School research seminars

Seminars cover all aspects of chemistry and molecular biosciences and are delivered by visiting national and international academics. PhD completion seminars are also incorporated into the program.

Seminars are usually held in person and via zoom. All are welcome to attend.  

Contacts

Understanding cell cycle regulation and DNA replication with high content imaging and nanopore sequencing

20 March 2024 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Mathew Jones, SCMB/Frazer Institute, will be presenting "Understanding cell cycle regulation and DNA replication with high content imaging and nanopore sequencing".

Polymer/inorganic Nanohybrids in Biomedical Applications: From Nanoparticle-Based Therapeutics to 3D-Printed Soft Robots

18 March 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
Ruirui Qiao, of AIBN, will be presenting 'Polymer/inorganic Nanohybrids in Biomedical Applications: From Nanoparticle-Based Therapeutics to 3D-Printed Soft Robots'.

Electrochemical Synthesis of an Axitinib Intermediate – A Pharma Case Study

4 March 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr David Cantillo, of SCMB, will be presenting "lectrochemical Synthesis of an Axitinib Intermediate – A Pharma Case Study".

Bioactive secondary metabolites from Australian macrofungi

19 February 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Kylie Agnew-Francis will be presenting "Bioactive secondary metabolites from Australian macrofungi", and in this presentation she will discuss preliminary findings from two genus of Australian fungi, Hericium and Kretzschmaria, collected from Tasmanian and Queensland rainforests, and how they are able to leverage these findings to engage with government, community organisations and other industries.

Plant fungal endophytes – hidden immune systems in plants?

9 February 2024 2:00pm3:00pm
A/Prof John Dearnaley, the University of Southern Queensland, will be presenting 'Plant fungal endophytes – hidden immune systems in plants?'

Hybrid Drugs to Kill Nasty Bugs: Combining antibiotics to fight antimicrobial resistance

27 November 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Anthony Verderosa, from IMB, will present 'Hybrid Drugs to Kill Nasty Bugs: Combining antibiotics to fight antimicrobial resistance'

Evolutionary ecology of avian influenza viruses in Australia, and how this may inform our preparation for HPAI

27 November 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr. Michelle Wille, University of Melbourne, will be presenting 'Evolutionary ecology of avian influenza viruses in Australia, and how this may inform our preparation for HPAI'

En-Light-ening C-H functionalization

22 November 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof. Debabrata Maiti of the Department of Chemistry, IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India, will be presenting 'En-Light-ening C-H functionalization'.

Unlocking the biochemical “secrets” that control T cell-mediated antibody response

22 November 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Zhian (Anthony) Chen of the UQ Frazer Institute will be presenting 'Unlocking the biochemical “secrets” that control T cell-mediated antibody response'

A journey in understanding HIV assembly - implications on protein trafficking

15 November 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Prof Johnson Mak, of the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University (Gold Coast) will be presenting 'A journey in understanding HIV assembly - implications on protein trafficking'.

The emergence of natural killer cells as a major target for immunotherapy

8 November 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
A/Prof Fernando Guimaraes will be presenting 'The emergence of natural killer cells as a major target for immunotherapy'.

MBS Seminar - 'Teaching Innovations in Biochemistry: the ‘triumphs’ and the disaster'

2 November 2023 10:00am11:00am
Professor Gareth Denyer will be presenting 'Teaching Innovations in Biochemistry: the ‘triumphs’ and the disasters'.

MBS Seminar - Using drug synergy to combat fungal infections

1 November 2023 1:30pm2:30pm
Prof Dee Carter will be presenting 'Using drug synergy to combat fungal infections'.

Optoelectronic Characterization and Device Considerations of Next-generation Semiconductors

27 October 2023 9:00am10:00am
Prof. Qianqian Lin of the School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, China will be presenting 'Optoelectronic Characterization and Device Considerations of Next-generation Semiconductors'.

Diet, metabolism and gut microbiome in pregnancy

25 October 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
A/Prof Marloes Dekker will be presenting 'Diet, metabolism and gut microbiome in pregnancy'. In this seminar she will talk about her studies into the relationship between dietary fibre, the gut microbiome and metabolites in pregnancy.

Venom-Senolytics: A new class of senolytics with applications in cancer and other aging-related diseases

18 October 2023 9:30am10:30am
Dr. Maria Ikonomopoulou, a Senior Research TALENTO Fellow and Head of the Translational Venomics Group at IMDEA-Food Institute in Madrid, will be presenting 'Venom-Senolytics: A new class of senolytics with applications in cancer and other aging-related diseases'.

Design and Development of Next-Generation Light Driven Biotechnologies

16 October 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof. Ben Hankamer of the Centre for Solar Biotechnology at IMB will present 'Design and Development of Next-Generation Light Driven Biotechnologies'.

