SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY Annual Report 2012 www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au 1 SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY Annual Report 2012 SPONSORS Agilent Technologies Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Australian Research Council Australian Synchrotron BHP Billiton Chemistry Education Association Inc Dairy Innovation Australia Ltd Dulux Australia Huntsman Corporation Australia Pty Ltd Melbourne Water National Health and Medical Research Council Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute Stawell Gold Mines CONTACT THE SCHOOL Chemistry Building The University of Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia +61 3 8344 6567 www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au Compiled by Jenny Long [email protected] FRONT COVER IMAGE Materials prepared by Dehong Chen and Lu Cao within the School of Chemistry’s Caruso research group. These mesoporous titania beads with spiky particles decorating the surface have been tested in dye-sensitised solar cell applications, in collaboration with Monash University, achieving over 10 % efficiency. 2 School of Chemistry Annual Report 2012 CONTENT Introduction from the Head of School 4 Our People 5 News 6 Societies 14 Chemistry Building redevelopment 15 Prizes and Awards 17 Chemistry Outreach Program 18 Alumni Function 2012 19 Subjects 20 Key teaching and learning statistics 21 Research Higher Degree student completions 22 Research Funding 2012 23 ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology 25 Conferences 2012 26 Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry Seminar Program 31 Organic Chemistry Seminar Program 33 Physical Chemistry Seminar Program 35 Publications 2012 36 www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au 3 INTRODUCTION FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Once again we present the Annual Our outreach activities on campus and Report from the School of Chemistry at schools throughout Victoria engage and celebrate some of our many students at all levels. The Melbourne accomplishments in 2012. The School University Chemical Society hosted is one the oldest and largest chemistry the Lady Masson Lecture by our new departments in Australia: lectures Provost, Professor Margaret Sheil, in chemistry have been given at the which was a highlight of our public University of Melbourne since 1856. lecture program. The reputation of the School continues Following a re-structure of Professional to grow as evidenced by the outcomes Staff in the Faculty of Science during of the 2012 QS World University 2012, we farewelled Marg Ross (School Ranking for Chemistry. Despite the Manager) and Fran Dynan (Finance vagaries of the ranking systems, we Manager) and thank them for their were delighted that the University of service to the School of Chemistry. Melbourne came in highest in Australia and at 20 in the world to I invite you to read about our study chemistry. performance in teaching, research and engagement, which are briefly The School continues to perform summarized in the following pages, strongly in research with successes and reinforce that the School of in the Australian Research Council Chemistry is a great place to study (ARC) grant schemes, including a and do research. Future Fellowship to Dr Georgina Such and Discovery Early Career Awards to Dr James Hutchison and Dr Chris Ritchie. The School also hosts the ARC Centre of Excellence for ‘Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology’ and is Professor Frances Separovic FAA a participant in two other centres. The excellence of our researchers has been recognized in several ways, including the awarding of the Royal Medal to Laureate Professor Andrew Holmes in recognition of his outstanding career achievements. I was also honoured to be elected as the first female chemist to the Australian Academy of Science. Meanwhile, major refurbishments of the Chemistry Building continue. The new physical chemistry research laboratories on Level 1 East were occupied in March 2012. The final research laboratories in the East Wing of the Chemistry Building, Level 2 East, are planned for completion in 2013. This will see the School with modern research laboratories located primarily in the East Wing and at the Bio21 Institute, together with the new teaching laboratories in the West Wing of the Chemistry Building. 