Professor John Shine was Executive Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research from 1990 to 2011. He is Professor of Molecular Biology and Professor of Medicine at UNSW Sydney. The ‘father of gene cloning’, Professor Shine was the first to clone human hormone genes and the first to sequence the replication of a cancer-causing virus. These and other pioneering discoveries by Professor Shine helped to launch the biotechnology revolution that has transformed medicine and agriculture. Professor Shine was appointed to the board of the biopharmaceutical company CSL Ltd in 2006 and then as Chairman from 2011 to 2018. He has a longstanding commitment to the translation of research discoveries into advances in health care for the social and economic benefit of the community. He received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science in 2010 for his scientific discoveries and research leadership. He became President of the Academy in May 2018.