For his excellence in scientific achievement and commitment to science communication, Professor Mike Archer has been awarded a prestigious Bragg Membership of The Royal Institution of Australia.
Deborah Smith
UNSW Media
9385 7307 or 0478 492 060
deborah.smith@unsw.edu.au
For his excellence in scientific achievement and commitment to science communication, Professor Mike Archer has been awarded a prestigious Bragg Membership of The Royal Institution of Australia.
Honorary Bragg Membership is the highest category of Institution membership, and Professor Archer, a palaeontologist in the UNSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, was formally inducted at a ceremony at the Australian Museum this week.
“Celebrating the achievements of our great scientists is an important part of our development as an innovative nation,” said Institution Chairman, Peter Yates, speaking on behalf of Institution Patron, The Duke of Kent.
“By acknowledging and honouring our industry leaders we hope to inspire the next generation of scientists and STEM graduates who will play a critical role in building Australia’s future," he said.
Archer has been excavating for more than 30 years at the Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil Site in remote north-western Queensland, unearthing remains of the many strange creatures that once roamed the continent.
Recent discoveries from Riversleigh include an extinct species of tiny marsupial lion that has been named after the famous broadcaster Sir David Attenborough; an extinct species of huge carnivorous platypus, and the world’s oldest sperm, which came from tiny fossil shrimp that lived about 17 million years ago.
His other research interests include conservation through the sustainable use of native resources, such as wild-harvesting kangaroos for meat, using spinifex native grass to make environmentally friendly fuels, and promoting native mammals like quolls as pets.
He is also involved in de-extinction research to revive extinct species, including the gastric-brooding frog.
During his distinguished career Archer has also held positions as Curator of Mammals at Queensland University, Director of the Australian Museum and Dean of Science at UNSW. He has supervised 85 research students, produced 315 scientific publications and received awards including Fellowships in the Australia Academy of Science and Royal Society of NSW, a Eureka Prize for the Promotion of Science, and membership of the Order of Australia.
Archer is one of six science leaders honoured by The Royal Institution of Australia, along with British physicist and TV presenter Professor Brian Cox.
They join 31 other distinguished Bragg members, including UNSW Scientia Professors Michelle Simmons and Martin Green, former astronaut Andy Thomas, developer of the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer Professor Ian Frazer, and Nobel Prize winners Professor Brian Schmidt and Dr Elizabeth Blackburn.