时间：2008年4月2日
颁奖地点：堪培拉国际媒体俱乐部（the National Press Club in Canberra）
获奖者名单（共10人）
Dr Stuart Batten (Chemistry) – Monash University. Has developed an international reputation in the area of crystal engineering, particularly coordination polymers. Is also an expert on the phenomenon of the interpretation of networks in crystal structures and in the analysis of the topology of network solids.
Professor Paul Chandler (Education) – University of Wollongong. Research interests are in the area of cognition and instructional and developing innovative approaches to learning, based on the increasing knowledge of cognition. A strong advocate of improving Indigenous outcomes in education and health, he has worked on a wide array of community education initiatives.
Professor Suzanne Cory (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) – Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. One of Australia’s most distinguished molecular biologists who focuses on the regulation of cell death by the Bcl-2 family, with the objective of developing more effective cancer therapeutics.
Professor Don Harding (Economics) – LaTrobe University. Main research interests are macroeconomics and econometrics and focuses on the business cycle. Co-creator of a widely used and highly accurate monthly measure of Australian inflation.
Professor Terence Hughes (Marine and Freshwater Biology) – James Cook University. Has broad research interests in ecology, marine biology and the social-ecological dynamics of coral reefs. Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence and Leader of Program 5: Resilience of linked social-ecological systems.
Professor Anthony Jorm (Psychiatry) – Orygen Research Centre and University of Melbourne. Current research focuses on public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders, and particularly on interventions to improve the public’s helpfulness towards people developing mental disorders. He is the author of 12 books/monographs, over 300 journal articles and over 25 chapters in edited volumes.
Dr William James Peacock (Plant Sciences) – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Appointed Australian Chief Scientist in 2006, Jim Peacock is an award winning molecular biologist and eminent researcher in the field of plant molecular biology and its applications in agriculture. Played a key role in the establishment of cotton as Australia’s first highly successful biotech crop.
Professor Brian Schmidt (Astronomy and Astrophysics) – Australian National University. Studies the universe, using exploding stars and is leading Mount Stromlo’s effort to build the SkyMapper telescope, a new facility that will provide a comprehensive digital map of the southern sky from ultraviolet through near infrared wavelengths.
Dr Ian Wright (Ecology) – Macquarie University. Research focuses on quantifying how key plant traits vary with each other and with environmental factors, both in Australia and worldwide. Helped convene the ARC-NZ Research Network for Vegetation Function, which aims to stimulate research across disciplines such as functional genomics, ecophysiology, global change biology and evolutionary history.
Professor Zheng-Xiang Li (Geosciences) – Curtin University of Technology. Specialises in study directed at understanding Earth’s evolution over the last 1000 million years and related tectonic processes. His work is of particular interest to the petroleum industry and environmental/climactic studies, with a special focus in the West Pacific.
