Scientist of the Year 2026 Finalists
Professor Stuart Brierley, Co-Theme Leader, Lifelong Health
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Professor Stuart Brierley’s research has transformed how chronic pain from our internal organs is understood and treated. Over two decades his work has revealed how communication between the gut and the brain becomes altered in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease, which affect around 15% of people globally and cause significant personal, social and economic burden.
His discoveries directly enabled the development of a world leading treatment for IBS, improving daily life for millions of patients and reshaping international clinical guidelines. By showing that pain can be treated locally in the gut his work has changed pharmaceutical approaches to pain treatment worldwide.
His research has delivered major economic returns, attracting more than $50 million in competitive research funding and millions more in industry investment, and drawing international collaborations, clinical trials and jobs to the state. His leadership has positioned South Australia as a global hub for gut–brain and pain research.
Through innovation, translation and partnerships with patients, clinicians and industry, his work demonstrates how medical research can deliver lasting benefits to health, society and the economy.
Professor Matthew Gilliham, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space
Adelaide University
Professor Matthew Gilliham’s discoveries in plant drought and salinity tolerance have contributed directly to improving wheat, barley, and wine grape yields and quality, locally and globally.
As Director of the Waite Research Institute, he transformed the University of Adelaide’s agricultural research flagship into a more ambitious enterprise, integrating synthetic biology and machine learning with established strengths in wine and plant breeding. His leadership oversaw major investments with government and industry partners, while fostering the next generation of research leaders, cementing Adelaide’s status as a world-class centre for agricultural innovation.
As founder and leader of the $150M ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S), and Plant SynBio Australia, he has helped establish South Australia as an international hub for space plant sciences and synthetic biology. These technologies are used on the International Space Station and are supporting solutions in agricultural sustainability, biomanufacturing, and green bioeconomy, here on Earth.
His programs are communicated to the wider community through public events, with the P4S programs alone delivering outreach to more than 150,000 Australian primary and secondary students, and training for more than 2,000 teachers.
Professor Graham (Gus) Nathan, Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Joint Director of the Centre for Energy Technology
Adelaide University
Professor ‘Gus’ Nathan is an engineering scientist whose work has advanced technologies that improve the sustainability and global competitiveness of Australia’s priority industries.
His research has addressed critical challenges in localised pollution and operational stability, while establishing leading international collaborations. These achievements helped drive the creation of the $200M Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition (HILT) CRC, which brings together industry and research partners to de-risk the technologies needed for the sector’s transition to net zero emissions. Professor Nathan co-leads HILT’s programs in alumina decarbonisation, renewable energy integration, alternative fuel burners and thermal roasting.
His research has led to the development of technology platforms now in commercial use, including, the low NOx Gyro-Therm burner, which saves millions of dollars in fuel, and the Sydney Olympic Torch and Stadium Flame technologies, which led to the creation of a new company supplying ceremonial flames around the world.
A passionate mentor, he has guided more than 50 PhD students, secured over $70M in research funding for the state and co-led $400M in national programs. His contributions position South Australia at the forefront of industrial decarbonisation.