Members
Program leaders
Professor Brian Abbey
Over the past 16 years Prof. Brian Abbey has been leading the development of new optical technologies for biological imaging employing techniques in coherent optics and nanotechnology. Brian obtained his PhD from Cambridge in 2007 and from 2014-2021 was a node leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging. Brian's group comprises research in the areas of Optics, Nanofabrication, and X-ray science.
Since 2014 Brian has received more than $35 million in external funding as Chief Investigator (CI) from the ARC and NHMRC as well as external research contracts from facilities he manages. From 2014-2018 he was an ARC Future Fellow. In 2017 Brian received the Victorian Young Tall Poppy science award in recognition of his contribution to biophysics and scientific outreach activities. In 2018 he was accepted into the Medtech Actuator program for start-up companies and in 2019 Brian led a multidisciplinary team of researchers to win the national Medtech’s Got Talent (MTGT) award. In 2022 Brian led the team which won both the Australian Museum Eureka prize for the Innovative use of Technology and the Victoria Prize for Physical Sciences. He is the lead inventor on 5 national phase patents since 2017.
Dr Yuning Hong
A/Prof Yuning Hong received her BSc in Applied Chemistry from Sun Yat-sen University and her PhD in Nano Science and Technology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), under the supervision of Prof. Ben Zhong Tang. She completed her postdoctoral training in Biophysical Chemistry with Prof. Ekaterina V. Pletneva at Dartmouth College, USA, before returning to HKUST as a Research Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. In 2014, A/Prof Hong moved to Australia as a McKenzie Fellow at The University of Melbourne, where she worked with Prof. Trevor Smith in the Ultrafast and Microspectroscopy Laboratories. In late 2016, she joined the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science as a Bruce Stone Fellow, where she established her own research group. She was subsequently appointed Senior Lecturer and later Associate Professor in Chemistry.
Members
Professor Garrie Arumugam
Professor Arumugam obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Science with Honors from the University of Sydney in 1998 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology from the University of Queensland in 2003. He completed post-doctoral training at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, USA, under Professor Neil Granger, and at the National Institute of Health, Baltimore, USA, under Professor Mark Mattson. Establishing his independent laboratory at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2007, he later transitioned to The University of Queensland (UQ) as a Senior Lecturer, focusing on CNS neurodegeneration and ischemic stroke. In 2011, he was honored with the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award and an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship. He was appointed Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore in 2013 and subsequently joined La Trobe University in March 2020.
Dr Peter Barnard
Peter Barnard is an expert in synthetic inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry and has published 50 peer-reviewed papers. The main focus of the lab is the synthesis and characterisation of new metal-containing compounds for use as diagnostic imaging agents (radiopharmaceuticals) and fluorescent probes for imaging and sensor applications. Peter completed a PhD in bioinorganic chemistry at the University of Sydney in 2003 and this was followed by a post-doctoral position at the University of Western Australia and then a Glaxo-Smith Kline funded post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford. Peter took up his current position at La Trobe University in 2009.
Professor Travis Beddoe
I am a multidisciplinary scientist, training initially as a plant biochemist before studying molecular chaperones in mitochondrial targeting as a PhD student (awarded March 2004), and eventually training in biophysical and structural biology in immune receptors as a postdoctoral researcher. I started my independent research career at Monash University with an NHMRC CDA fellowship (2008) followed by a Pfizer Australia Research fellowship (2010) in the area of glycan specificity in bacterial pathogenesis and physiology. I changed research fields when I was recruited to La Trobe University in 2014 as a senior lecturer to establish a laboratory focused on livestock-pathogen interactions in the School of Animal, Plant and Soil Science located in the AgriBio centre. My research is concentrated on aiding animal health with a focus on field-based diagnostics, molecular understanding of the role glycans and glycan-binding proteins play in disease pathogenesis and vaccine development.
Dr Narelle Brack
Dr Brack has 20 years postgraduate and professional experience in materials and surface science. She has published 3 refereed book chapters and over 70 refereed international journal articles and won significant research and infrastructure funding. She has extensive expertise in the development of surface modification processes and surface characterisation using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).
