The creator of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, which was one of the major reasons Australia was chosen to host half the world’s largest radio telescope array, has been named a finalist in the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
Professor Peter Quinn, founder of ICRAR and Chairman of the International Space Centre at The University of Western Australia, is a finalist in the Leadership in Science and Innovation category of the 2023 Eureka Prizes.
ICRAR, a joint venture between Curtin University and UWA, with funding support from the WA Government, was founded in 2009 to support Australia’s bid to host the Square Kilometre Array, which is currently being built at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in the State’s Mid West.
Professor Quinn, who also helped build the world’s largest optical telescope in Chile and a pioneer in the field of dark matter research, said he was honoured to be recognised in the Eureka Prizes.
“It’s a great honour and a wonderful opportunity to promote some of the fantastic science happening here in Australia,” Professor Quinn said.
“Australia is a leader in astronomy and astrophysics in the world and it’s a great privilege to showcase our leadership in these fields internationally.”
Professor Quinn said industry innovation through space and astronomy research was best fostered by our participation in large-scale international projects.
“Big international projects like the SKA and the VLT project in Chile bring together scientists, engineers and industry to create the scientific instruments needed for discovery,” he said.
“This is a more natural path to new innovation and translation than a forced marriage of science and industry to identify often unmotivated collaborators.”
Professor Quinn, whose personal quest is to “understand our universe”, is currently helping establish three new institutes in Australia that will expand Australian space industries, exploring the use of artificial intelligence in the resources sector and set up super-scale computing for the next generation of telescopes.
The Australia Museum Eureka Prizes are the nation’s most comprehensive and prestigious science awards. The 2023 winners will be announced on Wednesday 23 August.
