Citation for Professor Paul Young
Chancellor,
Professor Paul Young is a globally respected and internationally recognised Professor of Virology at The University of Queensland (UQ) who has made a significant contribution to advancing research into the treatment of viruses and virus diagnostics over the past 4 decades.
Professor Young has dedicated his career in biomedical research to developing vaccines and anti-viral strategies for the control of infections and severe disease. His virus research has been focused on 3 overarching themes: (1) gaining a clearer understanding of how viruses cause severe disease; (2) the development of improved diagnostics; and, (3) the discovery of new therapeutic and vaccine control strategies.
Professor Young completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) at UQ in 1977, before going onto gain a Doctor of Philosophy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1986.
He then returned to UQ in 1991 when he was appointed a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology. In the 33 years since, Professor Young has made an outstanding contribution to UQ’s education, research and community engagement programs, including serving for 8 years as Head of UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences.
In 2020, Professor Young co-led an Australian consortium, including CSL, that developed a COVID-19 vaccine, based on an innovative technology created at UQ. This technology – the molecular clamp – has since been licensed to the spin-out company Vicebio for the development of candidate vaccines for treating other human pathogens and has been supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations for potential deployment as an emergency response vaccine for pandemic response.
Throughout his career, Professor Young has helped position UQ as a centre of excellence in vaccine research, discovery and development. His work on dengue viruses included translating basic research into a commercial diagnostic assay that is now the global standard for early diagnosis of dengue infection. His international reputation and commitment to collaboration have been key factors in the establishment of the Translational Science Hub, a Brisbane-based mRNA vaccine hub that was founded in 2022 as a partnership between Sanofi, the Queensland Government, UQ and Griffith University.
Professor Young was the founder and inaugural President of the Australasian Society of Virology, and he is the current President-Elect of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2019.
Chancellor, I present to you Professor Paul Young, Bachelor of Science with honours of this University, Doctor of Philosophy of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, for the R.H. Roe Award, bestowed by the Senate of The University of Queensland.
