Presented annually by the Australian Museum, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes reward excellence in the fields of research & innovation, leadership & commercialisation, school science and science journalism & communication.

It is the second year in a row Dr Maier has been chosen as a finalist in the Eureka Prizes – the Oscars of Australian Science – although it’s his first tilt at the People’s Choice Award.

Dr Maier and his research team on La Trobe’s Melbourne campus have uncovered a key adaptive strategy used by the malaria parasite to survive in – and cause damage to – its human host. They have identified special proteins that help the parasites stick to, and replicate on the inner lining of blood vessels...read more.