Research report: Horizon Awards 2026: Professor Chris Greening named as winner of WH Pierce Prize

Professor Chris Greening of Monash University has received the 2026 WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize for his contributions to applied microbiology, including research on how microorganisms regulate greenhouse gases, sustain terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and influence One Health. The recognition forms part of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2026, which acknowledge researchers, teams and organisations that have made groundbreaking contributions to global challenges through applied microbiology. The announcement identifies Greening’s work across scales from atoms to ecosystems, but it does not present findings from a single clinical trial or controlled intervention.

Greening is Professor of Microbiology at Monash University in Australia, where he leads the CLIMB: Climate and Microbiology Research Unit and serves as Director of the Global Change Program. He established his interdisciplinary research group in 2016 after earning a first-class degree in biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a microbiology doctorate from the University of Otago. His research examines how microorganisms can be understood, used and communicated in responding to climate change and other global challenges.

The award announcement describes his work on greenhouse-gas regulation, ecosystem sustainability and One Health, while also highlighting translation through partnerships with industry and programme organisations. Those partnerships have supported agricultural methane-reduction programs, pathogen-surveillance systems, Antarctic stewardship and microbial-conservation efforts, according to the announcement. Greening has published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles and has received major honours, including the 2023 Australian Prime Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, election to three microbiology academies and recognition as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

He is also described as an advocate for diverse and empowering scientific environments who has mentored researchers seeking to establish independent careers and research groups. In commenting on the award, Greening said he had moved from being a “purely basic scientist” to dedicating his career to understanding, using and communicating the capabilities of microbes for the planet, health and economies. The WH Pierce Prize is named after William “Bill” Henry Pierce, a long-standing member of Applied Microbiology International and former Chief Bacteriologist of Oxo Ltd, which is now part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Group.

Pierce made substantial contributions to the improvement of bacterial culture media, including work on dehydrated extracts for preparing those media. The announcement reports that his developments helped make bacterial culture faster, more efficient and more reliable, and that the media remain in use across a wide range of applications worldwide. Applied Microbiology International has also opened nominations for the 2027 Horizon Awards, with three new Early Career Excellence Awards recognising work in environmental conservation, food security and innovation, and public health.

Winners of all 12 awards are scheduled to be announced at the LAM ECR Symposium at Queen Mary University of London in June 2027.

Subject of Research: Chris Greening’s 2026 WH Pierce Prize recognition for applied microbiology research and translation

Article Title: Horizon Awards 2026: Professor Chris Greening named as winner of WH Pierce Prize

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Keywords: Chris Greening, applied microbiology, Monash University, WH Pierce Prize, Horizon Awards 2026, greenhouse gases, microbial ecosystems, One Health, methane reduction, pathogen surveillance, Horizon, Awards