30th Anniversary of the Australian–Swiss Joint Nobel Prize in Medicine

Join us in celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Australian–Swiss Joint Nobel Prize in Medicine.

This special event, presented by The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Canberra, will feature a fireside chat with Nobel Laureates Professor Peter Doherty AC and Professor Rolf Zinkernagel AC.

During the conversation, Professors Doherty and Zinkernagel will reflect on their shared Nobel Prize, discuss the scientific journey behind their discovery, and highlight the enduring importance of international collaboration. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Gabrielle Blez, ARC Australian Laureate Fellow at the Frazer Institute, UQ.

Event details

Date: Wednesday 4 March 2026
Time: 5:30pm for 5:45–6.45pm, followed by networking and refreshments 6:45–7:45pm
Venue: ES Meyers Lecture Theatre, Mayne Medical School, 288 Herston Road, UQ Herston [MAP]
Cost: Free
RSVP: Wednesday 25 February 2026

Refreshments will be provided. Registration is essential.

Professor Peter Doherty AC
1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Peter Doherty is a renowned Australian immunologist and Nobel Laureate recognised for his pioneering work on how the immune system distinguishes infected cells from healthy cells. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in veterinary science from The University of Queensland and his PhD in pathology from the University of Edinburgh in 1970.

Returning to Australia, Doherty undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, where he collaborated with Rolf Zinkernagel on studies of viral immunity. Their research revealed that cytotoxic T cells must recognise both a viral antigen and the host’s own major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules to kill infected cells, a discovery that fundamentally shaped modern immunology.

Doherty held academic positions in the United States at the Wistar Institute and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and in Australia at JCSMR and the University of Melbourne, where he currently serves as Laureate Professor and Michael F. Tamer Chair of Biomedical Research. He is also the Patron and namesake of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

For his work with Zinkernagel, Doherty received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the 1995 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. His discoveries have had profound implications for understanding viral infections, autoimmunity, organ transplantation, vaccine development, and T cell biology.

Professor Rolf Zinkernagel AC
1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Rolf Zinkernagel is a Swiss immunologist and Nobel Laureate recognised for his groundbreaking work on the specificity of cell-mediated immune defence. He earned his MD from the University of Basel in 1970 and began postdoctoral training in immunology at the University of Lausanne. In 1973, he moved to the Australian National University (ANU), where he began collaborating with Peter Doherty on lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). This work led to their discovery that T cells recognise infected cells only when both the viral antigen and the host’s own MHC molecules are present, fundamentally revealing how the immune system distinguishes self from non-self.

Zinkernagel earned his PhD at ANU in 1975 and held positions at Scripps Clinic Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego. He later returned to Switzerland as a professor at the University of Zurich, where he became founding co-director of the Institute of Experimental Biology and retired in 2008.

For this work, Zinkernagel and Doherty received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the 1995 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. His discoveries have had lasting impact on transplantation, vaccine development, and the understanding of autoimmune and infectious diseases. Later research in his lab further clarified the role of MHC in T cell selection and explored host-virus co-evolution.