The Prize for Science Writing: Judges 2007

Dr Robin Hirst (Convenor)

Dr Hirst is Director of Collections, Research and Exhibitions at Museum Victoria. Following his PhD studies in Infrared Astronomy, Robin lectured in physics and astronomy, before joining Museum Victoria in 1981 as Director of the Melbourne Planetarium. During his career at Museum Victoria he has played a key role in the development of Scienceworks, led the team developing exhibitions for the new Melbourne Museum and, for the last seven years, led the development of Museum Victoria’s research, collections, exhibitions and publications. Robin is also an award-winning children’s author.

Dr Alan Simon Finkel, AM

After working as a neuroscience Research Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, in 1983 Dr Finkel founded Axon Instruments, where he served as CEO until 2004. The company rose to international pre-eminence as a supplier of electronic and robotic instruments and software for cellular neurosciences, genomics and pharmaceutical drug discovery. In 2005 Alan co-founded Cosmos Magazine, a popular magazine of science in society, and in 2006 launched G Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for sustainable living.

In his public interest capacity Alan is the Chairman of the National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse, a governor of the Clunies Ross Foundation, Chairman of the Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience and a Board member of the soon-to-be-formed Florey Neuroscience Institutes. Alan has recently been appointed as the Chancellor of Monash University, commencing January 2008.

Dr Patricia Vickers-Rich

Dr Patricia Vickers-Rich is a palaebiologist. She has published widely on the origin and evolution of the Australasian avifauna and in the 1980s commenced work on dinosaur and related faunas, including early mammals. In 1973 she commenced her long association with Monash University and Museum Victoria, first as a Fulbright Scholar working with Allan McEvey at the then National Museum of Victoria, and later as Lecturer in Earth Sciences at Monash. In 1993 she founded the Monash Science Centre, where she remains director. More recently she has focused on the origin and early evolution of the oldest known multicellular life (the Ediacaran biota) and the effects of climate and global tectonics that brought about this major biotic event. She is co-leader of a UNESCO International Geological Correlation Program investigating the origins and early evolution of animals.