Professor Shaun Collin
Professor Shaun P. Collin is the Dean of the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment (SABE) and the Co-Director of the AgriBioscience Centre at La Trobe University. Prior to joining La Trobe, he spent appreciable periods of time in Canada, the United States, Germany and Australia on a range of prestigious Research Fellowships (NH&MRC C. J. Martin, ARC QEII, Fulbright, Alexander von Humboldt, Grass) before he joined The University of Queensland as a Professor and Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences where he was for 10 years. He then joined The University of Western Australia (UWA) as a WA Premiers Fellow within the School of Animal Biology and the Oceans Graduate School, where he was later appointed the Director of the Oceans Institute. He took up his current appointment at La Trobe University in 2019. He heads the Neuroecology Group that investigates the neural basis of behaviour in both invertebrates and vertebrates, with special emphasis on sensory neurobiology. His Group investigates how light, sound, electromagnetic fields, water movement and odours are detected and used by a range of animals to mediate feeding, find reproductive partners, communicate and navigate within a diversity of (predominantly aquatic) environments. He uses morphological (including bioimaging), electrophysiological, molecular and behavioural approaches in a large range of species. Current projects include assessing ecotoxicological impacts on chemoreception in fishes, bioengineering of shark cartilage and audition in pelagic fishes and sharks. Prof. Collin has published over 339 publications including 13 books/Edited Journal Issues, 29 Book Chapters, 255 journal articles, 14 films/documentaries/exhibitions and 10 Government Reports with an h-index of 67, an i10 index of 231 and over 13,700 citations and sits on the Editorial Boards of 5 international journals. He has previously sat on the College of Experts Panel for the ARC and has close associations with both the WA and Victorian State Governments. He currently sits on the Executive of the Australian Council of the Deans of Science.
Professor Grant Drummond
Grant Drummond is a Professor of Physiology and Co-director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research (CCBDR) at La Trobe University. He also serves as Associate Dean Partnerships for the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. Grant's research is in the area of cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease with a specific focus on understanding the roles of oxidative stress, the immune system and the gut microbiome in promoting the vascular, cardiac and renal inflammation that contributes to these conditions. Grant's work has provided novel insights into the roles of NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species as signalling molecules under physiological conditions, and mediators of oxidative damage in vascular disease. His studies have also shed new light on the involvement of both innate (e.g. NLRP3 inflammasome, interleukin-18), and adaptive (B cells, autoantibodies) immune signalling pathways in the development of hypertension and kidney damage. More recently, Grant's team have been exploring the relationship between gut health and cardiovascular disease, with a particular focus on the gut virome. His work is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Heart Foundation of Australia.
Dr Jason Dutton
Dr Dutton obtained his PhD in 2010 under Prof. Paul J. Ragogna at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. His research focused on the Lewis acidic coordination chemistry of selenium and tellurium. He then moved onto a postdoctoral fellowship under Prof. Warren E. Piers at The University of Calgary supported by an NSERC PDF, researching mechanistic aspects of dihydrogen activation by boron containing species. In July 2011 Dr. Dutton took up a position as a Lecturer at La Trobe University. He was awarded a 3-year ARC DECRA in 2013 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in November 2014. In 2017 he was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship and promoted to Associate Professor, and Professor in 2021. He is Deputy Dean of Research in SABE from August 2024 to present. He has a diverse program encompassing inorganic, organic and theoretical chemistry with a focus on the discovery of new reactivity and bonding.
Dr Doug Fairlie
Doug Fairlie obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from Monash University in 1994. After a postdoctoral stint in the US at the State University New York, Buffalo, he returned to Australia in 1996 to work at the Centre for Immunology, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney where he was the lead protein chemist on projects involving TGF-beta-related cytokines and a novel intracellular ion channel. In 2001, Doug joined the Cancer and Haematology Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute to continue work on cytokines including IL-6 family members. In 2003, he moved to the Structural Biology Division at WEHI where he commenced working on cell death and survival mechanisms and was promoted to a laboratory head in 2010.
