Australian Academy of Science Welcomes Four New Fellows
The Australian Academy of Science has elected four new Fellows from Flinders University and the Australian National University (ANU), honoring their groundbreaking work in paleontology, materials chemistry, plant biology, and geochemistry.
The newly elected Fellows—Professor John Long (Flinders University), and ANU researchers Distinguished Professor Yun Liu, Professor Robert Furbank, and Professor Jochen Brocks—are among 28 new members admitted to the prestigious Academy.
"Professor Long's research helped shape our understanding of vertebrate evolution." — Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC
The Newly Elected Fellows
Professor John Long (Flinders University)
An Emeritus Professor in Palaeontology, Professor Long has discovered and formally identified 90 previously unknown prehistoric taxa. His research has centered on the diversity and palaeo-ecology of the Devonian Gogo reef faunal assemblage.
Career highlights:
- Published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, including 12 in Nature and Science
- Authored approximately 30 books and over 160 popular science articles
- Led fieldwork in Antarctica, Africa, Iran, East Asia, and Australia
- Contributed to research on the origin of vertebrate limbs and shark evolution
- Received the Eureka Prize for Promotion of Science (2001) and was part of a team winning the Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Research (2016)
- Served as president of the Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology (2014)
Professor Long expressed pride in leading teams that "discovered the origins of vertebrate sexual reproduction through fossil fishes with the oldest known embryos."
Distinguished Professor Yun Liu (ANU)
An applied materials chemist, Professor Liu's research on defect and crystal chemistry has influenced materials design for electronics, energy, and environmental applications.
Her work involves using neutron and synchrotron sources, high-resolution electron microscopes, and atomic force microscopes to probe matter at the atomic scale. She notes that studying materials involves a sense of "exploration and discovery."
Professor Robert Furbank (ANU)
A plant biologist who leads international efforts to redesign rice and wheat for higher yields. Professor Furbank's research spans gene discovery and in silico tools to improve field crop performance. He established Australia's first Plant Phenomics Centre.
Furbank stated that he enjoys "understanding how things work and improving them."
Professor Jochen Brocks (ANU)
A geochemist who developed technologies to detect molecular fossils in billion-year-old sedimentary rocks. His work has provided insights into early life in primordial oceans and contributed to understanding the evolution of nucleated life and the emergence of animals.
Notably, Brocks revised a central result from his own PhD research, developing cleaner analytical methods to distinguish genuine ancient biomarkers from contamination.
About the Academy
The Australian Academy of Science is an independent organization of distinguished Australian scientists.