Research impact.

 

Prize-Winning Mentorship (Prof. Des Richardson)

Number of Staff/Students under the mentorship:

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Achievements

  1. 15 of 18 University of Sydney students (83%) have received the prestigious Peter Bancroft Prize for an Outstanding PhD Thesis without Corrections.

  2. University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision and awarded a Citation by the Office of Learning & Teaching from the Australian Government.

  3. The Mutagenesis and Experimental Pathology Society of Australasia (MEPSA) “Old Farts” Award by Trainees as the Most Supportive Academic Award.

  4. International Society for Redox Biology & Medicine (SfRBM) Mentoring Excellence Award for Trainee Mentorship Award.

  5. Many outstanding PhD-students/postdocs have been “stars” receiving multiple prizes/medals (published 6-24 publications during their PhD) and gone on to 23-prestigious National/International Fellowships ($400,000- 2 600,000 each) e.g., NHMRC-Peter Doherty/NHMRC CJ-Martin/NHMRC-RD Wright/Cancer Institute NSWFellowships/NHF-John Shaw Fellowship (for top-ranked NHF-Fellow)/MDA USA Early Career Grant/Friedreich’s Ataxia Research-Alliance USA Fellowship).

Honours and Awards

2021 GRIDD Excellence Award

  • Prof. Des Richardson is the recipient of the 2021 GRIDD Senior Research and Leadership for demonstration of excellence in leadership and mentorship.

Queensland Academy of Arts and Science Fellowship 2022

  • Prof. Des Richardson has been successfully elected as a Fellow (FQA) of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Fellow Membership grade is awarded in recognition of a candidate’s eminence in the arts or sciences or both and/or their significant contributions to the arts and/or sciences as a practitioner.

  • The election of Prof. Des Richardson as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales recognises significant achievements in the areas of cancer research and signifying distinguished reputation as a leader in the scientific community.

Royal Society of New South Wales Fellow 2022

  • Prof. Des Richardson has been successfully elected as a Fellow the Royal Society of Biology (RSB). Fellows of the RSB have achieved distinction in the fields of biological research, teaching or the application of biology. Fellowship is the most prestigious grade of RSB membership.

Royal Society of Biology Fellow 2022

  • Professor Des Richardson has recently been awarded the Distinguished Fellow Award and Medal from the Royal Australasian College of Pathologists, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and administration. The award is a testament to Professor Richardson's status as an eminent world-leading, multidisciplinary, experimental pathologist, who has dedicated his life's work to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying multiple disease processes.

Royal Australasian College of Pathologists - Distinguished Fellowship award and medal 2023

Griffith Science Pro Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Awards 2021

  • Prof. Des Richardson as a member of the GRIDD Research Commitee was awarded the the highly commended Health & Safety Initiative/Leadership Team Award from the Office of the Griffith PVC (Sciences).

Royal Australian Chemical Institute Fellow 2021

  • Prof. Des Richardson has been successfully elected as a Fellow (FRACI CChem) of the Royal Australian Chemical Instiute Inc. The Fellow Membership grade is awarded in recognition of a Member who is in a position of eminence within the chemistry profession.

  • Prof. Des Richardson was part of the team that received the GRIDD Excellence in Teamwork Award for their work on the Parkinson's Research Network. This team, which also included Dr. Linlin Ma, Assoc. Prof. Yunjiang Feng, Prof. Ron Quinn, Prof. George Mellick, and Prof. Richardson, has made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of Parkinson's disease.

2022 GRIDD Excellence in Teamwork Award.

The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Fellow 2022

Professor Des R. Richardson has been awarded the ISOCAM Leadership Award at the International Conference on Oncology and Anticancer Research (October 2025), the only award ever presented in the 31-year history of the International Conference on Chelation. This honor recognizes his long-standing leadership as President of the International Society of Chelators and Metals (ISOCAM) and his pioneering contributions to understanding metal biology and developing metal-targeted cancer therapeutics.

  • Prof. Des Richardson has been elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (FASPET), the selection as a FASPET is an honor bestowed to most distinguished members. Fellows are recognized for their meritorious efforts to advance pharmacology, through their scientific achievements, mentorship, and service to the Society.

Otto Krayer Award 2022 - American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)

Prof. Des Richardson is the recipient of the prestigious Otto Krayer Award 2022. This award is given to recognize an individual whose character and career contributions to pharmacology are in accord with those exemplified by Otto Krayer.

The Otto Krayer Award in Pharmacology is given biennially in even years to commemorate the enduring legacy of Otto Krayer's personal qualities: his ethical behavior, his commitment to teaching, his high standards of scientific scholarship, publication and editorship, his promotion of interdisciplinary research to reveal the actions of drugs or other chemicals, and his guidance and support of younger scientists.

Julius Axelrod Award 2025 - American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)

The Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology was established in 1991 to honor the eminent American pharmacologist who shaped the fields of neuroscience, drug metabolism, and biochemistry and who served as a mentor for numerous now world-renown pharmacologists. The Julius Axelrod Award is presented for significant contributions to understanding the biochemical mechanisms underlying the pharmacological actions of drugs and for contributions to mentoring other pharmacologists. ASPET assumed responsibility of the Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology from the Catecholamine Club in 2007.