4 School of Chemistry Annual Report 2012 OUR PEOPLE ACADEMIC Future Generation Fellows Amber Hancock Peter McTigue Rachel Caruso Xiaotao Hao Richard Morrison Head of School John Gehman Clare Henderson Geoffrey Scollary Frances Separovic James Hickey Peter Tregloan ARC Australian Professors Postdoctoral Fellow Timothy Hudson Charles Young Muthupandian Ashokkumar George Khairallah David John Jones Senior Fellows Evan Bieske Yvonne Kavanagh Robert Craig ARC Australian Ken Ghiggino Shea Fern Lim Valda May McRae Postdoctoral Fellows Franz Grieser Anthony Morfa Linda Feketeova Fellows Spas Dimitrov Kolev Tich-Lam Nguyen Elizabeth Krenske Richard David Harcourt Robert Lamb Adabelle Ong Akhter Hossain Richard Alfred O’Hair Centenary Fellow Brett Paterson John Lambert Mark Antony Rizzacasa William ‘Alex’ Donald Christopher Ritchie Alessandro Martucci Carl Herbert Schiesser Hadi Lioe Tatiana Pinedo Rivera Suzanne Reichman Marc Antoine Sani Denis Scanlon Christine Schieber Gerard Wilson Colin Skene Andrew Tilley PROFESSIONAL Willem Van den Huevel West Precinct Manager Phillip Van der Peet Eugene Fredericks Krista Vikse West Precinct Huabin Wang Facilities Manager Xingzhan Wei Paul Beardsley Keith White Christian Wichmann Renee Beale Vicki Burley Tutors Alex Wu Associate Professors and Fran Dynan /or Readers Penelope Commons Zhiguang Xiao Gregory Ellis Brendan Francis Abrahams Sonia Horvat Yanlin Zhang Robert Gable Rachel Caruso Meifang Zhou Chemistry Outreach Sue Hickey Michelle Louise Gee Fellow HONORARY Ross Lineham Craig Hutton Michael Moylan APPOINTMENTS Jenny Long Trevor Alexander Smith Emeritus Professors Brendan Mangan Jonathan Michael White Research Associates Donald William Cameron Bryan McGowan Uta Wille Sneha Abraham Abigail Albright Francis Patrick Larkins Alf Meilak Senior Lecturers Elizabeth Mills Klaus Boldt Professorial Fellows Stephen Peter Best Peter Mills Gojko Buncic Robert Cattrall Colette Boskovic Des Odgers Nahid Chalyavi Roger Francis Martin Paul Donnelly Charlie Penman Janage Chandrapala Ezio Rizzardo Spencer John Williams Lachlan Pollock Maryine Chee Kimling Richard Robson Marg Ross Lecturers Dehong Chen Peter Robert Taylor (Business Manager) Angus Anthony Gray-Weale James Cochrane John Desmond Wade Craig Sanders Alessandro Soncini Christopher Dean Donner Robert Oliver Watts Jennifer Scott Augustine Doronila John Webb ARC Laureate Fellows and Alexandra Strich Viktoras Dryza Anthony Gordon Wedd Professors Doug Taylor Alex Duan Paul Mulvaney Joe Tyler Linda Feketova Principal Fellows Sioe See Volaric Laureate Professor Maria Ines Gameiro SA Almeida Christopher Burns Andrew Bruce Holmes Catrin Goeschen William David McFadyen Christian Gunawan Ian McKelvie www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au 5 NEWS From time to time, School of Chemistry staff and students make the news! Below are excerpts from, and links to news stories and articles from 2012 about the School of Chemistry, from print and electronic media. How viruses play PNAS article for Linda Chan awarded Biological ‘piggy-BacK’ Donnelly group NH Schuster Research from Paul Donnelly’s Group Scholarship An international team of scientists in collaboration with Dr Peter Crouch led by Assoc Prof Spencer Williams C Linda Chan, PhD student with Prof from the Dept. of Pathology was from the School of Chemistry John Wade and Prof Frances Separovic, published in PNAS. A copper complex and Bio21 Institute and Professor was awarded the 2012 Norma Hilda under investigation as an imaging Gideon Davies from the University Schuster (nee Swift) Scholarship. agent for the diagnosis of tumours of York determined the structure The scholarship is awarded for is selectively trapped in cells with of the enzyme endomannosidase, academic merit to a student enrolled an impaired mitochondrial electron significantly advancing our in the Faculty of Science undertaking transport. Radioactive versions of understanding of how a group graduate research in the field of the copper complex are used as of devastating human viruses biochemistry. radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis including HIV and hepatitis C hijack of cancers using positron emission human enzymes to reproduce Victoria-India tomography (PET). Hypoxic tumours, and cause disease. In work ischemia, and Parkinson’s disease Doctoral Scholarship reported in the Proceedings of the all involve impaired mitochondrial to Chemistry PHD National Academy of Sciences function so there is potential this student USA (PNAS) they studied bacterial copper complex could be used as a PET endomannosidase as a model Sayali Shah was the successful Uni imaging agent in other mitochondrial for the same human enzyme and Melb PhD applicant for the Victoria diseases. successfully determined the 3D India Doctoral Scholarship as Sayali structure using state-of-the-art completed a Masters from University synchrotron technology. Knowing Brandon MacDonald of Pune and her supervisor here will be the enzyme structure revealed how awarded student Spencer Williams. viruses play biological ‘piggy-back’, priZE at ICONN 2012 borrowing our cellular machinery PhD student, Brandon MacDonald, University laB opened to replicate and cause disease. The from the Mulvaney lab was awarded to VCE Chemistry findings were widely reported on a prize at the 2012 International ABC News and Radio, in the Herald students Conference on Nanoscience and Sun and in various online sources