Study in Australia: Why Prof. Greening Got the Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year?

A Monash University Professor, Chris Greening has been awarded the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year. The Prime Minister gives this award every year for great accomplishments in Science, and it is one of the seven awards.

This prestigious award is given to those who have marvelled in research, innovation and teaching. Professor Chris Greening discovered microbes living on air and this became his winning shot for this year’s award.

The Research

We all know that microbes live in the air, but have we ever contemplated let alone proved that microbes live on air? Quite literally feeding on the various gases. Prof. Greening proved that microbes can live without the requirement of organic foods, surviving on gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the atmosphere.

Each year these microbes remove around 350 million tonnes of gases from the atmosphere. This is a revolutionary practice and a remarkable discovery to combat air pollution and climate change. 

Who is Professor Greening?

Professor Chris Greening is a biochemist, microbiologist, and professor of microbiology at Monash University. Additionally, Professor Chris Greening has also made research contributions to Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) and Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF). 

He completed his graduation from the University of Oxford and is also a PhD holder from Otago University, New Zealand. Before moving to Monash University, he held multiple short-term positions at the University of Otago, CSIRO, and Australian National University. 

He joined Monash University in 2020 as an associate professor but was promoted to full-time professor in 2022. The professor is also an advisor of Environmental Microbiology at the Australian Society for Microbiology. The society took into account his achievements, research, and publications in the field of Microbiology for this role.

Therefore, the Prime Minister awarded Professor Greening this prestigious award this year for his commendable contributions. If you want to know more about making a career in the same field, follow Leverage Edu. For more such exciting information, make sure you follow Leverage Edu News Updates.