PM Award Goes to Scientist for COVID-Related Airborne Virus Research

Professor Lidia Morawska proved COVID could spread through the air, prompting worldwide shifts in ventilation and health policy.A nurse holds a COVID-19 vaccine in a file illustration photograph in Miami, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images11/4/2025|Updated: 11/4/2025Professor Lidia Morawska has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for her research on air quality and airborne disease transmission—work that helped shape the global response to COVID-19.Morawska’s research proved the role of airborne particles in spreading respiratory viruses and pushed governments and health agencies to improve ventilation and air-quality standards.Naziya Alvi Rahman is a Canberra-based journalist who covers political issues in Australia. She can be reached at [email protected].Author’s Selected Articles