Associate Professor Wren Greene
Dr. George “Wren” Greene began his research career in the R&D department of the Porex Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of molded porous polymer materials that serves the industrial, biomedical, and healthcare sectors. Dr. Greene left Porex to pursue a PhD in Materials at the University of California, Santa Barbara studying under the late Professor Jacob Israelachvili who is widely regarded as one of the most influential experimentalists in the field of surface and interfacial phenomena. In 2011, Dr. Greene joined the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) at Deakin University and was awarded an ARC DECRA fellowship in 2013 to investigate the properties and potential applications of lubricin, a biolubricant and anti-adhesive glycoprotein having many interesting properties. Dr. Greene currently leads the multifunctional and responsive interfaces group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry that applies surface and interfacial science to create innovative material systems.
Our research is centered on the physical chemistry of surfaces and interfaces which includes such phenomena as adhesion, friction, lubrication, self-assembly, the interactive forces between matter at small length scales, and chemical reactions occurring at solid-fluid interfaces (corrosion, catalysis, dissolution). We use, control, and manipulate forces and processes at interfaces to create material systems that have multifunctional, responsive, and/or reactive properties. Interfacial science is, by nature, a trans-disciplinary field (everything has at least one interface) and so our research covers a broad spectrum of applications including electrochemical and optical biosensors, electroactive polymers, bionics, electrochemistry, and nanofabrication.
Dr Conor Hogan
Dr Begoña Heras
Begoña has developed her research career at top international research institutions, including completing her PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Navarra (Spain), postdoctoral research positions at the John Innes Centre (UK) and the University of Queensland (Australia), along with carrying out research exchange visits at ETH (Switzerland) and the University of Michigan (USA). In 2012 she obtained a La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS) Fellowship to start her independent laboratory at La Trobe University. In 2013 she was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship, and was promoted to Associate Professor 2019 and Professor in 2023.
Dr David Hoxley
I am interested in the surfaces of semiconductor crystals, particulaly diamond, and how they react to the world around and within us. My research involves coating these surfaces with organic and metallo-organic compounds observing the change their electrical and optical properties, particularly in ways which can be useful for engineering implantable biosensors for medical assays.
My other interest springs from a deep commitment to the dissimenation of knowlege through teaching, which I regard as a process of coaching. This includes research into ways of making this coaching possible (and efficient) in a mass tertiary education system, primarily through combining the modern educational psychology with information technology.
Professor Mark Hulett
Prof Hulett completed his doctoral studies in 1994 at The University of Melbourne in on immune cell receptors in inflammation and allergy. He was awarded an NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellowship (1995-1998) to continue his work on immune receptors at the Austin Research Institute. Prof Hulett moved to the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) at The Australian National University in 1999 where he cloned the heparan sulphate-degrading enzyme heparanase and described its important role in inflammatory disease and cancer. Following the awarding of a Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship in 2002, Prof Hulett established an independent laboratory at the JCSMR to study molecular aspects of immune and tumour cell migration. In 2008 Prof Hulett moved his research group to the Department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University.
Dr Maria Jelinic
Hypertension, obesity and diabetes are leading causes of cardiovascular disease. Dr Maria Jelinic hopes to make this a problem of the past. Since completing her PhD in vascular physiology, Maria's research has focused on elucidating mechanisms that drive cardiac, vascular and renal complications in cardiometabolic disease. Her research investigates novel inflammatory mechanisms that drive renal and vascular complications in these disease states. Maria specializes in using pharmacological interventions and genetic modifications in rodent models of cardiovascular disease to test new therapeutic strategies that target immune cells to reduce end organ-damage in these disease settings.
In her short career to date, she has produced 34 publications (with over 1000 citations), and secured over $3.7M in competitive funding. She is also passionate about training the next generation of scientists to build on Australia’s capacity in biomedical research and has over 12 years’ experience training both undergraduate and HDR students in physiology and pharmacology.
