Media Resources & Contact
In this story
NSW Health Pathology’s Director of Biobanking – NSW Health Professor Jennifer Byrne has been announced as the recipient of the Australian Academy of Science’s 2025 David Vaux Research Integrity Award.
Launched in 2023, the award recognises individuals who have led efforts to foster and promote integrity in science. The award honours Professor David Vaux AO FAA FAHMS, who has championed scientific research integrity in Australia.
Professor Byrne has an international reputation for finding problematic research articles. She began this work accidentally after noticing strange patterns in published cancer papers.
Since then, she has systematically addressed the problem of fake research by:
• co-creating software to detect potentially faked papers
• writing to journals requesting responses to papers with critical errors
• mentoring students to research the issue
• raising awareness of problematic research in the media; and
• regularly bringing together publishers and researchers to discuss the problems and potential solutions.
Her career has diverted from laboratory cancer research to research integrity. In addition to her role as Director of Biobanking overseeing the NSW Health Statewide Biobank, Professor Byrne heads the Publication and Research Integrity in Medical Research (PRIMeR) group at The University of Sydney.
“I’m delighted to have been chosen as the recipient of the 2025 David Vaux Fellowship. I thank my colleagues Professor Adrian Barnett and Pranujan Pathmendra for their nomination,” she said.
“This award recognises my team members in the PRIMeR group and would not have been possible without funding from the United States Office of Research Integrity, the NHMRC and the University of Sydney. I look forward to visiting different Australian research centres during 2025–2026 and engaging with students and researchers at all career stages,” Professor Byrne said.
“I hope to raise awareness of contemporary issues affecting scientific publications, including research paper mills and undeclared use of generative artificial intelligence. I also look forward to participating in key discussions of publication integrity at international conferences and bringing this knowledge back to Australian researchers and policymakers.”
Professor Byrne plans to use the award funds to give presentations on research integrity at different centres across Australia, where she will meet with early career researchers to discuss their concerns about their careers and research integrity. She will also travel to international conferences to share her work with a broader audience.