- elected in 1987 a Fellow of The Royal Society of London - was awarded the Australia Prize in 1996

Professor Laver has made a major contribution to knowledge of the structure and function of the influenza virus and how it can be countered. His crystallisation of sialidase, a key protein on the surface of the influenza virus, led to the discovery of this enzyme's three dimensional structure, which was in turn instrumental to the design of an effective anti-influenza drug.