research in physics and nanotechnology · physics is required to understand the cell’s view of...
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Research in Physics and Nanotechnology
Research in Physics and Nanotechnology at Murdoch University extends from fundamental physics to its applications at the interface of a range of disciplines.
Our team publishes more than 70 journal papers per year, with papers appearing in leading journals including Nature Photonics, Nature Materials, PNAS, Physical Review Letters, Biomaterials and PLoS Computational Biology.
Over the last 5 years our research has attracted in excess of $10 million in funding through national and internationally competitive grants schemes, including the Australian Research Council, National Health & Medical Research Council and the Gates Foundation Global Grand Challenge Exploration Award.
Research areasBiophysics & Systems Biology: The complexity of biology can benefit from the analytic tools developed in physics and mathematics. Biological systems operate in the physical world, and so physics is required to understand the cell’s view of the world.
Soft Matter & Interface Physics: Soft matter refers to materials which are governed as much by entropy as by energy minimisation. Statistical physics explains the spontaneous formation or self-assembly of a plethora of complex nanostructures and interfaces in systems composed of simple molecules.
Physics and Nanotechnology researchersProfessor Bruce [email protected]
Dr Chris Creagh [email protected]
Dr Zhong-Tao Jiang [email protected]
Dr Piotr Kowalczyk [email protected]
Dr David Parlevliet [email protected]
Dr Drew Parsons [email protected]
Dr Almantas Pivrikas [email protected]
Dr Gerrard Poinern [email protected]
Dr Gerd Schrö[email protected]
Dr Manickam Minakshi Sundaram [email protected]
Dr Elaine Walker [email protected]
For further information http://murdoch.edu.au/SEIT or come along to our seminars From Snot to Tissue: www.from-snot-to-tissue.org
Biomimicry & Biomaterials: Billions of years of evolution have led to some amazing natural ‘inventions’ from which we can learn.
Nanotechnology: Our ability to manipulate the world at the nanoscale has advanced rapidly. Remarkable physical and chemical properties can be achieved and exploited with these tailored nanomaterials.
Photovoltaics & Photonics: The interaction of matter and light holds the key to two of society’s bigger challenges – sustainable energy and communication technology. Basic research into these phenomena provides the foundation for solving these important questions.
Functional & Energy Storage Materials: The functionality of man-made and natural materials covers a broad range of phenomena, from adsorption, thermal stability, mechanics, energy storage to acoustic properties. An understanding of the physical interactions and structural properties that enable these properties allows us to tailor materials with optimised function.
Physics Education Physics can be a challenging subject, but we are very keen to make physiscs accessible. The primary mechanism is improving strategies for physics teaching through education research.
Want to know more?School of Engineering and IT, Murdoch University 90 South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150 Telephone: (+618) 9360 6603 Website: www.murdoch.edu.auCRICOS Provider Code 00125J
The information contained in this publication was correct as at May 2016, but is subject to amendment without notice. The University reserves the right to cancel, without notice, any units or courses if the number of students enrolled in these falls below limits set by the University.
Current topicsResearch in Physics and Nanotechnology is conducted on a diverse range of topics. The following are current active areas of interest.
Biophysics & Systems Biology
• Computational modelling of physiochemical environment of cells
• Cell mechano-signal transduction• Tissue repair and remodelling• Biosensors• Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis,
tendinopathy, renal failure, colon cancer etc
Soft Matter & Interface Physics
• Liquid foams & granular materials • Self-Assembly & structure formation • Biological membranes & hard
biopolymeric materials• Theory of electrolyte solutions at
interfaces
Statistical & Quantum Mechanics
• Van der Waals & Casimir effects• Adsorption in molecular sieves and
fuel cells • Disordered materials & geometric
packing problems• Mobility and quantum efficiency in
charge transport
Biomimicry & Biomaterials
• Butterfly wing structural coloration • Developmental biology, tissue
engineering and biomaterials• Hydroxyapatite bio-ceramics for
bone scaffolds• Super hydrophobic nanostructures.
Applied Nanotechnology & Functionalised Materials
• Nanoparticles for environmental applications and drug delivery
• 2D materials (e.g. graphene) & carbon nanotubes
• Nano porous membranes from organic and synthetic substrates
• Nanocomposites for energy conversion, thermal-mechanical applications (e.g. high temperature)
Energy Storage
• New nanomaterials for renewable energy storage
• Electrochemical energy storage for electric vehicle applications
• Porous materials in rechargeable battery and capacitor systems
Photovoltaics & Photonics
• Opto-electronic devices, including photodetectors, & light emitting diodes
• Chiro-optical meta-materials & gyroid photonics
• Thin film photovoltaic devices • The role of light in the growth of
microalgae for biofuels
In addition to the above, we undertake research into physics education. This has resulted in physics concept YouTube videos for students and relevant related educational resources for physics teachers. See www.physcom.net.
Physics and Nanotechnology at Murdoch University is firmly embedded within the international research community. Graduate students are encouraged and supported to develop close national and international collaborations. Our staff collaborate with world leading institutions, such as
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
• Technical University of Berlin• Imperial College London• Korea Advanced Institute of Science
and Technology (KAIST)• University of Delhi
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Student profile: Justin Freeman
“I got the research internship I’ve been dying for at Yonsei’ s Center for Evolutionary Nanoparticles over the summer! I’ll be doing a six week project relating to understanding nanoparticles for better imaging and therapeutics, and developing 2-D nanomaterials for next generation energy storage and capture. ”