Associate Professor Kim Johnson
Dr Johnson is a senior lecturer in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment and located in the AgriBio building. Dr Johnsons research within the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food aims to optimize crops for different environments. Her work looks at the cell wall, the 'skeleton' of the plant that influences how plants are used for food, fuel and textiles. Dr Johnson studies the pathways that change the cell wall in response to physical signals that arise during growth and/or in response to environmental stress. Dr Johnson graduated from the University of Melbourne, has worked in leading plant research institutes in the UK, and is passionate about communicating the importance of STEM in agriculture to make the way we eat more sustainable and enjoyable.
Dr Christine Kettle
My area of research is neurophysiology/pharmacology. I have studied neural networks within the retina and investigated the relationships between mutually inhibitory circuits and the implications on the plasticity of dopaminergic receptive mechanisms under normal physiological conditions. Currently our lab examines the underlying neurobiology and neurochemistry that underlies the physiology of metabolism. In 2009 our understanding of metabolism in humans was transformed by the discovery that a significant amount of brown adipose tissue is found in adult humans. Brown adipose tissue is important as it is specialized for wasting stored energy (body fat) as heat. There is an inverse correlation between the amount of brown adipose tissue a person has and the likelihood of the development of obesity. Further, activation of brown adipose has been shown to have positive effects on glucose sensitivity (i.e. an anti-diabetic effect).
Dr Erinna Lee
I am best known for my work in cell death and survival research. I have made significant contributions to our understanding of how deregulation of these pathways contributes to disease pathogenesis and their therapeutic intervention, specifically in cancer, and more recently inflammatory bowel disease. My research program has been funded by competitive funding from the ARC, NHMRC, Worldwide Cancer Research, Cancer Council Victoria, Tour de Cure, ANZ Trustees, and CASS Foundation.
Dr Adam Mechler
Dr Mechler completed a BSc/MSc degree in Chemistry and Physics in 1996, and obtained his PhD in Physics/Materials science in 2001 at University of Szeged (formerly Attila Jozsef university), Hungary. In the same year he received a NATO Science for Peace Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he spent three years working on a range of projects united by the need of cutting edge nanoscale design and characterization, such as nanoviscosimetry, bioinspired materials and biomolecule interactions. He moved to Australia in 2004 as the recipient of a five year Monash Fellowship awarded by Monash University where he established his independent research program on biomolecule self-assembly, focusing on membrane biophysics and peptide-membrane interactions, while maintaining an interest in bioinspired materials and bioactive natural products. He has joined La Trobe University staff in 2009 and has been working there since.
Dr Kazuhide Shaun Okuda
Dr Okuda is an expert in zebrafish research, vascular biology, disease modeling, drug discovery and imaging. Dr Okuda has published 27 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals such as Nature Cell Biology, eLife and Development with 1300+ total citations. Dr Okuda was awarded his PhD at the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 2014. During his PhD training, Dr Okuda generated zebrafish transgenic lines that fluorescently label lymphatic vessels. Characterisation of these transgenic lines resulted in the identification of new lymphatic networks, generation of the first embryonic atlas of vertebrate lymphatic vessels and revealed new mechanisms of lymphatic development. Dr Okuda's study revolutionised how zebrafish is used for studying lymphangiogenesis and the zebrafish transgenic lines he generated are now one of the most utilised transgenic models for live-imaging lymphangiogenesis globally (Okuda et al., Development 2012).
Associate Professor Steve Petrovski
The research focus in the Petrovski Lab is microbial genetics specifically mobile genetic elements which include transposons, plasmids and bacteriophages. Current active projects include studying the epidemiology of the Tn5053/Tn402 family and investigating their mechanism of transposition at the molecular level. In addition the laboratory is interested in the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistance plasmids and the mechanisms of their conjugation functions as well as proteins that can interfere with their conjugal ability. Another main area of the laboratories research interest focuses on the isolation and genetic characterisation of bacteriophages that specifically infect both clinically important bacteria and environmental bacteria and ways in which they can be used or manipulated in phage therapy or biocontrol. Current active projects include developing bacteriophage cocktails to apply as a reliable method to control operational problems that commonly occur in wastewater treatment plants, as well as the development of novel pharmaceutical products containing bacteriophages to combat infections (in collaboration with the school of pharmacy and Melbourne health). Methods are currently being developed to genetically manipulate bacteriophages in attempts to develop bacteriophage biosensors.
