Professor Andrew Holmes has formally taken over as president of the Australian Academy of Science, becoming the 18th president of the academy.

Professor Holmes succeeds Professor Suzanne Cory, who has been in the position since 2010. The presidency alternates between the physical and biological sciences every four years.

Currently a Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus at the Bio21 Institute in the University of Melbourne and a CSIRO Fellow at CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Professor Holmes has been recognised for his groundbreaking work on light-emitting polymers. These polymers play an important role in the newly emerging field of flexible electronics and have applications in flat-screen televisions and solar cells.

Professor Holmes was elected to the academy in 2006 and has served as foreign secretary since 2010. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Along with a new president, two new secretaries of the academy have taken office - botanist Professor Pauline Ladiges has taken over from Professor Jenny Graves as secretary of education and public awareness and mathematician Professor Cheryl Praeger has taken up the role of foreign secretary.