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Melbourne School of Engineering

Graduate Students: Completed Projects

2007
Angelatos, Alexandra PhD	Nanostructured Colloidal Systems	Alexandra's thesis examines versatile methods to design and prepare a range of nanostructured colloidal systems. The work describes the use of simple, yet highly versatile self-assembly techniques to engineer particle-based systems that hold promise for applications such as drug delivery and biochemical reactions.
Boskovic, Sasha PhD	Microemulsion templated mesoporous silica for affinity separations	Sasha developed advanced nanoporous silica materials to solve difficult separation and purification problems in biotechnology. The study has improved our understanding and ability to control the structure of these materials and demonstrated their potential to significantly enhance bioseparation processes in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Chau, Thanh Tam PhD	AFM study of deformable surfaces	Tammy studied the interaction of deformable interfaces such as drops, cells, etc. using the Atomic Force Microscope. This work identified a specific ion effect which influences emulsion stability and is important in many foods, pharmaceuticals and many industrial processes using emulsions.
Connal, Luke PhD	Honeycomb materials: synthesis and properties	Luke investigated the preparation of honeycomb-like films from a range of new star polymers. A new and versatile technique was developed to coat any surfaces, regardless of topography, with an ordered porous material. These surfaces are being developed for new and improved biosensor applications.
Cortez, Christina PhD	Biofunctionalization of multilayered particles for targeted delivery	Christina investigated the application of polymeric nanocapsules in cancer targeting and stem cell therapy. She showed the selective uptake of antibody-decorated capsules by colorectal cancer cells and demonstrated the use of bioactive capsules to drive stem cell differentiation into bone-forming cells.
Duthie, Xavier PhD	A study of polyimide gas separation membranes: carbon dioxide-induced plasticization and the influence of temperature	Xavier studied the relationship between the molecular structure and separation efficiency of membranes. His work has provided important understanding of how membrane separation can be improved in high carbon dioxide atmospheres. This is essential for the development of processes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power stations.
Fisher, Daniel MEngSc	Rheological study of nickel laterite slurries in processing
Hathaway, Kyle PhD	The expression, structure and function of proteins involved in the development of colorectal carcinoma	Kyle investigated the structure of two human proteins implicated in the development of colon cancer. New protocols were developed for abundant expression of the proteins in bacteria and cell-free systems, their structure was studied, and a new method was developed to measure their affinity for metal ions.
Kandaswamy Arunachalam Ravi Sankar MEngSc	Wetting Characteristics of Karr Reciprocating Plate Columns
Prime, Emma PhD	Novel Biologically Active Polymers: Their Synthesis and Properties	Emma investigated incorporating functionalization into biodegradable polymers and subsequently onto polymeric surfaces. This then enabled modification with bioactive molecules such as cell adhesion peptides, resulting in enhanced cellular recognition and response to the surfaces. This work has application in biomedical fields including tissue engineering, drug delivery and biosensors.
Qi, Li PhD	Honeycomb materials: synthesis and properties	Qi developed new methods to form functional polymer nanomaterials. She showed that templating methods can be used to form advanced materials with controlled porosity, structure and function. These materials are likely to have application in diverse fields, from DNA delivery to membrane separations.
Rees, Catherine PhD	Mechanisms and kinetics of gel formation in geopolymers	Catherine used infrared spectroscopy to measure in-situ for the first time the reaction rates in the synthesis of geopolymers from coal ash. A new reaction mechanism was proposed by using nano-particles to catalyse early stage nucleation. This work will enhance the commercial acceptance of geopolymer cement with significantly lower greenhouse-gas emissions.
Tan, Hui PhD	The effect of carbonaceous matter on gold extraction	Hui used surface analysis and electrochemistry to explain for the first time the detrimental effect of carbonaceous coatings in the leaching of gold from refractory sulphide ores. A novel chemical method was developed to improve gold extraction from carbonaceous ores, which provides the basis for improved operating strategies within the gold industry.
Tjipto, Elvira PhD	Sequential Assembly of Functional Nanomaterials	Elvira developed new methods to form nanostructured polymer materials. She showed that different interactions could be used to form next-generation advanced materials, which are likely to have application in diagnostics and drug delivery. For example, her study demonstrated the use of liquid crystal particles as nanosensors for chemical identification.
Walewijk Audrey MEngSc	Structure Creation in Flow of Biopolymer Fluid Gels

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