The Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research for 2013 has been awarded to Swiss Nobel Laureate, Emeritus Professor Rolf Zinkernagel, for a lifetime achievement in immunology. Professor Zinkernagel, who spent 34 years at the University of Zurich, was a Visiting Fellow at The John Curtin School of Medical Research during the early 1970s, where his research with Professor Peter Doherty won the pair a Nobel Prize in 1996.

JCSMR Director, Professor Chris Parish, said Professor Zinkernagel had made a major contribution to immunology.

“It is appropriate that he has been awarded the Curtin Medal, particularly, seeing he carried out his Nobel Prize winning work here at The John Curtin School of Medical Research,” Professor Parish said. “One of the interesting things about Rolf is that he was able to do his Nobel Prize winning work while he was a PhD student which is quite remarkable. It just highlights that Nobel Prizes are based on the excellence of science. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what stage of career you are at.”