Sir Gustav Nossalis the recipient of the 2008 ASMR (Australian Society for Medical Research) Medal. Sir Gus Nossal was born in Bad Ischl, Austria in 1931 and came to Australia with his family in 1939. He studied Medicine at The University of Sydney and, after two years' residency at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sir Gus moved to Melbourne to work as a Research Fellow at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (the Hall Institute). Sir Gus was knighted in 1977 and made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1989. Amongst his numerous honours are fellowship of the Royal Society of London; Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences; Member of the Academie des Sciences, France; the Robert Koch Gold Medal, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, and the Emil von Behring Prize.
His research accomplishments are world-renowned. His classic work confirming Burnet's theory of antibody formation was a watershed in understanding the immune system. As researcher and as Director of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI, 1965-96) he has helped build the foundations of modern immunology while working to improve global health through his long-term involvement with the World Health Organization (WHO), most recently as Chairman of the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunization.
Sir Gus' influence has formed and shaped the scientific affairs of Australia for three decades, and continues to do so. Some of his achievements and involvements include:
_The Cooperative Research Centres Scheme
_VicHealth which he then chaired for a decade,
_A founder (1996) of Foursight, a company providing advice on R&D and science to companies, investment institutions, academics and government,
_Professor of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne,
_President of the Australian Academy of Science,
_helping bring life to AMRAD, now one of our most prominent biotechnology companies
Sir Gus has exerted strong influence on government policy especially in his years as President of the Australian Academy of Science, making the comment (30 April, 1998) in :
"The science community over the last decade has strongly supported government policies re-orienting the nation's research and development effort towards economic, social and environmental goals, but there is a risk of this trend going too far. In particular, basic research within universities at the cutting edge of fundamental knowledge is threatened by an unprecedented degree of competitiveness for research grants. Four-fifths of applications now fail."
As a communicator of science he is unparalleled - inspiring future generations of scientists through lectures, radio and television.
He has also been involved in national organisations of social significance, including his role as deputy chair of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.