Steve obtained his PhD in 2008 studying the genetic diversity of transposable elements that interact with broad host range plasmids. He then did a three year postdoctoral research position at La Trobe in Bendigo where he worked on isolating bacteriophages to develop a biocontrol method for wastewater foaming. Steve then worked at the department of primary industries where he developed skills in illumina next generation sequencing technology. He then worked as a hospital medical scientist before joining La Trobe University and started up his own research laboratory.
Find out more about Associate Professor Petrovski's research
Professor Paul Pigram
Dr Nick Reynolds
Dr. Reynolds is a Nicholas Hoogenraad Fellow at the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS). He obtained his PhD in 2009 from the Chemistry & Biology departments of the University of Sheffield. Since then he has held positions at the University of Zurich, CSIRO and Swinburne University of Technology. In October 2019 he established the Self-Assembled Nanomaterials group within LIMS. Dr Reynolds has published 40 papers in world-renowned interdisciplinary journals and has over 1520 citations.
Dr. Reynolds’ research is highly interdisciplinary and focuses on the design, discovery, characterisation and applications of self-assembled nanomaterials. These nanomaterials have applications in diverse fields including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, sensing and understanding disease.
Dr Evan Robertson
Evan Robertson is an expert in molecular spectroscopy, having published 100 peer-reviewed papers. His group exploits powerful light sources such as infrared, visible and ultraviolet lasers, or the Australian Synchrotron's infrared beamline, to study molecules relevant to pharmaceutics, atmospheric and aerosol chemistry and even the interstellar medium. Evan Robertson’s PhD at Monash University (1993-95) was followed by postdoctoral work at University of Oxford (1996-2000), Logan and ARC research fellowships (2001-2005) and a lectureship (2006-2009) at Monash University, and appointment as an academic at La Trobe University in 2009.
Dr Saimon Moraes Silva
Dr. Saimon M. Silva is the deputy director of the Biomedical & Environmental Sensor Technology (BEST) Centre and his research focus on development of translational point-of-need biosensors for biomedical and environmental analysis. He was awarded his Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales in 2018, where he developed DNA biosensors based on gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles. He then conducted postdoctoral training at Swinburne University of Technology where he extended his expertise in antifouling surfaces for varied biomedical surfaces and published seminal studies in this area. During his postdoctoral training, he also developed an innovative electrochemical sensing technology for the detection of cancer-associated antigens, which was licensed for commercialization to his industry partner Universal Biosensors. In 2023 he joined La Trobe University as a Lecturer in Chemistry, where he continues to drive the engagement between the university and industry. He is also a highly collaborative researcher who has substantial experience in driving collaborations that generates real-world impact in the diagnostic field. Dr. Moraes Silva is a passionate educator and has taught Chemistry students at all undergraduate levels.
Professor Chris Sobey
Professor Chris Sobey obtained his PhD in 1991 in the Department of Physiology at the University of Melbourne, studying the role of endothelium in the coronary circulation. In 1994 he was awarded an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research work at the University of Iowa (USA) where he gained expertise in studies of the cerebral circulation.
In 1996 he returned to Australia where he established the Cerebrovascular Reactivity Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Melbourne. In 2002 he was awarded an NHMRC RD Wright Career Development Award, and in 2005 he was appointed an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. In 2006 he was recruited to the Department of Pharmacology at Monash University where, together with Grant Drummond, he established the Vascular Biology and Immunopharmacology Group (VBIG) which has now published more than 80 research articles. In 2015 Professor Sobey was appointed as Program Lead of the Cardiovascular Disease program in the new Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Then in 2017, both he and Grant Drummond were recruited to the School of Life Sciences at La Trobe University where they are now Professors in Physiology. Their VBIG research team comprises approximately 15 members.
