These 40 researchers are lifetime achievers in their fields

These are Australia’s top 40 lifetime achievers in research, chosen for the consistent excellence of their work and the impact they had in their fields.

We found them by looking for the five long-term, best-performing, researchers in each of the eight main disciplines of research. To identify them we use a methodology based on their annualised H-index, a measure which considers both their volume of research output, as well as the impact it has in their field.

In each discipline we briefly describe the work on one of the researchers.

Business, Economics & Management

Barry Fraser, Curtin University, Educational Administration

A John Curtin Distinguished Professor in Curtin University’s school of education, he has a particular interest in science education, learning environments and educational evaluation. His research includes assessing students’ and teachers’ perceptions of classroom or school environments and the effects of classroom environments on student outcomes.

Paresh Narayan, Deakin University, International Business

Sara Dolnicar, University of Queensland, Tourism & Hospitality

Neal Ashkanasy, University of Queensland, Human Resources & Organisations

Sharon Parker, Curtin University, Human Resources & Organisations

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Engineering & Computer Science

Rajkumar Buyya, University of Melbourne, Computing Systems

He is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and director of the University of Melbourne’s Cloud Computing and Distributed Systems laboratory. “My interest is in resource management and scheduling algorithms and software systems for cloud computing and distributed systems and enabling their adoption for industrial and societal benefits worldwide.”

Dacheng Tao, University of Sydney, Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition

Yi Yang, University of Technology Sydney, Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition

Peng Shi, University of Adelaide, Automation & Control Theory

Dietmar Hutmacher, Queensland University of Technology, Biomedical Technology

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Chemical & Material Sciences

Shaobin Wang, University of Adelaide, Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis

Based at the University of Adelaide’s school of chemical engineering and advanced materials, his research interests lie in nanomaterial synthesis and analysis and their applications in adsorption and catalysis, focusing on developing novel structured particles and engineering green processes for sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation.

Shi Zhang Qiao, University of Adelaide, Materials Engineering

Yusuke Yamauchi, University of Queensland, Materials Engineering

Wang Guoxiu, University of Technology Sydney, Materials Engineering

Dmitri Golberg, Queensland University of Technology, Materials Engineering

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Physics & Mathematics

Andrey Miroshnichenko, UNSW, Optics & Photonics

His research interests at UNSW Canberra, where he is UNSW Scientia Fellow, include nanophotonics, metamaterials, nonlinear optics, and dynamical systems. “I’m still learning new things every day. It’s that excitement that drives me to advance our optical technologies to make them smaller, thinner, and smarter.”

John Carlin, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Probability & Statistics with Applications

Hussein Mohammed, Curtin University, Thermal Sciences

Benjamin Eggleton, University of Sydney, Optics & Photonics

Ping Koy Lam, Australian National University, Physics & Mathematics (general)

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Health & Medical Sciences

Sarah Medland, QIMR Berghofer, Psychiatry

She is a psychiatric and statistical geneticist, and group leader of psychiatric genetics and co-ordinator of QIMR Berghofer’s mental health program. “My research focuses on improving our understanding of the genetic and environmental mechanisms involved in psychiatric disorders, response to treatment and the structure and function of the brain.”

Richard Ryan, Australian Catholic University, Social Psychology

Peter Gething, Telethon Kids Institute, Tropical Medicine & Parasitology

Grant Montgomery, University of Queensland, Genetics & Genomics

Louisa Degenhardt, UNSW, Addiction

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Humanities, Literature & Arts

Marika Tiggemann, Flinders University, Gender Studies

Her major psychological research at Flinders University concerns body image, “from the sexualisation of girls, the perils of dieting, men’s muscularity concerns, to middle-aged women’s attitudes to cosmetic surgery”. Now she is studying the “unrealistic nature of social media and its resulting impact on body image”.

Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology, Communication

Sarah Pink, Monash University, Communication

Yin Paradies, Deakin University, Ethnic & Cultural Studies

Jean Burgess, Queensland University of Technology, Communication

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Social Sciences

Philip Parker, Australian Catholic University, Educational Psychology & Counselling

He is deputy director of the Australian Catholic University’s Institute for Positive Psychology and Education. His research interests include educational inequality, developmental transitions, and educational attainment. “I aim to help reduce the educational barriers that limit children’s access to the broadest possible set of choices for now and for their future.”

Herbert Marsh, Australian Catholic University, Educational Psychology & Counselling

Julie Henry, University of Queensland, Cognitive Science

Andrew Martin, UNSW, Educational Psychology & Counselling

Katie McMahon, Queensland University of Technology, Cognitive Science

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Life Sciences & Earth Sciences

Lidia Morawska, Queensland University of Technology, Environmental Sciences

She was a leader in understanding Covid-19’s aerosol transmission and the importance of ventilating buildings. Her childhood interest in nuclear physics led to a career taking in atmospheric, building and human exposure science. “The need for a purpose of my work, beyond satisfying curiosity, is what motivates me every day.”

Ben Hayes, University of Queensland, Animal Husbandry

William Laurance, James Cook University, Biodiversity & Conservation Biology

Wenshan Guo, University of Technology Sydney, Environmental Sciences

Zhiguo Yuan, University of Queensland, Environmental Sciences

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