Four of Australia’s most accomplished scientists have been elected to the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, the Royal Society of London.

Prof Ian Frazer, Prof Alan Cowman, Prof Mark Randolph and Dr Patrick Tam join 40 other scientists to be elected to the Royal Society in 2011, which celebrated its 350th anniversary last year.

“To be honoured and recognised by one of the world’s most prestigious scientific academies is a significant achievement, and well deserved by each of these Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science,” the Academy’s President, Prof Suzanne Cory said.

Ian Frazer, from the University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute and a former Australian of the Year, was elected for his work on the development of a vaccine against cervical cancer.

Alan Cowman, the head of the Infection and Immunity Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, was elected for his work on the molecular workings of the malaria parasite and on developing antimalarial drugs, including potential vaccines.

A geotechnical engineer at the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems, Mark Randolph was elected for advancing the design of piled foundations, and developing new techniques for offshore site investigation and the analysis of soil penetration.

Patrick Tam, a senior principal research fellow at the Children’s Medical Research Institute at the University of Sydney, was elected for advancing the understanding of early embryonic development and the origins of congenital malformations.

PHOTO: PROF IAN FRAZER LAUNCHES THE CERVICAL CANCER VACCINE GARDASIL. CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Australian Academy of Science, eb@science.org.au, Tel: +61 2 6201 9400