Australian and Indian-origin scientists are among 94 researchers from around the world elected as Fellows of the prestigious Royal Society in 2026, joining the ranks of scientific legends including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein.
Three Australian scientists elected this year are Bostjan Kobe, Alex McBratney and Malcolm Sambridge — all Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Kobe, from the University of Queensland, was recognised for his groundbreaking work in structural biology and protein research. Professor McBratney, from the University of Sydney, was honoured for transforming global soil science and precision agriculture through digital soil mapping. Professor Sambridge, from Australian National University, was recognised for pioneering mathematical approaches to analysing complex geophysical data and Earth processes.
Indian and Indian-origin scientists were also among those elected to the Royal Society fellowship this year.
They include Manindra Agrawal, Director at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation; Anuj Dawar from the University of Cambridge; Inderjeet Dokal of Queen Mary University of London; Srinivasan Keshav from Cambridge; and Jitendra Malik from the University of California, Berkeley.
Founded in the 1660s, the Royal Society is the world’s oldest continuously operating scientific academy and one of the highest honours in global science.
Royal Society President Paul Nurse said the newly elected Fellows represented the “highest standards of scientific endeavour”.
“Their contributions reflect the enduring value of curiosity, creativity and rigorous inquiry,” he said.
This year’s cohort includes scientists working across fields such as artificial intelligence, mathematics, cancer research, biotechnology, climate science and quantum technology, highlighting the increasingly international nature of scientific collaboration and discovery.
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