Sir Gustav Nossal arrived in Australia from Vienna when he was eight years old. He graduated from Sydney University’s Medical School with first class honours and gained his PhD degree in 1960.
Sir Gustav is one of Australia’s most celebrated scientists. His research accomplishments are world-renowned, with his work confirming Burnet’s theory of antibody formation a watershed in understanding of the immune system.
As researcher and director of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research from 1965 to 96, he helped build the foundations of modern immunology and define the field for more than 30 years. Sir Gustav has been directly involved with the World Health Organization since 1967, most recently as chairman of the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunization, and has helped shape the scientific affairs of Australia for decades. As president of the Australian Academy of Science he provided valuable input to government policy-making, and has been an influential public commentator on scientific and medical issues. His many lectures and radio and television appearances have inspired ongoing popular and political interest in science and its applications.
Sir Gustav is chairman of the Strategic Advisory Council for the Bill and Melinda Gates Children’s Vaccine Program, which works to ensure children in developing countries are immunized. He is also deputy chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and deputy chairman of the Advisory Council of The Global Foundation.
He is also heavily involved in charitable work and is patron of a number of organisations. The Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne and the Nossal High School at Monash University are named in his honour.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London, a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences and a member of the Académie des Sciences, France.