Conversations with Australian scientists

Peter Doherty was born in 1940 in Brisbane. He attended veterinary school at the University of Queensland, and went on to complete his PhD at Edinburgh University. He took up a post-doctoral position with the John Curtin School of Medicine Research, where he researched how the body’s immune cells protect against viruses.

Professor Priscilla Kincaid-Smith was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She received her BSc (Hons) in 1946 then studied medicine, graduating in 1950 with a BMBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery). From 1951 to 1953, she worked at the Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg. In 1953 Kincaid-Smith went to London to study pathology at the Hammersmith Hospital on a project that initiated her interest in kidneys, blood vessels and high blood pressure.

Roger Valentine Short was born in Surrey, England in 1930. Short was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset before starting a bachelor of veterinary science at Bristol University.

Professor Stephen Angyal, a Hungarian-born chemist, made pioneering contributions to carbohydrate chemistry, particularly through his research on inositols and conformational analysis, which advanced understanding of molecular structure and energy. After emigrating to Australia in 1940, he held key academic roles at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, where he became Professor of Chemistry, Dean of Science, and an influential figure in international scientific collaboration. Interviewed by Mr David Salt in 2004.

Professor Stephen Boyden has had a wide and varied career. Originally trained as a veterinarian, he did research in bacteriology and immunology at the University of Cambridge, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, the Pasteur Institute and the Tuberculosis Immunisation Research Centre of WHO in Copenhagen before going to the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the ANU. He is perhaps best known for his work in the field of human ecology and human biohistory.

Sir Geoffrey Badger was an Australian organic chemist who advanced from early cancer-inhibition research in London to leadership roles in academia and science policy. He served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, President of the Australian Academy of Science, and founding chair of ASTEC, shaping research priorities and science governance in Australia. Interviewed by Professor Bob Crompton in 1997.