Staff profile
Dr Alex Harris
Research Fellow
Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering
School of Psychological ScienceDepartment of Psychology
Melbourne (Bundoora)
- T: +61 3 9479 3427
- E: alex.harris@latrobe.edu.au
- W: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/psy/
Qualifications
B.Sc.(Hons), PhD
Area of study
Psychology
Brief Profile
Dr Harris conducts research in the areas of physical chemistry, analytical chemistry and medical devices. He completed a PhD in 2007 at Monash University in physical and analytical chemistry; developing new ion-selective electrodes for medical, industrial and environmental monitoring; undertaking fundamental research into electrochemistry; and building an atomic force microscope. Following this, he was employed at Oxford Biosensors Ltd, UK, as a Team Leader investigating the fundamental properties of disposable blood sensors and applying this knowledge to development and manufacturing procedures and protocols. Subsequently, Dr Harris was an OCE post doctoral fellow at CSIRO in Perth, setting up a new laboratory for the investigation of very high temperature electrochemistry in corrosive solvents for the alumina industry.
In 2010, Dr Harris moved back to Melbourne to return to medical device research as a research fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at La Trobe University. His current projects focus on the manufacture and analysis of new bionic devices and their interaction with neurons. This includes the creation of a new hi-fi cochlear implant, improving the implant/neural interface by application of novel materials and developing new methods for visualising and testing the implants in vivo. More recently he began work on optogenetics, developing new bionics for light and viral delivery for in vitro and in vivo optical stimulation experiments.
Research interests
Analytical and environmental chemistry
- Electrochemical and Optical Sensing
Biomedical engineering
- Bionics for the stimulation and recording of biological function
Neuroscience and neuropsychology
- Please contact me to discuss a topic.Recent Publications
Zhang, Jie; Harris, Alexander R.; Cattrall, Robert W.; Bond, Alan M. Voltammetric Ion-Selective Electrodes for the Selective Determination of Cations and Anions. Analytical Chemistry, (2010), 82(5), 1624-1633.
Konash, Anastassija; Harris, Alexander R.; Zhang, Jie; Elton, Darrell; Hyland, Mark; Kennedy, Gareth; Bond, Alan M. Theoretical and experimental evaluation of screen-printed tubular carbon ink disposable sensor well electrodes by dc and Fourier transformed ac voltammetry. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, (2009), 13(4), 551-563.
Harris, Alexander R.; Zhang, Jie; Konash, Anastassija; Elton, Darrell; Hyland, Mark; Bond, Alan M. Efficient Strategies for Quality Control of Screen Printed Carbon Ink Disposable Sensor Electrodes based on Simultaneous Evaluation of Resistance, Capacitance and Faradaic Current by Fourier Transform ac Voltammetry. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, (2008), 12(10), 1301-1315.
Qu, Xiaohu; Nafady, Ayman; Mechler, Adam; Zhang, Jie; Harris, Alexander R.; O’Mullane, Anthony P.; Martin, Lisandra L.; Bond, Alan M. AFM study of morphological changes associated with electrochemical solid–solid transformation of three-dimensional crystals of TCNQ to metal derivatives (metal=Cu, Co, Ni; TCNQ=tetracyanoquinodimethane). Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, (2008), 12(6), 739-746.
Harris, Alexander R.; Nafady, Ayman; O'Mullane, Anthony P.; Bond, Alan M. Voltammetric, Spectroscopic and Microscopic Investigations of Electrocrystallized forms of Semi-conducting, AgTCNQ (TCNQ=7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane) Exhibiting Different Morphologies and Colors. Chemistry of Materials, (2007), 19(23), 5499-5509.
Nafady, Ayman; Bond, Alan M.; Bilyk, Alexander; Harris, Alexander R.; Bhatt, Anand I.; O'Mullane, Anthony P.; De Marco, Roland. Tuning the Electrocrystallization Parameters of Semiconducting Co[TCNQ]2-Based Material to Yield Either Single Nanowires or Crystalline Thin Films. Journal of the American Chemical Society, (2007), 129(9), 2369-2382.
Harris, Alexander R.; Neufeld, Aaron K.; O'Mullane, Anthony P.; Bond, Alan M. Characterization of Two Distinctly Different Processes Associated with the Electrocrystallization of Microcrystals of Phase I, CuTCNQ (TCNQ=7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane). Journal of Materials Chemistry (2006), 16(45), 4397-4406.
O'Mullane, Anthony P.; Neufeld, Aaron K.; Harris, Alexander R.; Bond, Alan M. Electrocrystallization of Phase I, CuTCNQ (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-Tetracyanoquinodimethane), on Indium Tin Oxide and Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes. Langmuir (2006), 22(25), 10499-10505.
Hogan, Conor F.; Harris, Alexander R.; Bond, Alan M.; Sly, Joseph; Crossley, Maxwell J. Electrochemical studies of porphyrin-appended dendrimers. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (2006), 8(17), 2058-2065.
Harris, Alexander R.; Neufeld, Aaron K.; O'Mullane, Anthony P.; Bond, Alan M.; Morrison, Richard J. S. Voltammetric, EQCM, spectroscopic, and microscopic studies on the electrocrystallization of semiconducting, phase I, CuTCNQ on carbon, gold, and platinum electrodes by a nucleation-growth process. Journal of the Electrochemical Society (2005), 152(9), C577-C583.
Kutasi, Anna M.; Harris, Alexander R.; Batten, Stuart R.; Moubaraki, Boujemaa; Murray, Keith S. Coordination Polymers of Dicyanamide and Methylpyrazine: Syntheses, Structures, and Magnetic Properties. Crystal Growth & Design (2004), 4(3), 605-610.
Kutasi, Anna M.; Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R.; Moubaraki, Boujemaa; Murray, Keith S. Structural and magnetic properties of the coordination polymer Mn(dca)2(H2O)2× 2Me4pyz, dca = dicyanamide (N(CN)2-), Me4pyz = tetramethylpyrazine. Australian Journal of Chemistry (2002), 55(5), 311-313.
Kutasi, Anna M.; Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R.; Moubaraki, Boujemaa; Murray, Keith S. Structure and magnetism of the ladder-like coordination polymer Co3(dca)2(nic)4(H2O)8× 2H2O [dca = dicyanamide anion, N(CN)2-;nic - nicotinate anion]. CrystEngComm (2002), 4, 202-204.
Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R.; Murray, Keith S.; Smith, Jonathan P. Crystal Engineering with Mercuric Chloride. Crystal Growth & Design (2002), 2(2), 87-89.
Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R. trans-Tetraaquabis(pyridine-3-carboxylato-k N)nickel(II). Acta Crystallographica, Section E: Structure Reports Online (2001), E57(1), m9-m11.
Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R. trans-Tetraaquabis(pyridine-4-carboxylato-k N)nickel(II). Acta Crystallographica, Section E: Structure Reports Online (2001), E57(1), m7-m8.
Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R.; Murray, Keith S. Phase change in tetraphenylphosphonium perchlorate. Acta Crystallographica, Section C: Crystal Structure Communications (2000), C56(11), 1394-1395.
Batten, Stuart R.; Harris, Alexander R.; Jensen, Paul; Murray, Keith S.; Ziebell, Angela. Copper(I) dicyanamide coordination polymers: ladders, sheets, layers, diamond-like networks and unusual interpenetration. Dalton (2000), (21), 3829-3836.
Patents:
Zhang, Jie; Bond, Alan Maxwell; Harris, Alexander Richard. Voltammetric ion sensor. PCT Int. Appl. (2006), 40 pp. WO 2006040588.
Research projects
Development of a new hi-fi cochlear implant.
Improving the imaging of cochlear implants in vivo to assess performance.
Investigating the electrode/neural interface and testing new materials for improved biocompatibility and function.
Optogenetic control of neurons and new bionics.
