NSW Scientist of the Year 2009

Professor Stephen Simpson, University of Sydney
Winner: NSW Scientist of the Year 2009
Winner: Plant and Animal Sciences Category

Professor Simpson is a Federation Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney. His research on locusts and what causes them to swarm, has led to some amazing findings and his body of work has had a significant impact on a variety of scientific fields – from locust swarms to obesity, to more effective and environmentally sustainable dietary supplements for aquaculture.

Professor Simpson’s research is helping to tackle challenges in a range of different areas:

• It has provided fundamental insights into the dietary causes of the human obesity epidemic and the aging process.
• It has linked individual physiology, including chemical events within the brain, to mass migration in locusts, which has helped predict and manage locust outbreaks.
• It is driving new approaches to optimising animal feeds in the aquaculture industry, which is supporting efforts to minimise environmental impacts and maximise fish welfare.
• His work is also helping conserve endangered species such as kakapo parrots and wild primates.

Nutrition touches all aspects of biology, agriculture and the medical sciences.. By devising and applying a new way of modelling nutrition, Professor Simpson has made novel advances in major problems in ecology, evolution, agriculture and human health.

He has developed the foundation for a single theoretical model that connects individuals to communities, offering a new foundation for understanding the impact of environmental change.

Professor Simpson was awarded the 2008 University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Scientific Research for outstanding curiosity-driven scientific research. 

Originally from Australia, Professor Simpson worked at Oxford University for 22 years, before returning to Australia as a Federation Fellow in 2005.