Career overview/collaboration: I am a graduate of the Australian National University (PhD 2008). From 2009-2011, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry (MPI-BAC). In October 2011, the institute was re-established as the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI-CEC), where I was offered a group leader position. During my time at MPI-BAC/MPI-CEC (2009-2015) it was one of the largest Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) centers worldwide. The scope of the facility included both instrumentation and method development alongside its implementation on a wide variety of chemical and biological systems. 

In 2016, I returned to the ANU, on an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT140100834). I am based at the Research School of Chemistry (RSC) where I am currently the Associate Director (Research). My Future Fellowship (FT140100834) and parallel ARC Linkage, Infrastructure and Equipment (LIEF) project (LE170100023) allowed me to develop a state-of-the-art EPR facility including Australia’s first high-field (W-band) EPR instrument – existing Australian facilities operate at a magnetic field strength three-fold lower. This facility aims to be a national resource, open to researchers across the Asia-Pacific. Since 2020, the facility has contributed to projects based at: RMIT, Macquarie University, University of Western Australia, University of NSW, Monash University, University of Tasmania, University of Melbourne, Otago University (New Zealand), CSIRO and others. In addition, I manage the unique magneto-optical facilities at RSC-ANU developed earlier in the laboratory of the retired Prof. E. Krausz.

Research end user and societal impacts: My research is recognised as being at the forefront of the fields of metallocofactor function, biological catalysis and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. My research interests span: structural biology, the spectroscopy of transition metals, particularly with regard to metallocofactors, exciton coupling within large pigment assemblies, , electron transfer within the biological photosynthetic apparatus and more recently, the development of synthetic enzymes and catalysts. 

Increasingly, my research has focused on method development in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, particularly in the field of high-field Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR). As described above, I established and manage Australia’s premier EPR facility which includes the only High Field (94 GHz, W-band) instrument. A high-power upgrade of the high field spectrometer is underway that will improve its performance to match/exceed that of the best high field EPR systems worldwide. This new facility ensures Australian researchers access to state-of-the-art EPR infrastructure fostering new, innovative research. Our work in this area has wide ranging implications and the potential for high impact in fields as diverse as: structural biology, materials, catalysis, polymerization, quantum computing, energy etc. 

Honours and awards: I have received prizes in the fields of bioinorganic chemistry and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR).

• Founders Medal of the International Council on Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems (2020). 
• Sir Paul Callaghan Medal of the Australian and New Zealand Magnetic Resonance Society (ANMZG) (2019). 
• Robin Hill award of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research (2016).
• John Weil young investigator award of the International EPR/ESR Society (2014). 
• Ernst Haage prize (Germany) – Bioinorganic Chemistry (2011). 
• The Asia Pacific EPR Symposium (APES) young scientist award (2010). 

PhD (ANU)