Dr Colin Jackson, from the ANU Research School of Chemistry, has received the Royal Australian Chemical Institute's 2015 Rennie Memorial Medal for his work in Chemical Science research.

The Rennie Memorial Medal tops off a busy few years for Dr Jackson, who in August became the ACT's inaugural Scientist of the Year. In July 2014, he was awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship.

"It's an award from my peers in the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, so it means a lot to me that the work my laboratory is doing is being noticed," Dr Jackson said.

"It will be a help in bringing some attention to my research in chemistry and hopefully lead to some new connections in industry."

Dr Jackson, whose work is in the area of chemical biology, says the interface between chemistry and biology is what fascinates him.

"It is exciting to be able to design new molecules that can help us industrially and medically," he said.

"We hope that some of the proteins we are engineering will be able to help us manufacture chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way, help treat people who have been poisoned by agricultural chemicals, and help to treat diseases such as tuberculosis."

Dr Jackson says the award also recognises the hard work of a number of students who are graduating.

"I am lucky to have a number of very talented and hardworking students and research fellows in my group and they have all made important contributions to the output from my laboratory."

To receive the medal, candidates are judged on the research work they've published in the decade immediately before they received the award.

The Rennie Memorial Medal is awarded annually to a financial member of the RACI with less than eight years of professional experience since completing their most recent relevant qualification of a BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc or PhD, who has contributed most towards the development of some branch of the chemical science. The contribution is judged by the research work published during the 10 years immediately preceding the award.

Further details avilable at http://www.raci.org.au/document/item/2180

http://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/new-honours-for-anu-academic-colin-jackson