Australian Academy of Science Elects New Members

On May 21 local time, the Australian Academy of Science(AAS) announced the election of 26 new Fellows and two Corresponding Members for 2026. The newly elected members come from a wide range of fields, including immunology, paleontology, and quantum computing.

According to statistics, 22 of the 26 new Fellows are affiliated with universities, accounting for 84.6% of the total, highlighting the leading role of higher education institutions in scientific research. Among them, five universities — Australian National University, The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney, The University of Western Australia, and the University of New South Wales — each had three scholars elected, demonstrating particularly strong performance. Monash University had two scholars elected, while another five universities each had one scholar elected.

In addition, the Academy has also elected two Corresponding Members — distinguished international scientists with strong ties to Australia who have made outstanding contributions to science. The two scholars are from the Indian Institute of Science and the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The full list of newly elected members is as follows:

Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC said this year’s cohort demonstrated both the depth of Australian science and the pathway from discovery to impact.

“This cohort includes scientists whose work is rewriting the textbooks and has changed the world,” Professor Jagadish said.

About Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science

Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for ground-breaking research and contributions that have had clear impact. Each year the Academy may elect up to 24 new Fellows by ‘Ordinary Election’ and up to four additional Fellows by ‘Special Election’. From 1954 to 2025, there have been 965 Fellows elected to the Academy. Each year the Academy’s Council may invite up to two distinguished overseas scientists to join the Academy as Corresponding Members.