We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family of Professor Marcello Costa, a distinguished neuroscientist and pioneer in the field of Italian research in Australia.
Some biographical details are provided below.
After immigrating to Australia in 1970, Professor Costa played a pivotal role in establishing the new discipline of neuroscience and the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS), of which he became President in the 1990s. He remained at Flinders University until his retirement in 2021, where he held the personal chair of neurophysiology – the inaugural position in Australia.
He published over 230 scientific articles in international journals, 55 reviews and chapters, and wrote two books on neuroscience and gastrointestinal motor function. Marcello was a pioneer in the study of the nervous control of gastrointestinal functions, publishing his first paper in this field in 1965.
Marcello has been a passionate teacher of neuroscience at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as to the general public.
His book, “Adventures in Gut Neuroscience”, published in 2023, offers a personal and scientific account of his journey.
He has been honoured with numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including:
1988: Member of the Australian Academy of Sciences
1992: ‘Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana’ by the Italian Government
2012: Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor at Flinders University
2020: Officer of the Order of Australia (General Division) “for distinguished service to higher education and medical research, in the field of neurophysiology, and to professional scientific bodies”.
In 2023, Marcello was honoured with the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Australasian Neuroscience Society. He has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining his Italian cultural heritage and promoting Italian science in Australia.
In the early 1990s, he served as president of ComItEs (Committee of Italians Abroad) in Adelaide. He was also the founder and first president of the Association of Italian Scientists in Australasia (ARIA-SA), which was established in April 2001.
