First Elected Female President of the Academy of Science

Distinguished cancer researcher, Professor Suzanne Cory, has been elected by her peers as President of the Australian Academy of Science – an institution that has been dominated by male scientists since its formation in 1954. The only other female to serve in this position was Professor Dorothy Hill, who stepped into the role when the President, Dr David Martyn, died in 1970.

Professor Cory said of the appointment “I feel very honoured to have been elected as President. At the same time, I am very conscious that it is a great responsibility.”

Professor Cory brings a wealth of experience. She was Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Professor of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne from 1996 until 2009. She was appointed to the CSIRO Board in 2002, becoming its Deputy Chairman in 2007.

Speaking of her role as the new President she said, “We live in an increasingly challenging global environment and I believe that Australia’s future will in large measure be determined by its capability in the sciences and engineering. The Academy must therefore play a major leadership role.”

“We must ensure that Australian science grows even stronger and is well-linked internationally. We must stand ready to provide our policy-makers with sound independent scientific advice. And we must nurture the next generation of scientific leaders, by fostering high quality science education in our schools and universities and by inspiring our communities with the heady excitement of scientific discovery.”

Professor Cory’s scientific achievements have attracted numerous honours and awards, including the Australia Prize, the Charles S. Mott Prize of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation, the Royal Medal of The Royal Society and a L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award.

She was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 1986 and the Royal Society in 1992. She is also an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. In 1999 she was appointed Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia and in 2009 she was awarded the French decoration of Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur.

As the first elected female President Professor Cory takes over the role from outgoing President, Professor Kurt Lambeck. The presidency alternates between the physical and biological sciences and the term lasts for 4 years.

SOURCE: Australian Academy of Science