Anna-Maria Arabia OAM says she never went about her work expecting any kind of recognition.  

Anna-Maria is CEO of the Australian Academy of Science, a board member of the Australian Science Media Centre and advisory board member of the South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute.  

“Two of the things that have deeply motivated me in my work and over the course of my career have been to bring evidence to decision making so that we can go forward as a society whose decisions are informed by reliable sources of information,” she says.  

“The second thing that motivates me in my work is celebrating and making more visible underrepresented groups, particularly in science.  

“We see that there are barriers to participation in science amongst women, amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, amongst culturally diverse individuals, as well as a range of other underrepresented groups.  

“To be able to play even a small part in shining light on the work of those individuals and in removing barriers that they might face is not just an honour, but it inspires me to continue to do the work.”  

Anna-Maria was awarded the Medal of the Order for service to science, particularly through organisational leadership roles.  

Despite her recognition coming as a surprise, Anna-Maria says she can recognise the importance behind it for others.  

“There’s no doubt that receiving recognition like this assists in raising the visibility of science, the contributions I’ve made and hopefully to be able to extend the impact of those contributions,” she says.  

“Recognition through awards like this is so important for individuals and for the nation because it brings to the surface and to light the wonderful contributions made by Australians across the country in different ways.  

“When I look around at all the people [at my investiture ceremony] who have been recognised for their extraordinary contribution, I feel Australia and its future is in great hands.”