |
| 1992 | Peter James Goadsby & | Neurophysiology |
| Keith Alexander Nugent | Optics | |
| 1993 | John Skerritt | Agriculture (Genetics) |
| 1994 | Richard Hume Middleton | Electrical Engineering |
| 1995 | Anthony Bruce Murphy | Physics |
| 1996 | Peter Alexander Robinson | Physics |
| 1997 | Albert Zomaya | Mathematics |
| 1999 | Dr Merlin Crossley | Molecular Biology |
| 2000 | Dr Michael Coon Yoong Lee | Zoology |
| 2001 | Dr Samantha Richardson | Evolution |
| 2002 | Professor Marcella Bilek | Physics |
| 2003 | Dr Stuart Robert Batten | Chemistry |
| 2004 | Dr Cameron Kepert | Chemistry |
| 2005 | A/Prof Christopher Barner-Kowollik | Chemistry |
| 2006 | Professor Barry Brook | Environmental Science |
| 2007 | A/Prof Stuart Wyithe | Astrophysics |
| 2008 | Dr Adam Micolich | Physics |
| 2009 | A/Prof Nagarajan Valanoor | Materials Science |
| 2010 | A/Prof Angela Moles | Botany |
| 2011 | Dr Trent Woodruff | Pharmacology |
| 2012 | Dr Joanne Whittaker | Geophysics |
| 2012 | A/Prof David Wilson | Mathematics and Public Health |
| 2013 | A/Prof David Wilson | Epidemiology |
| 2014 | A/Prof Richard Payne | Chemistry |
| 2015 | A/Prof Simon Ho | Biology and Evolution |
| 2016 | Dr. Muireann Irish | Neuroscience |
