DR Benjamin Schwessinger is the 2022 ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year, for his commitment to supporting the ACT’s environment and COVID-19 response.
Dr Schwessinger is a senior lecturer at the ANUm and specialises in the intersection of pathogen genomics and biosecurity.
His work investigates fungi that infect plants and cause disease and the effect they have on Australia’s agriculture and environment.
In 2020, he reached out to ACT Health to offer his support by applying similar research tools to help in ACT Health’s surveillance of COVID-19.
Dr Schwessinger and his team were responsible for the genomic testing of COVID-19 samples, which helped track the transmission of the virus.
He said he is exhilarated and honoured to receive this award: “I’ve found both my family and scientific home in Canberra. It is nice to see our work on biosecurity recognised.
“We aim to contribute to our community’s well being by combating emerging threats; be it SARS-COV2 threatening our health or the myrtle rust fungus that endangers our forest ecosystems.
“I don’t perform my work in isolation, and I thank all my team members, mentors, colleagues, ANU staff and everyone at ACT Health I have worked with.”
Chief Minister Andrew Barr says Dr Schwessinger’s achievements in his field and in his role supporting ACT Health have made him an outstanding recipient for the award.
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