2025 Pearcey Medal

The prestigious 2025 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Prof David Skellern AO, a distinguished electronics engineer and computer scientist. Among his many important technology innovations, Skellern was a wireless technology pioneer, leading the development of the first chipset implementation of the IEEE 802.11a wireless networking standard.

Pearcey Foundation chair Wayne Fitzsimmons OAM commented,

David has had a material impact on our industry. As an outstanding scientist and academic, he led the team that gave the world the first universal Wi-Fi standard chip that is embedded in every computing device we use today, and we don't even notice it!! His contribution as the second CEO of NICTA saw Australian computing and communications research capabilities recognised internationally through great collaborative efforts, such as with organisations like Germany's Fraunhofer Institute," said Pearcey Foundation chair, Wayne Fitzsimmons OAM.
The Pearcey Medal and Pearcey Hall of Fame are the pinnacle of recognition in Australia's ICT industry, with our medallists and inductees chosen each year by their peers in a nationwide vote. Both of this year's recipients have been both pioneers and leaders in their fields, and it's particularly special this year to recognise the contribution they have made to scientific research and its commercialisation in Australia.

David Skellern AO

Professor David Skellern AO is an Australian electronics engineer and computer scientist credited with leading a number of important technology innovations including the team consisting of John O'Sullivan, Terence Percival and Neil Weste (Pearcey Hall of Fame 2008), who developed the first chip-set implementation of IEEE 802.11 (operating at 54MBits) wireless networking standard in their company Radiata. This team is globally acknowledged as revolutionising local area networking (LAN).

Today LANs are pervasive, as they are embedded in all devices that need to communicate with other such devices or systems and are installed, for instance, in all cell phones, laptops, computers and the like. Everyday users rarely marvel at wireless technology, it is just assumed! A truly remarkable invention that derived from the same organisation that delivered Australia’s first electronic digital computer, CSIRAC demonstrating yet again Australia’s proven international Ieadership in ICT.

Dr David Skellern worked in radio astronomy for 10 years and taught electronics at the University of Sydney and Macquarie University for 16 years before joining Radiata, which he co-founded in 1997.

Building on the joint research at Macquarie University and CSIRO, Radiata delivered the world’s first Wireless LAN chip-set. Radiata was sold in 2001 to Cisco Systems Inc, where Dr Skellern was Director, Technology of the Wireless Networking Business Unit until 2004. He was subsequently appointed to the Board of National ICT Australia (NICTA) in 2003 and appointed Chief Executive Officer 2005-2010.

Dr Skellern was formerly on the Board of the Capital Markets CRC as a Director 2004-2019 and Chair 2013-2019, then Chair of RoZetta Institute Ltd (formerly Capital Markets CRC) 2019-2022 and on the Boards of eight other RoZetta group companies. He is currently Chair of Quasar Satellite Technologies Pty Ltd, Semiconductor Sector Service Bureau (S3B), Australian Innovation eXchange Pty Ltd (AIX) and The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), and a Director of Trovio Pty Ltd, METS Ignited Limited and digi.cash Pty Ltd.

Dr Skellern obtained his B.Sc. at the  University of Sydney  in 1972 majoring in Pure Mathematics, Computer Science & Physics, as well as a B.Eng. (Hons) in Electrical Engineering, also from the University of Sydney in 1974. He completed his PhD in 1985 at the University of Sydney.

 Dr Skellern was recognised with the Order of Australia (AO) in 2012.

 Press

2025 Pearcey Medal

Jordan Green AM (Pearcey Board), Prof David Skellern AO, and Wayne Fitzsimmons OAM (Pearcey chairman)
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