A Species Apart

TASMANIAN STEM RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR  

Head of the Tasmanian Herbarium at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), Dr Gintaras Kantvilas (SVC 1968-73), has been named the Premier’s Tasmanian STEM Researcher of the Year for 2025.

The award was part of the 2025 Tasmanian STEM Excellence Awards presented by Inspiring Australia Tasmania and supported by the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania.

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Arts and Heritage, Madeleine Ogilvie, said the award recognised ongoing dedication to excellence in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths.

“Dr Kantvilas has had a long and distinguished career in Tasmania over four decades and is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts in the study, identification and naming of Tasmanian and Southern Hemisphere lichens,” Minister Ogilvie said.

“His work has been recognised internationally and he has been honoured by colleagues with two genera of lichens, Gintarasia and Kantvilasia, as well as several species."