Superfluid helium nanodroplet spectroscopy. Molecules trapped in a helium nanodroplet find themselves in an ultracold liquid environment from which they cannot escape. As such, the molecules are forced to interact and this is studied at a resolution that is unrivaled in condensed phase spectroscopy. This technique will be used to create new materials and study the dynamics behind a large range of chemical processes. The results are expected to lead to a greater understanding of condensed phase c ....Superfluid helium nanodroplet spectroscopy. Molecules trapped in a helium nanodroplet find themselves in an ultracold liquid environment from which they cannot escape. As such, the molecules are forced to interact and this is studied at a resolution that is unrivaled in condensed phase spectroscopy. This technique will be used to create new materials and study the dynamics behind a large range of chemical processes. The results are expected to lead to a greater understanding of condensed phase chemistry and chemical reactions in general.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100118
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy facilities for the Sydney region. The determination of molecular structure is crucial in the chemical and biomolecular sciences, leading to the development of new drugs and other types of molecules and providing an understanding of how molecules interact with each other. The requested equipment will provide the ability for researchers in the Sydney region to advance our knowledge at this fundamental level by expanding the number and types of experiments th ....Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy facilities for the Sydney region. The determination of molecular structure is crucial in the chemical and biomolecular sciences, leading to the development of new drugs and other types of molecules and providing an understanding of how molecules interact with each other. The requested equipment will provide the ability for researchers in the Sydney region to advance our knowledge at this fundamental level by expanding the number and types of experiments that can be performed.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100135
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Federated single crystal X-ray structural analysis facility. X-ray crystallography is the most widely applied method for the determination of three-dimensional molecular structures. These structures range in size from small systems such as materials and pharmaceuticals through to large biological structures such as proteins. This application will provide a multidisciplinary facility covering the structural characterisation needs of chemistry, pharmacy, biology, and medicine. This will position l ....Federated single crystal X-ray structural analysis facility. X-ray crystallography is the most widely applied method for the determination of three-dimensional molecular structures. These structures range in size from small systems such as materials and pharmaceuticals through to large biological structures such as proteins. This application will provide a multidisciplinary facility covering the structural characterisation needs of chemistry, pharmacy, biology, and medicine. This will position local universities for key scientific breakthroughs that benefit the Australian community by providing improved healthcare technologies, and processes. Furthermore, access to this world-class facility will provide state-of-the-art training for undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers.Read moreRead less
Roaming around the Transition State: A New Mechanism of Chemical Reactions. Gas-phase reaction mechanisms are at the core of some of the most important problems facing Australia at present: atmospheric models for CO2 are central to climate change; models of isotope exchange are essential to learn about past climates from Antarctic ice cores; and models of combustion are used to optimise energy efficiency. The mechanisms used in these models rely on accurate chemistry. A newly discovered chemica ....Roaming around the Transition State: A New Mechanism of Chemical Reactions. Gas-phase reaction mechanisms are at the core of some of the most important problems facing Australia at present: atmospheric models for CO2 are central to climate change; models of isotope exchange are essential to learn about past climates from Antarctic ice cores; and models of combustion are used to optimise energy efficiency. The mechanisms used in these models rely on accurate chemistry. A newly discovered chemical mechanism has the potential to change many of the reactions that we currently use in these chemical models. This project will determine how important this new mechanism is, and what its impact is on gas-phase reaction models.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354591
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
New Techniques using X-rays, Electrons and Quantum Optics in Physics & Chemistry and key developments for biomedicine & industry. This network will develop theoretical, experimental and computational techniques addressing key issues in physics, chemistry, biology and geosciences. Scope will be wide-ranging and inclusive. We anticipate making major developments in the design and understanding of absolute X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, X-ray, Neutron and Electron Diffraction, Electron Density Ma ....New Techniques using X-rays, Electrons and Quantum Optics in Physics & Chemistry and key developments for biomedicine & industry. This network will develop theoretical, experimental and computational techniques addressing key issues in physics, chemistry, biology and geosciences. Scope will be wide-ranging and inclusive. We anticipate making major developments in the design and understanding of absolute X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, X-ray, Neutron and Electron Diffraction, Electron Density Mapping, Molecular and Cluster computations and Powder Diffraction for fundamental research, biomedical and industrial applications. These breakthroughs will be invaluable for the development of Australia's major research infrastructure (the synchrotron, electron microscopes, and the research reactor). This will develop Australian expertise and collaboration at the cutting edge of a variety of interdisciplinary fields.Read moreRead less
