For his significant role in developing the local area wireless network technology, Dr. John O'Sullivan, a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO) has bagged the 2009 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.

The award, which includes $200 million in royalties, was won by O'Sullivan for his contribution towards the development of IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g Wi-Fi products - the technology that goes into the making of almost all notebooks, desktops and mobile wireless LAN devices; along with his contributions to astronomical field as well.

Commending O'Sullivan for his scientific brilliance, CSIRO CEO Dr Megan Clark said that O'Sullivan not only lead the way in finding a solution to the multipath problem that was central to the development of fast wireless networks, but was also instrumental in designing the development of an inventive radio camera for the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope.

O'Sullivan's leadership of the wireless technology project provided the much-needed solution to the problem of wireless signals rebounding walls and other surfaces during transmission - he proposed the application of radio astronomy techniques for sending information over several different frequencies that were later coalesced at the receiver.

Talking about O'Sullivan's noteworthy role in developing wireless technology, Prime Minister Kevin Kudd said: "It's one of the most significant achievements in CSIRO's 83-year history and illustrates how blue sky research can have very practical outcomes."