Congratulations to Professor Anton Peleg!

Professor Anton Peleg in the lab

Congratulations to Professor Anton Peleg for winning the Australian Society of Microbiology’s (ASM) 2018 Frank Fenner Award!

Professor Peleg was honoured with the ASM's top research award at the ASM Annual Scientific meeting in Brisbane this month. One of the leading awards in microbiology in Australia, it recognises distinguished contributions in any area of Australian research in microbiology.


Professor Peleg is recognised internationally for his extensive work on hospital-acquired infections and 'superbugs', mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and microbial pathogenesis, particularly related to clinically-relevant pathogens.

“The Frank Fenner Award is a highly respected award which recognises important contributions to microbiology research over a period of time, and I felt very honoured to receive it for 2018,” he said.

“Having my patients and their challenging infections direct my research questions has been a powerful pathway for impactful research and research with clinical relevance,” said Professor Peleg, who is the Alfred Hospital’s Director, Monash University's Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Group Leader at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI).

Professor Frank Fenner was an esteemed Australian microbiologist and virologist whose achievements included directing the global eradication program for smallpox in the 1970s and a successful campaign to reduce Australia's feral rabbit population with the myxoma virus.