ARC Future Fellowship
ARC Discovery Grants
National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grants
ARC LIEF Grants
Cancer Council WA
WA Medical and Health and Research Infrastructure Funds
Perpetual Funding
UWA Research Development Award
UWA Research Collaboration Awards
Bayer CropScience

PhD & Honours Research Opportunities:

1. http://scienceglobal.uwa.edu.au/projects/chemical-glycobiology/

2. http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/future-students/postgrad/opportunities/chemistry/probing

3. http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/future-students/postgrad/opportunities/chemistry/tackling


Collaborators

Prof. David Vocadlo, Simon Fraser University
Prof. Gideon Davies, University of York
Dr. Brian Mark, University of Manitoba
Dr. Alisdair Boraston, University of Victoria
Dr. Joshua Mylne, Univeristy of Western Australia
Prof. Colin Raston, Flinders University
Dr Sean Sweeney, University of York
Prof. Barry Marshall, Univeristy of Western Australia
A/Prof. Mohammed Benghezal, Univeristy of Western Australia
Prof. Alice Vrielink, Univeristy of Western Australia
A/Prof. Charlene Kahler, University of Western Australia

Chemistry Program Honours Coordinator
CHEM1002 Chemistry-Structure and Reactivity
CHEM3004 Synthetic Applications

Carbohydrates are present in every living system from prokaryotes to eukaryotes and traditionally, have been known for their role in the structural integrity of plants and as energy sources. Recently, however, carbohydrates have been shown to be involved in a variety of fundamental biological processes such as protein folding and trafficking, as well as cellular signaling and recognition. As we gain greater understanding into the roles that carbohydrates play at the cellular level, scientists are faced with new challenges. On the chemistry side, unique carbohydrate-based tools need to be developed and in turn used to investigate the specific roles that a single mono- or polysaccharide plays in the dynamics of the cell in order to keep up with the biochemical discovery of new glycan structures and the enzymes that regulate them. My research aims are to address the development of such tools which involves synthetic, medicinal and biochemical approaches.

Very brief overviews of current research areas are outlined below.

Developing tools to study carbohydrate-processing enzymes in human health and disease: Various human diseases are caused by improper function of a specific carbohydrate-processing enzyme. We aim to develop tools to study these enzymes and then use the information gathered to produce therapeutics. This is done through the use of synthetic and medicinal chemistry approaches. We have numerous collaborators in Canada and the UK working with us on these projects.

Investigations into human milk oligosaccharides: One class of carbohydrates is those found in human breast milk and are termed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). These compounds are critical for infant health as they provide nutrition for bifidobacteria (found in the human intestinal tract) which provide great benefits to infants such as nutrients, prevention of pathogenic bacterial growth and suppression of inflammatory and allergic responses. To date though, limited chemical tools have been generated to study these fundamentally important molecules. We have several collaborators in Japan working with us on this project.

Antimicrobial resistance: As the threat of antibiotic resistance grows with each passing year new therapeutic targets are required. We have numerous targets and approaches to developing new therapeutics. This is done through the use of synthetic and medicinal chemistry approaches. We have numerous collaborators in Australia and Canada working with us on these projects.

Investigations into the mechanism and biochemistry of carbohydrate-processing enzymes involved in plant cell wall degradation: Of increasing interest is how bacteria utilise plant-based materials and their direct importance to humans, as we are only able to utilise these carbohydrates for metabolism due to the action of unique enzymes produced by the bacteria living in our gastrointestinal tract. We have numerous collaborators in Canada and the UK working with us on these projects.

Herbicide resistance: The development and use of herbicides in agriculture has improved crop yields worldwide, but like antimicrobial resistance, herbicide resistance is also highly prevalent and is threatening food production. In collaboration with Professor Joshua Mylne (UWA) we have discovered new compounds with herbicidal potency and methods to assess the ability of these compounds to act as herbicides in the field. This project offers exciting opportunities in synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry.

Microfluidics: The development of new methodology in organic chemistry is always required to improve reaction yields and discover new reactions. In collaboration with Professor Colin Raston we have a microfluidic platform that can be utilized to explore new chemical reactions and also develop methodology to improve on existing methodologies. This project offers exciting opportunities in general synthetic organic chemistry.

The laboratory is always very welcoming for people interested in chemistry and/or biochemistry. If you have any interests in these areas please feel free to contact me by email and I am happy to discuss the exciting opportunities available.