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Leading autism researcher, Professor Andrew Whitehouse from The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute, has been awarded the most prestigious award in the country for young researchers – the 3M Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science for 2017.

Presented at an awards ceremony in Sydney last night, the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prizes reward excellence in the fields of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.

The award to Professor Whitehouse, who is the Professor of Autism Research at The University of Western Australia and Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at Telethon Kids, is in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the area of autism which includes significant research achievements combined with scientific and policy leadership, science communication, and service development.

Professor Whitehouse’s research career has focussed on discovering the causes of autism, developing methods for the identification of autism within the first year of life, and the trialling of new therapies for these infants.

Professor Whitehouse said it was an honour to be a Eureka Award recipient.

“I am truly humbled, but also very grateful for the award. The calibre of the finalists was extraordinary, and shows just how much scientific talent there is in Australia,” he said.

“Above all, this research is a considerable team effort. I am lucky enough to work with some of the brightest research minds in the country, in a wonderful and supportive environment, and to partner with the incredible autism community. I am motivated each day, not least because of the fun and inspiration of working with these extraordinary people.

“Awards like these provide support for continued research, and I firmly believe that the early intervention therapies we are developing will help each and every child reach their full potential.”

Media references

Jess Reid (UWA Media Adviser)                 (+61 8) 6488 6876