2017 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winners

Catchment Sediment Budget Research Team, Griffith University

Along with climate change, poor water quality from catchment runoff is a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef. The Catchment Sediment Budget Research Team has transformed how sediment sources are identified and targeted, resulting in a significant shift in government policy and practice.

Professor Geoffrey Webb, Monash University

By bringing together two seemingly disparate approaches to machine learning, Professor Geoffrey Webb has helped forge new avenues of data science research. His work, which has included supporting research into male suicide and a range of diseases, has had significant social and economic impact.

Aboriginal Heritage Project, The University of Adelaide and South Australian Museum

Working in partnership with Aboriginal families and communities, this project uses historical hair samples to reconstruct the map of Indigenous Australia prior to European arrival. The Aboriginal Heritage Project is reconstructing the vast history of people in Australia, and making a valuable contribution to the Reconciliation process.

The Scabies Research Team, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; the Kirby Institute; St Vincent's Hospital Sydney; and Menzies School of Health Research

Through two landmark trials the Scabies Research Team has shown that mass drug administration with the oral drug ivermectin is highly effective in controlling scabies and related bacterial skin sores. These results have transformed the global conversation on integrated programs for neglected tropical diseases.

The Colvera Team, CSIRO; Clinical Genomics Pty Ltd; and Flinders University

The Colvera Team has developed a clinically validated blood test that sensitively and accurately detects cancer DNA in the blood plasma of colorectal cancer patients. This presents a new opportunity for oncologists to improve treatment regimens through earlier disease detection that may in turn lead to increased patient survival.

FREO₂, University of Melbourne

The FREO₂ Siphon concentrator produces, stores and delivers medical-grade oxygen to critically ill newborn babies without needing a secure source of electricity. This innovative technology has the potential to substantially reduce infant mortality rates arising from hypoxic illnesses in low-resource settings, such as Papua New Guinea, East Timor and sub-Saharan Africa.

Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, RMIT University

Associate Professor Madhu Bhaskaran is working towards a future where wearable electronic devices are unbreakable. By combining inherently brittle multi-functional oxides with rubber-like membranes, her work moves us closer to affordable and biocompatible electronic devices being an integral part of life and healthcare.

Associate Professor Richard Mildren, Macquarie University

The diamond-based technology invented by Associate Professor Richard Mildren is capable of radically increasing the power and spectral range of lasers. Australian and United States defence agencies are investing in this technology to increase their power capability, and a UK company has licensed commercial applications in quantum science and biomedicine.

Bacteria Busters, Swinburne University of Technology

The original work of Professor Elena Ivanova and Professor Saulius Juodkazis shows that mimicking the nanomorphology of insect wings is an effective method of preventing bacterial colonisation. Their unique approach of providing a physical, rather than chemical means of killing bacteria, could have a huge impact on public health worldwide.

Professor Andrew Whitehouse, Telethon Kids Institute

Professor Andrew Whitehouse is passionate about helping children with autism reach their full potential. Through a combination of scientific research, policy development, science communication, and service delivery, he has established himself as a national and international leader on autism.

Professor Salah Sukkarieh, University of Sydney

Professor Salah Sukkarieh’s leadership successfully translates cutting-edge robotics and intelligent systems research into real-world applications. Working across aviation, agriculture, mining, aerospace and logistics, his work places Australian innovations in autonomous systems on the global map.

Professor Justin Gooding, UNSW

Through a program of individualised mentorship, Professor Justin Gooding has trained and developed an all-new breed of research leader in bionanotechnology and nanomedicine. He has focused on developing innovative, entrepreneurial and passionate researchers who become talented mentors in their own right.

Ngukurr Wi Stadi bla Kantri (We Study the Country) Research Team, Macquarie University; Yugul Mangi Rangers; and Ngukurr School

This project empowers remote living Aboriginal people to protect their environment and maintain endangered cultural knowledge. The work of the Ngukurr Wi stadi bla Kantri (We Study the Country) Research Team has led to the discovery of a new species, found new populations of threatened species, and produced the community's first ever university Bachelor degree students.

Julia Peters, Wain Fimeri, Dr Jordan Nguyen, Riley Saban, Ili Baré and Lizzy Nash

A compelling two-part documentary series, Becoming Superhuman follows the story of a biomedical engineer and a teenage boy with cerebral palsy, who reveal what's possible when cutting edge-technology is fused with biology. Together, they present a future where we all might have a chance at developing superpowers. Produced by The Feds. Broadcast on ABC TV’s Catalyst, 24 and 31 May 2016.

Amelia Lai and Caitlyn Walker, Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney, NSW

Icy Cold But Toasty Warm is an entertaining investigation into the behavioural and physical adaptations of the Antarctic region's Emperor Penguins. Using a series of models, diagrams, experiments and even song, Amelia and Caitlyn illustrate how the species stays warm in the coldest weather conditions on Earth.

Eliza Dalziel, Claire Galvin, Georgia Hannah and Anna Hardy, St Monica's College, QLD

In their film Manure You Know, Eliza, Claire, Georgia and Anna explain the importance of dung beetles in our ecosystem. They investigate why the introduction of dung beetles has positively influenced farms on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, and demonstrate how the belt transect method can be used to monitor dung beetle populations.