Enhanced biocatalysis in organic solvents for pharmaceutical biotransformation. Enzymes such as hydrolases play an important role in biotechnology because of their extreme versatility with respect to substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. The use of lipases as catalysts for optical isomer-specific organic reactions is often limited by unacceptably low enantioselectivities. We will investigate recombinant enzymes cloned from thermophilic lipolytic bacteria for synthetic reactions in orga ....Enhanced biocatalysis in organic solvents for pharmaceutical biotransformation. Enzymes such as hydrolases play an important role in biotechnology because of their extreme versatility with respect to substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. The use of lipases as catalysts for optical isomer-specific organic reactions is often limited by unacceptably low enantioselectivities. We will investigate recombinant enzymes cloned from thermophilic lipolytic bacteria for synthetic reactions in organic solvents, especially chiral resolution of mixtures in the production of pharmaceutical intermediates. Genetic improvement of lipase enantiospecificity and regioselectivity will be achieved using in vitro evolution by recombination and screening. The outcome will be cost-effective production superior biocatalysts with specifically enhanced regiospecific, enantioselective and hydrolytic characteristics.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,000.00
Summary
A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the ....A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the nation's research priorities. It will enable: fundamental studies of cancer, neural diseases and immune disorders; the development of frontier technologies, such as smart nanomaterials, biosensors and targeted drug delivery; and applied research to help plants and soils adapt to climate variability, and to increase sustainable use of water.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
A unique soft matter high-performance scanning probe microscopy (HP-SPM) facility. Soft matter research touches every aspect of our lives as it covers materials from the range of plastics found in cars, television sets and other mass-manufactured products, to new medical materials for tissue engineering and sensors. The proposed facility will enable Australia's leading scientists in this area to understand better how soft matter, including both biological and new advanced soft materials, behave ....A unique soft matter high-performance scanning probe microscopy (HP-SPM) facility. Soft matter research touches every aspect of our lives as it covers materials from the range of plastics found in cars, television sets and other mass-manufactured products, to new medical materials for tissue engineering and sensors. The proposed facility will enable Australia's leading scientists in this area to understand better how soft matter, including both biological and new advanced soft materials, behaves on the nano-scale level. This will put Australian researchers and engineers in a leading position for developing new treatments against cancer and other diseases, as well as harnessing the power of biology for application in areas such as waste treatment and energy production.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100142
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
An integrated liquid chromatography mass spectrometry nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-MS-NMR) facility for applications in proteomics and organic chemistry. This application completes the requested liquid chromatography mass spectrometry nuclear magnetic resonance (LCMS-NMR) facility and will allow the training of over 150 researchers, significantly enhancing their research productivity and translation of outcomes in areas of national importance. New breakthroughs in drug development, smart mate ....An integrated liquid chromatography mass spectrometry nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-MS-NMR) facility for applications in proteomics and organic chemistry. This application completes the requested liquid chromatography mass spectrometry nuclear magnetic resonance (LCMS-NMR) facility and will allow the training of over 150 researchers, significantly enhancing their research productivity and translation of outcomes in areas of national importance. New breakthroughs in drug development, smart materials, organic electronic materials and biomedical research require routine access to cutting edge technology. The LCMS-NMR augments the capabilities of our research teams at the forefront of these efforts. These include understanding the impact of the environment on plant and animal development, pest animal control, development of new biotechnology tools, new drugs and new methods for the detection of narcotics and explosives.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100107
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this te ....Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this technique includes many fundamental and applied topics from a wide range of disciplines, such as developing portable detection devices for explosives, finding more efficient and sustainable ways to explore for ore, investigating the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and improving salinity and drought tolerance of crops.Read moreRead less