Marilyn Renfree elected Fellow of the Royal Society

Professor Marilyn Renfree, Melbourne Laureate Professor and Ian Potter Chair of Zoology in the School of BioSciences is one of over 60 outstanding scientists from all over the globe who have this year joined the Royal Society as Fellows and Foreign Members.

The distinguished group of scientists consists of 52 Fellows, 10 Foreign Members and one Honorary Fellow and were all selected for their exceptional contributions to science.

Professor Renfree is a world authority on marsupial biology, conducting physiological, developmental, molecular, and epigenetic studies that greatly expanded our understanding of reproduction and development including original findings about the wallaby, platypus and koala genomes. She discovered that marsupials have functional placentae, sophisticated lactational strategies, and both lactational and seasonal controls of embryonic diapause.
Her work on Australian marsupials has revealed novel aspects of mammalian evolution and reproduction giving deeper insights into eutherian mammal biology. She discovered how sexual dimorphisms can be controlled directly by sex-linked genes rather than gonadal hormones and discovered a new androgen pathway explaining certain human disorders of sexual differentiation.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said, “This is the first year of my presidency at the Royal Society and I’ve been very much looking forward to welcoming the newly elected Fellows and Foreign Members.

“The global pandemic has demonstrated the continuing importance of scientific thinking and collaboration across borders. Each Fellow and Foreign Member bring their area of scientific expertise to the Royal Society and when combined, this expertise supports the use of science for the benefit of humanity.

“Our new Fellows and Foreign Members are all at the forefronts of their fields from molecular genetics and cancer research to tropical open ecosystems and radar technology. It is an absolute pleasure and honour to have them join us.”

During her distinguished career, Professor Renfree has received numerous awards and has also been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Institute of Biology, the Society for the Study of Reproduction, and the Society for Reproductive Biology, and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia.