Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering
School of Molecular SciencesPhysical Sciences 3, Room 213, Melbourne (Bundoora)
BSc Hons, PhD Monash.
Member The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (MRACI)
Chemistry
Optical spectroscopy with infrared, visible and ultraviolet lasers, or with the Australian Synchrotron’s infrared beamline is used to explore the properties of molecules relevant to pharmaceutics, atmospheric and aerosol chemistry and even the interstellar medium.
- Chemical characterisation of aerosol samples collected from Australian sites
- IR spectroscopy of aerosols at the Australian Synchrotron
- Conformational Shape of Biomolecules: Laser-based gas phase spectroscopy
CHE1BAS Basic Chemistry (Physical Chemistry Topic)
CHE2FCA (Spectroscopy Topic)
CHE3 Sustainability & Chemistry Topic
CHE3 Optical Spectroscopy Topic
CHE4 Honours Chemistry
3rd year Coordinator CHE3ABD, CHE3SDB, CHE3MCD, CHE3SEN, CHE5SEA
Note: for the most up-to-date info, updated automatically, please visit my ResearcherID profile:
The following projects highlight aspects of our research.
The conformational shape of biomolecules, and their interactions with the surrounding environment including water are critical to their functioning. Laser-based gas phase spectroscopy combined with ab initio calculations generates precise molecular structural information on molecules such as neurotransmitters that provide a rigorous platform for understanding their behaviour and ultimately, rationalizing drug design.
High Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy conducted at the Australian Synchrotron studies the rovibrational properties of atmospheric molecules (allowing their IR absorption profiles to be modeled), and interstellar molecules (to aid in the identification of spectral lines found in radioastronomy).
Aerosols and nano-particulate clusters, formed by cooling under carefully controlled conditions, are also examined using FTIR spectroscopy. Collected environmental aerosol samples are also studied by chemical analysis.
Other research interests include computational chemistry, and chemical analysis for biomarkers of phyloxera infestation.