Associate Professor Colleen Thomas
Colleen is a teaching and research academic. She is an Associate Professor in Physiology and Head, Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology. She is also a Division Head in the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research at the University. Colleen obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, examining the influence of natriuretic peptides on cardiac reflexes in normal health, cardiovascular disease models and aging. She has expertise in instrumenting small and large animals for integrated cardiovascular physiological recordings in acute and chronic study settings (eg., blood pressure, heart rate, regional (organ) blood flow). She uses biochemical and molecular analyses to elucidate mechanisms of action. A significant post-doctoral research interest has been to develop novel strategies and therapies to treat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Functional components of diet to prevent / reverse chronic disease (especially CVD/ diabetes) are also a significant recent focus of her lab (anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant mechanisms of action; role of the gut microbiome). Colleen’s research is evidenced by multi-disciplinary collaborations to translate findings from basic research through to clinical trials and successful industry partnerships.
Dr Chanh Tran
Dr Chanh Tran's major research interests include interactions of X-rays with matter, complex atomic fine structures, optical coherence, x-ray imaging and synchrotron science. He received his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2003 in the area of precision measurement of the imaginary component of the atomic form factor using the X-ray Extended Range Technique. He won an Australian Synchrotron Research Fellowship in 2003 (~AUD300k) and an Australian Research Fellowship in a sole-CI ARC Discovery Project in 2006 (~AUD630k). He has been a lecturer at La Trobe University with 67 fully refereed publications, including a provisional pattern. He has extensive synchrotron experience and has conducted his research at major facilities around the world including the Australian Synchrotron (AUS), the Photon Factory (Japan), the Advanced Photon Source (US), the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (US), The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (EU), and Diamond Light Source (UK).
Chanh Tran is the elected Vice-President representing Australia and Oceania of the International Radiation Physics Society for 2021-2024. He is also a Member of the Commission on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) for 2021-2023.
Dr Kaye Truscott
For her doctorate, Kaye studied molecular chaperone assisted protein folding in thermophilic bacteria under the supervision of Prof. Robert Scopes. In 1999, shortly after obtaining her PhD, she was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship to examine the protein import machinery in mitochondria of yeast and was hosted by Prof. Nikolaus Pfanner (Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Freiburg, Germany). In 2001 Kaye was promoted to group leader within the Pfanner lab where she continued her studies on the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial protein translocation. In 2004 she was awarded a QEII Fellowship by the Australian Research Council to study protein degradation by AAA+ proteases in bacteria and mitochondria. In 2009 Kaye was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship to extend her research in the area of mitochondrial protein homeostasis focusing on the role of AAA+ proteases in protein quality control and the mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Kaye is currently a Senior Lecturer and is examining mitochondrial protein biogenesis pathways and protein homeostasis networks in relation to human health and disease.
Professor David Wilson
I am an expert computational chemist, making use of the broad range of quantum chemistry methods and tools to investigate chemistry across the periodic table. I have authored 135 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and am a co-author of the Dalton quantum chemistry program. I joined the Department of Chemistry at La Trobe University in 2005. I completed my PhD at the University of Newcastle (Australia) in 2003, whereby I took-up a postdoctoral position in Oslo, Norway, to work with Prof Trygve Helgaker in the development and benchmarking of quantum mechanical methods. During that time I worked on the Dalton quantum chemistry program, implementing new methods and subsequently studying the electric and magnetic properties of molecular systems.
Professor Dave Winkler
Dave has a PhD in radioastronomy and microwave spectroscopy and degrees in chemistry, chemical engineering, and physics. He is boundary-crossing, multi-skilled lateral thinker with unusually broad, highly relevant formal academic training in multiple scientific disciplines. He has developed strong scientific capabilities that allow him to find novel solutions to complex problems. He focuses strongly on fundamental science that can be translated into tangible impact. He has published over 250 research papers (e.g. Chemical Reviews, Chemical Society Reviews, Nature Materials, Nature Machine Intelligence, Angewandte Chemie, PNAS, Science Advances, Advanced Materials) and book chapters, almost 60 research and client reports, is an inventor on 25 patents. His current H-index is 62 and i10 index (number of papers with >10 citations) is 190. He is ranked 44 among all researchers at La Trobe in terms of the number of publications since 2015 and number 36 at La Trobe in terms of the total number of citations. Internationally, he is ranked 157th out of 95,000 medicinal chemists, and 999th out of 520,000 chemists worldwide (Mendeley 2023).