Professor Shine is well known for his role in discovering the Shine-Dalgarno gene sequence, which is responsible for the initiation and termination of protein-synthesis. He was a central figure in the cloning of the insulin and growth hormone genes; was the first to clone a human gene and was the first to demonstrate that hormone genes cloned in bacteria could be expressed in a biologically active form.

He was Executive Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research from 1990 until 2011 and Chairman of the biopharmaceutical company CSL from 2011-2018. He is also an ex-Chairman of the National Health and Medical Research Council and past President of the Museum of Applied Arts and Science (Powerhouse Museum and Sydney Observatory). He is a Companion in the Order of Australia and until 2011 was a Member of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council.

In 2010 he received Australia’s highest award for science – the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. Professor Shine is currently President of the Australian Academy of Science.