The Australian of the Year awards: a moment when Australia acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of its citizens. Recipients have come from all walks of life and have made significant contributions in fields ranging from the social to the scientific.
The 2025 awards were presented just a few weeks ago and it seemed like a good opportunity to look at some past recipients through the lens of intellectual property. Here I focus on some recent recipients who have made contributions to Australia in the fields of science and technology, and whether or not these recipients hold any intellectual property rights.
The awards have a long history of bestowing honours on scientists and innovators, with the first Australian of Year awarded in 1960 to Nobel prize-winning virologist Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet. This long history means that for the purposes of this article, I have confined myself to looking at the past 20 years of recipients and have not intended to be exhaustive. Similarly, events related to any IP are my interpretation of the dates and statuses as supplied by official sources and there is almost certainly more to the story in each case.
2005 Australian of the Year: Dr Fiona Wood
Dr Fiona Wood is a West-Australian plastic surgery pioneer best known for developing the ‘spray on skin’ technique and treating burn victims of the 2002 Bali Bombings. Dr Wood attempted to patent the spray on skin technique in 1996, but the initial application was abandoned. However, a 2002 priority date application was granted as “Cell suspension preparation technique and device” and this patent was maintained up until its expiration in 2022. This patent was also granted in Europe, Hong Kong and Japan. Dr Wood appears to have been involved with several other patents as well.
2006 Australian of Year: Professor Ian Frazer AC
Professor Ian Frazer AC is a professor at the University of Queensland where he established the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research. By 1991 he and his team had developed a world-first vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus strongly linked to cervical cancer.
This vaccine was patented with a priority date of 1992 in at least Australia, Europe, USA and Japan, and significant medical trials were conducted throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s before being widely released.
Dr Frazer is listed as an inventor on 19 Australian patents.
2012 Young Australian of the Year: Marita Cheng AM
Marita Cheng founded Robogals Global in 2008, an educational outreach program aimed at teaching schoolgirls about engineering and the power it has to change lives. Since then, Ms Cheng has founded several tech startups and is the current CEO of Aubot, a robotics teleconferencing company. I don’t believe Ms Cheng holds any patents, but Aubot holds a Trade Mark on ‘Teleport’, used on their teleconferencing robotic device.
2017 Australian of the Year: Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim
Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim was a researcher into the olfactory cells that provide the sense of smell in the nose. His research involved the use of stem-cells and was instrumental in the development of a treatment that first restored mobility in a quadriplegic man. Throughout his life, he was listed as an inventor on four patent applications.
2018 Senior Australian of the Year: Dr Graham Farquhar AO
Dr Graham Farquhar AO spent his career as a biophysicist focused on understanding photosynthesis and plant genetics. His particular area of interest was the development of crops modified to require less water, the method for which was patented with a priority date of 2003. In 2017 Dr Farquhar became the first (and so far, only) Australian awarded the Kyoto Prize for Biological Sciences, one of the most prestigious science awards for topics not considered for Nobel Prizes.
2018 Australian of the Year: Professor Michelle Simmons AO
Professor Michelle Simmons AO is a quantum physicist specialising in advancing quantum computation. As well as being a Professor at UNSW, Professor Simmons is the founder and CEO of Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), a spin-off from her UNSW research lab aimed at developing atomic-scale integrated circuits and further innovations required for practical quantum computation. Professor Simmons is a listed inventor on nearly 30 patents and applications in Australia, many of which have also been granted internationally. SQC also holds a trade mark for their business name and logo.
2020 Australian of the Year: Dr James Muecke AM
Dr James Muecke AM is an Ophthalmologist and eye health advocate. Dr Muecke recognises that vision is a human rights issue, with 80% of world blindness being preventable. To tackle this issue he co-founded both Vision Myanmar, a program focused on eye health in Myanmar, and Sight For All, an organisation aimed at creating a world where everyone can see. Sight For All holds some trade marks for the organisation’s name and logo.
2024 Australian of the Year: Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO
The 2024 award was jointly granted to Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO due to their longstanding partnership as co-medical directors of Melanoma Institute of Australia. Their work at the institute has developed advanced immunotherapy techniques that harness the body’s immune system to fight cancers. Professor Long adapted the techniques to aid in Professor Scolyer’s own cancer battles. The Melanoma Institute of Australia holds a number of trade marks for their name and logo, as well as for various public awareness campaigns. Two patents in the field of melanoma diagnosis have recently been applied for by the institute.
2025 Young Australian of the Year: Dr Katrina Wruck
Dr Katrina Wruck researches ways to convert mining by-products into useful products, including for water-purification. Dr Wruck has founded the business Nguki Kula Green Labs to harness this research. Dr Wruck is a proud Mabuigilaig and Goemulgal woman who has participated in student and community outreach programs, helping to inspire young people to study science. On a personal note, Kat and I shared a group office space for a couple of years while working on our respective PhD research at QUT and I can’t think of anyone more deserving to be the 2025 Young Australian of the Year!
Innovation and IP
Every day, Australian scientists, researchers and inventors show their commitment to improving the lives of people all over the world. The Australian of the Year awards celebrate this depth of talent and passion for innovation. IP protections like patents and trade marks ensure that these contributions remain recognised and trusted.
If you have a business or invention in need of protection, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our experienced attorneys.
