Person

Doherty, Peter Charles (1940 - )

AC FAA FRS FRSV

Born
15 October 1940
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation
Immunologist and Nobel laureate
Website
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5028-3489

Summary

Peter Doherty was professor of biomedical research and chair of the Immunology Department at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee from 1988. He was noted for his study of major histocompatibility antigens' role in immune recognition, particularly in virus-infected cells. He was awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, jointly with Rolf Zinkernagel, for their discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence. Around 2012 he joined Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, and in 2014 the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture between the university and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, opened.

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Chronology

1962
Education - Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc), University of Queensland
1963 - January 1967
Career position - Veterinary Officer at the Animal Research Institute in Brisbane
1966
Education - Master of Veterinary Science (MVSc), University of Queensland
1967 - 1971
Career position - Scientific Officer then Senior Scientific Officer in Experimental Pathology at the Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh
1970
Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Edinburgh
1972
Career position - Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University in Canberra (six months)
1972 - 1975
Career position - Research Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research
1975 - 1977
Career position - Associate Professor at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, USA
1978 - 1988
Career position - Professor and Head of Experimental Pathology at the John Curtin School of Medical Research
1983 -
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science
1986
Award - Paul Ehrlich Prize for Immunology
1987 -
Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)
1988 -
Career position - Professor of Biomedical Research and Chair of the Immunology Department at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee, USA
1993
Award - Alumnus of the year, University of Queensland
1995
Award - Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
1995
Award - Doctor of Veterinary Science (DVSc), honoris causa, University of Queensland
1996
Award - Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (jointly with Rolf M Zinkernagel) - for their discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence
1997
Award - Australian of the Year
26 Jan 1997
Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) - in recognition of service to scientific research, particularly the role of major histocompatibility complex proteins in cell mediated immunity
1 Jan 2001
Award - Centenary Medal - for outstanding service to immunology research
2003
Award - Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research, John Curtin School of Medical Research
2008
Award - Wunderly Oration and Medal, Thoracic Society of Australian and New Zealand
2012
Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
2017 -
Award - Fellow, Royal Society of Victoria (FRSV)

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Published resources

Book Sections

  • Beale, R, 'Peter Charles Doherty' in Australia's Nobel Laureates - Adventures in Innovation (Sydney: ABIE Australian Business and Investment Explorer, 2004), pp. 104-113. Details

Journal Articles

  • Anderson, Warwick; and Doherty, Peter C., '"I'm an experimentalist, I'm a pragmatist": interview with Peter C. Doherty', Health and History, 20 (1) (2018), 120-56. Details
  • D'Alessandro, Deanna, 'An Australian chemist just won the Nobel prize. Here's how his work is changing the world', The Conversation (2025), https://doi.org/10.64628/AA.gngddnm37. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Rosanne Walker

Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 5 November 2025

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