"He is known for more than his ability to make difficult and technical concepts comprehensible and accessible to the layperson," she said.

"He's also known for speaking out, sometimes at personal cost, on community issues ranging from gay rights to - only last weekend - animal cruelty."

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The other winner was Melina Schamroth, founder of Make a Difference, an organisation that champions a wide range of community-related causes, which have recently included bushfire-affected communities.