The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has honoured a group of respected researchers for their contributions and commitment to health and medical research excellence.
Fourteen top ranked applicants across NHMRC's major funding schemes were presented with awards at a ceremony attended by the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Rebecca White MP, Council Chair, Professor Caroline Homer AO, AMRAB Chair, Professor Kathyrn North AC, members of NHMRC Council and AMRAB, as well as other eminent guests.
NHMRC's Research Excellence Awards are awarded to the top ranked researchers and teams following peer review of applications to NHMRC's highly competitive grant schemes. These annual awards are named in honour of some of the greatest pioneers of Australian health and medical research.
Among these pioneers is the late Emeritus Professor Michael Alpers AO CSM FAA FRS (1934-2024) who from 2026, will be recognised with the awarding of the new NHMRC Michael Alpers Global Health Award.
Professor Alpers dedicated his career to understanding and combating major health challenges such as malaria, pneumonia and other infectious diseases in Papua New Guinea. His pioneering work in tropical medicine and public health has had a lasting impact on global health.
The NHMRC Michael Alpers Global Health Award acknowledges excellence in global health research and will be given annually to a leading NHMRC funded researcher whose research focus is an area of global health, selected from the highest ranked grant recipients across NHMRC's grant program.
NHMRC's CEO, Professor Steve Wesselingh was joined by special guest Clinical Associate Professor Deborah Lehmann AO (the late Professor Alpers' partner) and family members to present the inaugural award to Professor Bruce Neal, Executive Director of The George Institute and Professor of Medicine at the University of New South Wales.
As an internationally recognised global health researcher, Professor Neal was honoured for his 2025 Investigator Grant research program, titled 'achieving global health gains from potassium enriched salt'. Guests at the event were also treated to potassium enriched salt for the evening - highlighting the significant role of dietary interventions in reducing risk factors for a range of disease areas.
Other awardees honoured in the 2025 Research Excellence Awards are dedicated to improving the health of all Australians by leading high-quality research that focuses on such areas as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.
In honour of Australian Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC, Associate Professor Alisa Glukhova of WEHI received the NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award for the Emerging Leadership category.
Associate Professor Glukhova's research focuses on the structural and biochemical aspects of Wnt signalling pathways, a key target in the treatment of many cancers. Her research aims to contribute to the development of more effective cancer treatments.
The Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Rebecca White MP, also awarded Associate Professor Glukhova the 2026 Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research for her outstanding scientific contributions.
This award is given annually to NHMRC's top ranked Investigator Grant in Emerging Leadership Level 2 category in the previous year's round. By accepting this prestigious award, Associate Professor Glukhova receives a further $50,000 to help support her research in addition to her recent 5-year NHMRC Investigator Grant funding.
The full list of NHMRC Research Excellence Awards recipients is available in the table below as well as on NHMRC's website.
Quotes attributable to NHMRC CEO, Professor Steve Wesselingh:
"NHMRC's Research Excellence Awards celebrate exceptional leadership and research excellence, reflecting our lasting commitment to building a healthier Australia - an ambition shared by every individual, team and organisation recognised tonight.
"It is a privilege to highlight the extraordinary depth of talent across Australia's health and medical research sector and recognise our top ranked researchers who continue to champion bold ideas and push the boundaries of discovery.
"Congratulations to each of the awardees honoured tonight for their achievements and thank you for your contributions to health and medical research."
