Mr Geoffrey Frew, Chairman of Varian-Techtron Pty Ltd (now Varian Australia Pty Ltd) manufacturers of the first atomic absorption spectrophotometers, personally donated $25,000 in 1970 to the Australian Academy of Science for the purpose of endowing fellowships to enable distinguished overseas scientists to participate in the Australian Spectroscopy Conferences and to visit scientific centres in Australia.  The late Alan Walsh was responsible for establishing the Fellowship.

The Geoffrey Frew Fellowship is awarded and the length of tenure determined by the Council of the Academy on the recommendation of its Standing Committee of Spectroscopy (now the National Committee for Spectroscopy). The Fellowship shall be tenable for visits not less than two weeks and not more than three months.  The following expenses will be provided for the fellow:

• Direct return air fares between his/her city of residence and Australia
• Air fares within Australia for an itinerary approved by the Council of the Academy
• A daily allowance at the rate determined by Council from time to time for Fellows of the Academy

Previous Geoffrey Frew Fellows :
 

1971       George R. Harrison  (MIT)
1973       Arthur L. Schawlow  (Stanford)
1976       George Porter  (Sussex)
1980       Boris Stoicheoff  (Toronto)
1982       Gerhardt Herzberg  (Ottawa)
1985       J.H. van der Waals  (Leiden)
1987       John L. Hall  (Boulder)
1989       Richard N. Zare  (Stanford)
1991       Michael Kasha  (Florida)
1993       Claude Cohen-Tannoudji  (Paris)
1996       John C. Polanyi  (Toronto)
1998       Carl E. Wieman  (Boulder)
2001       Mark Kasevich  (Yale)

This list includes six Nobel Laureates (Schawlow, Porter, Herzberg, Cohen-Tannoudji, Polanyi and Wieman), three of whom received the Prize after the award of the Frew Fellowship.