University of Auckland
Chemistry careers evening
The Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and the School of Chemical Sciences jointly hosted a Chemistry Careers Evening on 11 August in the Science Foyer, the 7th annual version of this event. The event was attended by representatives from 13 companies or organisations that employ chemists; AsureQuality, PHF Science, NZ Steel, Mint Innovation, Fisher & Paykel, Hexion, Hill Laboratories, the NZ Occupational Hygiene Society, Futurity Bioventures, Environmental Decontamination Ltd, Abbott Nutrition and the Surface Coating Association of New Zealand. This event was well attended, with approximately 200 RSVPs from students from the University of Auckland, AUT and the University of Waikato.
Doctoral completions
Congratulations to the following students who successfully completed their PhD thesis in the past 3 months:
Connal Finlay - “Rational design of catalytic metal complexes for potential applications in anticancer chemotherapy” supervised by Professor James Wright and Professor Christian Hartinger.
Josefina Barrera Morelli - “Milking the data: chemometric approaches to model, predict and understand milk composition” supervised by Associate Professor Lisa Pilkington, Dr Cushla McGoverin, Dr Michel Nieuwoudt and Dr Steve Holroyd.
Yang Hui - “Compartmentalised hydrogel colloids for programmable molecular transport and reaction cascades” supervised by Professor Jadranka Travas-Sejdic, Professor Geoff Willmott and Associate Professor Catherine Whitby.
Department of Cancer Sciences
It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Ben Lawrence as the inaugural Head of the Department of Cancer Sciences.
Ben is a medical oncologist and a recognised cancer leader in Aotearoa New Zealand. He is currently the Clinical Lead of Medical Oncology at Te Toka Tumai Auckland Hospital, alongside his role as Head of Department of Oncology within Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
His research focuses on molecular testing of cancer to improve therapeutic selection, and he co-led the NETwork! translational research programme. Ben was also the foundation Chair of New Zealand’s first Molecular Tumour Board at the University of Auckland.
Ben has played a significant role in shaping cancer services and research nationally. He was the foundation Chair of the National Multidisciplinary Meeting for Neuroendocrine Cancer and led the early development of the national Radionuclide Peptide Receptor Therapy (PRRT) programme.
He is currently a member of both the Genomics Expert Advisory Group for the Ministry of Health and the Genomics Strategic Group for Health New Zealand and previously served on the National Bowel Cancer Working Group. Ben has also held governance roles across Health NZ, cancer charities and the private health sector, and is the former president of the New Zealand Society for Oncology.
Under Ben’s leadership, the new Department of Cancer Sciences will deliver research and teaching with a view to establishing a comprehensive cancer centre focused on advancing cancer sciences and cancer care for Aotearoa and beyond. The comprehensive cancer centre will be developed in partnership with Te Pūriri o Te Ora Cancer and Blood Directorate at Auckland Hospital and the wider community.
AUT news
Talks and seminars
Professor Nicola Brash presented a School of Science seminar on, “Exploring the potential of vitamin B12 as a Trojan horse delivery system for antibiotic uptake into gram-negative bacteria”, which is the subject of a Marsden-funded project, together with collaborators Brent Seale and Yan Li.
Publications
Associate Professor Jack Chen’s team filed a national phase patent application on a novel “Process for making Janus-type spherical cellulose nanoparticles” on 18 June (US 19/598,030).
Associate Professor Jack Chen published the article: “Light-activated communication between synthetic and living cells via photoresponsive membranes” in ChemBioChem (link).
Congratulations
PhD student Megha Baburaj Sijarani has made it into the finals of the AUT 3-minute thesis (3MT) competition.
Doctoral completions
Congratulations to the following students who successfully completed their PhD thesis in the past 3 months:
Olivia Matich - “Development of modularly assembled synthetic esterases” supervised by Associate Professor Jack Chen and Dr Cassandra Fleming.
Bhanumathi Bandi - “Designing phosphate sensors based on supramolecular self-assembly strategies” supervised by Associate Professor Jack Chen and Dr Emma Davison.
