Joseph Mark Gani 1924–2016

Joe Gani, as he was universally known, was born in Cairo, Egypt, on 15 December 1924 and died in Canberra on 12 April 2016. A visionary leader, mentor, and brilliant organizer, he created the Journal of Applied Probability, and was Chief of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Mathematics and Statistics. A distinguished academic career included posts at the Universities of Sheffield, Kentucky, California at Santa Barbara, and the Australian National University. His numerous research contributions are dominated by stochastic modelling, especially epidemic theory.

John Robert Anderson 1928–2007

John Anderson was born in Sydney on 5 March 1928 and died in Melbourne on 26 February 2007. He was educated at Sydney Boys' High School, Sydney Technical College, the New South Wales University of Technology (now the University of New South Wales) and the University of Cambridge. He was at Queens University Belfast as a Ramsay Memorial Fellow, 1954–5, was a Lecturer in Chemistry at the New South Wales University of Technology, a Reader in Chemistry at the University of Melbourne and Foundation Professor of Chemistry at Flinders University in South Australia. In 1969 he was appointed Chief of the CSIRO Division of Tribophysics and managed the Division's transition to become the Division of Materials Science. He was a Professor of Chemistry at Monash University, Melbourne, from 1987 until his retirement in 1993. He will be remembered for his contributions to the understanding of gas–solid interactions with particular emphasis on fundamental heterogeneous catalysis on metals, but also embracing other adsorption and oxidation processes.

Bernard Yarnton Mills 1920–2011

Bernie Mills is remembered globally as an influential pioneer in the evolving field of radio astronomy. His contributions with the ‘Mills Cross' at the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics and later at the University of Sydney's School of Physics and the development of the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) were widely recognized as astronomy evolved in the years 1948–85 and radio astronomy changed the viewpoint of the astronomer as a host of new objects were discovered.

Fraser John Bergersen AM FAA. 26 May 1929 — 3 October 2011

Fraser Bergersen rose from humble beginnings in New Zealand to become a leading microbiologist who specialized in the physiology and biochemistry of legume nitrogen fixation. He and his family emigrated to Australia in 1954. Virtually all of his career was spent in Canberra at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Plant Industry. In the 1970s, Bergersen and colleagues achieved worldwide prominence when they elucidated the role of leghaemoglobin in facilitating oxygen diffusion to the Bradyrhizobium bacteroids in soybean nodules and in the nitrogen fixation process itself. During the rest of his working life, Fraser Bergersen contributed greatly to understanding the role of oxygen, the mode of its delivery, and terminal oxidases in all forms of biological nitrogen fixation.

Bernard Yarnton Mills AC FAA. 8 August 1920 — 25 April 2011

Bernie Mills is remembered globally as an influential pioneer in the evolving field of radio astronomy. His contributions with the ‘Mills Cross’ at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Radiophysics and later at the University of Sydney’s School of Physics and the development of the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) were widely recognized as astronomy evolved in the years 1948–85 and radio astronomy changed the viewpoint of the astronomer as a host of new objects were discovered.

John Paul Wild 1923 - 2008

Paul Wild stands tall among the founding fathers of modern radio astronomy. His early work became the foundation for all future research on solar radio bursts. He established the theory and identified the different types of radio bursts. He developed new types of instrument including the dynamic spectrograph and a radioheliograph to make two-dimensional movie images. His early interest in the radio spectrum of hydrogen led to analysis of the hyperfine structure of hydrogen emission and a publication that became a classic paper in the field. Recognition that the 21 cm hydrogen line could be used to measure the Zeeman effect and through that magnetic fields in astronomical sources was another key contribution to modern astronomy. He became Chief of the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics and developed and demonstrated an outstanding microwave landing system for aviation. As Chairman of CSIRO he led the organization through a major restructuring and adapted CSIRO to bring it closer to industry while maintaining a high standard of excellence and originality. Throughout his career, Paul Wild provided great leadership at all levels of science in Australia.

John Paul Wild AC CBE FAA FTSE. 17 May 1923 — 10 May 2008

Paul Wild stands tall among the founding fathers of modern radio astronomy. His early work became the foundation for all future research on solar radio bursts. He established the theory and identified the different types of radio bursts. He developed new types of instrument, including the dynamic spectrograph and a radioheliograph to make two-dimensional movie images. His early interest in the radio spectrum of hydrogen led to an analysis of the hyperfine structure of hydrogen emission and a publication that became a classic paper in the field. Recognition that the 21 cm hydrogen line could be used to measure the Zeeman effect, and through that magnetic fields in astronomical sources, was another key contribution to modern astronomy. He became Chief of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Radiophysics and developed and demonstrated an outstanding microwave landing system for aviation. As Chairman of CSIRO he led the organization through a major restructuring and adapted CSIRO to bring it closer to industry while maintaining a high standard of excellence and originality. Throughout his career, Paul Wild provided great leadership at all levels of science in Australia.

Donald Eric Weiss 1924 - 2008

Don Weiss was born in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda on 4 October 1924 and died in Melbourne on 30 July 2008. He was educated in South Australia, at Scotch College, the South Australian School of Mines and Industry, and the University of Adelaide. He joined the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1948 and worked for CSIR and its successor organization, CSIRO, until his retirement in 1984. He was the Chief of the CSIRO Division of Chemical Technology from 1974 to 1979 and Director of CSIRO's Planning and Evaluation Advisory Unit from 1979 to 1984. He was a highly imaginative and creative scientist whose work was always driven by his clear understanding of its application. He made important contributions to separation science but is best known for his contributions to technology for water and waste water treatment. His enduring legacy is the more than twenty MIEX plants that have been installed around the world.