Awesome Aussie wins a Nobel Prize
- Adam Spencer
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
A great day for Australian science and Australia as a whole as Richard Robson wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. But what does this have to do with Harry Potter and handbags? Find out in a special #NerdNews
It’s that time again. The Logies of the Laboratory, the Academies for Academics. I am talking about the Nobel Prizes.
While most of the pre announcement chatter focused on the Peace Prize, “to T or not to T, that is the question”, all Australians can be incredibly proud today that one of our own has shared in the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Rob the builder; yes he can
This year’s Chemistry Nobel goes to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi, for the development of metal organic frameworks.
They designed ultra porous materials that act like molecular sponges, able to trap gases, capture carbon dioxide, pull water from thin air and filter toxins.
As the Nobel committee so perfectly put it, “their molecular architecture contains rooms for chemistry.”
Small on the outside but massive within they have been compared to Hermione’s handbag in the Harry Potter series.
Or as Robson himself once reflected,
“What delights me most is that something so intricate can arise from such simple rules of assembly.”
The genius of Prof Robson
Robson designed the basic architecture which Kitagawa and Yaghi later expanded into a global research frontier.
As colleague Spencer Williams put it,
“Richard’s imagination created an entirely new class of chemistry. Without it, there would be no field to award today.”
Robson was born in the UK but emigrated to Australia early in his career, joining the University of Melbourne in 1975. He has been based there ever since.
To make it clear, this ain’t no Russell Crowe or Phar Lap caper, the R-Dog is a dinky di Aussie!
Physics and medicine: quantum circuits and immune handbrakes
In Physics, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis were honoured for showing that quantum properties can appear not just in tiny particles, but in whole electrical circuits.
That insight paved the way for quantum computers and a new generation of sensors.
In Medicine, Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi uncovered how the body stops the immune system from attacking itself, revealing the T cell handbrake that prevents autoimmune disease.
This year’s Medicine Prize also builds on work by one of our own. Peter Doherty shared the 1996 Nobel for discovering how T cells recognise infected cells.
In other words, he showed how the immune system throws a punch. The 2025 Laureates showed how it avoids punching itself in the face.
Aussies Aussies Aussies
Robson joins an impressively long list of intellectual thunders from down under.
Let’s summarise every awesome Aussie Laureate in five words or less. Strap yourselves in for the ride.
William and Lawrence Bragg, Physics 1915 (a father son combo!), X rays reveal crystal structure
Howard Florey, Medicine 1945, Penicillin turned into treatment
Macfarlane Burnet, Medicine 1960, The body’s immune tolerance explained
John Eccles, Medicine 1963, Neurons communicate through chemistry
John Cornforth, Chemistry 1975, Enzymes mapped in 3D
Patrick White, Literature 1973, Australian voice in global fiction
Peter Doherty, Medicine 1996, How immune cells spot invaders
Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, Medicine 2005, Bacteria cause stomach ulcers
Elizabeth Blackburn, Medicine 2009, Revealed how cells stay young
Brian Schmidt, Physics 2011, The universe is expanding … faster!
Richard Robson, Chemistry 2025, A brilliant new molecular architecture
Bloody well done
In an age where science is mocked, politicised or ignored, from vaccines to climate, from evolution to energy, it is worth pausing once a year to say:
Bloody well done, you brilliant humans.
Yours in glorious green and gold geekiness,
Adam S
Subscribe to future free editions of #NerdNews here http://bit.ly/48mGOXa