The Institute’s top science prize is awarded annually to early-career scientists who have produced pioneering research.

The Burnet Prize was established in 1987 through a bequest of Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet.

Past recipients

A number of past recipients have gone on to great success at the Institute, including our current director Professor Doug Hilton and a number of division heads, including Professor Warren Alexander, Professor Alan Cowman, Professor Guillaume Lessene, Professor Stephen Nutt, Professor Andrew Roberts, Professor Andreas Strasser and Professor David Vaux.

Other Burnet Prize winners now lead other medical research institutes. Professor Brendan Crabb is director of the Burnet Institute, and Professor Simon Foote is director of the John Curtin School of Medical Research. Professor Anne Kelso is CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and a former director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza.

Burnet Prize winners

The Burnet Prize includes a specially-commissioned engraved bronze plaque created by Melbourne sculptor Michael Meszaros.

2020 Cyril Seillet and Rhea Longley

2019 Wilson Wong

2018 Wai-Hong Tham

2017 Gemma Kelly and James Murphy

2016 Nick Huntington

2015 Greg Ebert

2014 Emma Josefsson and Justin Boddey 

2013 Guillaume Lessene and Peter Czabotar 

2012 Jeff Babon 

2011 Jake Baum

2010 Marie-Liesse Asselin-Labat

2009 Axel Kailles and Clare Scott

2008 Benjamin Kile

2007 Gabrielle Belz

2006 James Beeson

2005 Stephen Nutt

2004 Andrew Roberts

2003 Robyn Starr

2002 Philippe Bouillet

2001 Brendan Crabb

2000 David Huang

1999 Warren Alexander

1998 William Heath

1997 Doug Hilton

1996 Li Wu

1995 David Vaux

1994 Simon Foote

1993 Steven Gerondakis

1992 Andreas Strasser

1991 Glenn Begley

1990 Alan Cowman

1989 Anne Kelso

1988 Nick Gough

1987 Lynn Corcoran