One of the most prestigious awards for natural history has been bestowed upon an Honorary Senior Lecturer from The University of Queensland’s School of Social Science.
Congratulations to Dr Justyna Miszkiewicz, who has been recognised by the Council of the Linnean Society of London for her outstanding contribution to microscopy as an essential tool for the study of natural history.
Dr Miszkiewicz joins 8 other remarkable individuals from the worlds of science, the arts and conservation, who were awarded for their work to protect the natural world.
These recipients have also been a part of ground-breaking research, transforming our understanding of many subjects, such as sauropod dinosaurs, or flowering plant evolution.
Dr Miszkiewicz’s work on bone growth through hard tissue histological analysis has provided major insights into the impacts of social and environmental conditions and has real world implications for how we manage bone disease resulting from social disadvantage.
She has also led groundbreaking research on dwarf deer and hippopotamus from the Mediterranean, and giant rats from Timor, showing that smaller body mass on islands is associated with elevated bone cell densities and rates of remodelling.
“I love looking down the microscope to see how skeletal structures are formed in different animals but I never expected to receive an award for something I love doing.
“It’s truly an honour and I feel humbled,” she said.
The President of the Linnean Society will present Dr Miszkiewicz with the Trail-Crisp Award at Burlington House in London next month.
