The Priestley Medal

The Priestley Medal and the AMOS Medal are the two premier awards given by the Society and are awarded in alternate years.  The Priestley Medal commemorates the life-long contributions of Dr C H B Priestley to meteorological and oceanographic research, and is aimed at younger scientists, preferably under the age of 40,  for personal excellence in meteorological, oceanographic or climate research carried out substantially within Australia.  On the other hand the AMOS medal recognises leadership in meteorology, oceanography, climate and related fields in Australia, and is normally awarded to senior leaders in their field.

Past AMOS Medal Winners:

1995 – Gregory Ayers, CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research
1997 – Peter Baines,  CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research
1999 – Stephen Rintoul, CSIRO Marine Research
2001 – Peter Rayner, CSIRO Atmospheric Research
2003 – Andy Pitman, Macquarie University
2005 – Matthew England, The University of  New South Wales
2007 – Amanda Lynch, Monash University

The assessment for the Priestley Medal is based primarily on the quality of research publications and the initiation of significant new areas of research.  The Award consists of an inscribed medal together with a prize of $1,000 generously provided by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research to mark the status of the Award and the research achievements of Dr Priestley.

The usual procedure is for senior members of institutions to nominate candidates and to provide supporting papers. Nominees do not already have to be members of AMOS, but in that case Council hopes that they will consider joining and will provide a successful candidate who is not already a member with a complimentary membership for the remainder of the year of award. The Committee’s preferred form of nomination comprises :

a)         a concise summary of the reasons for the nomination,

b)        a publication list in which the more significant contributions are identified and brief notes written on no more than five of the most important ones (where there are multiple authors to these five the role of the candidate should be explained), and

c)         a listing of the major achievements of the candidate including the initiation of new fields and a curriculum vitae.

If possible, the nomination papers should include copies of not more than three of the candidate’s most significant publications. Where work has been done in a group or has been published with multiple authors, the Committee would appreciate a brief comment on the role of the nominee. The Awards Committee has limited ability to seek additional information to that in the nomination papers and therefore depends on the nomination papers to provide a full and fair account of each candidate.  If possible please send the nominations in electronic format to the email address below. 

Nominations are invited for the award of the Priestley Medal and Council wishes to encourage AMOS members and others to nominate candidates from their own institutions or elsewhere. Further information can be obtained here.

The Award is normally presented on the occasion of the Priestley lecture at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.

Mark Williams

Chair, AMOS Awards Committee,

Bureau of Meteorology, Victorian Regional Office

GPO Box 1636, VIC 3001

Email:  mark.williams@bom.gov.au