Should you care what your favourite pathogen likes to eat? – Insights into the role of metabolism for virulence of Haemophilus influenzae strains

11 October 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Prof. Ulrike Kappler (SCMB) will be presenting 'Should you care what your favourite pathogen likes to eat? – Insights into the role of metabolism for virulence of Haemophilus influenzae strains'.

Comprehensive molecular characterization of Beer: Unveiling a complex biochemical system

5 October 2023 1:00pm
Dr Stefan A. Pieczonka of Technical University of Munich will be presenting 'Comprehensive molecular characterization of Beer: Unveiling a complex biochemical system'.

Using stem cell models to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

4 October 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Jessica Neil of the Doherty Institute will be presenting 'Using stem cell models to study SARS-CoV-2 infection'

Genomes and phenomes of individual cells in the ocean

18 September 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Ramunas Stepanauskas, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Single Cell Genomics Center, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine (USA) will be presenting "Genomes and phenomes of individual cells in the ocean". In this presentation, presentation Dr Stepanauskas will review recent work performed by his group on the genome and phenome analyses of individual cells and extracellular genetic elements in the ocean, where unicellular microorganisms dominate ecosystem’s processes, biomass and biodiversity.

TBD by Dr. Tim Wells

6 September 2023 9:30am10:30am
Dr. Tim Wells will be presenting.

Latest news from structural Biology at Diamond Light Source from the instruments to the support laboratories

31 August 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr David Aragao, of Diamond Light Source Limited - Diamond House, will present "Latest news from structural Biology at Diamond Light Source from the instruments to the support laboratories"

Context matters – order and disorder in cellular signalling

28 August 2023 9:00am10:00am
Prof Birthe Kragelund of the University of Copenhagen will be presenting "Context matters – order and disorder in cellular signalling".

Understanding Host-Microbiome interactions for improved immune competence in beef cattle

23 August 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Pâmela Alexandre will be presenting "Understanding Host-Microbiome interactions for improved immune competence in beef cattle"

Computational Optical Science at the Atomic Scale: First-Principles Approach

21 August 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof. Kazuhiro Yabana of the Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba (Japan) will be presenting "Computational Optical Science at the Atomic Scale: First-Principles Approach "

Harnessing Potent Reductants via Multiphoton Tandem Photoredox Catalysis

14 August 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
A/Prof Anastasios Polyzos from the University of Melbourne will be presenting "Harnessing Potent Reductants via Multiphoton Tandem Photoredox Catalysis"

Mitotic cell death: a mechanism to prevent and treat cancer

9 August 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Paul Clarke will present "Mitotic cell death: a mechanism to prevent and treat cancer".

Inspired by Nature: Separation of Lanthanides and Actinides Using Bacteria and their Biomolecules

26 July 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof. Lena Daumann, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany will be presenting "Inspired by Nature: Separation of Lanthanides and Actinides Using Bacteria and their Biomolecules".

The Cuban fight against COVID-19

26 July 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Marianniz Díaz, Centre for Molecular Immunology (CIM), Havana will be presenting "The Cuban fight against COVID-19".

A scope of synthetic approaches for the development of Mitochondria targeting Ru(II)/Ir(III)/Re(I) based mono metallic and bimetallic complexes for cancer therapy

19 July 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Priyankar Paira, Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT, Tamilnadu, India, will be presenting "A scope of synthetic approaches for the development of Mitochondria targeting Ru(II)/Ir(III)/Re(I) based mono metallic and bimetallic complexes for cancer therapy"

Sex, death, and disease in cereal rust fungi

7 July 2023 11:30am12:30pm
A/Prof Benjamin Schwessinger from ANU will be presenting 'Sex, death, and disease in cereal rust fungi'.

Redefining Virus Ecology and Evolution Using Metagenomics

7 June 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
Professor Eddie Holmes from the University of Sydney will be presenting "Redefining Virus Ecology and Evolution Using Metagenomics"

Substituted Shape-Shifters and 8π/6π Synthesis

5 June 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Thomas Fallon of The University of Newcastle will be presenting "Substituted Shape-Shifters and 8π/6π Synthesis". This seminar will present the general toolbox for the easy synthesis of bullvalenes, an exploration of their dynamic nature, and will also discuss the endidiandric acids - the most famous of the bicyclo[4.2.0]octadiene derived natural products.

A three-decade odyssey in HIV assembly, from transfer RNA to calcium sparks in virological synapse – a potential general principle in protein trafficking.

2 June 2023 11:30am12:30pm
Prof Johnson Mak, Griffith University will be presenting "A three-decade odyssey in HIV assembly, from transfer RNA to calcium sparks in virological synapse – a potential general principle in protein trafficking".

Revolutionizing sample preparation for low-resource molecular testing

26 May 2023 11:30am12:30pm
A/Prof Joanne Macdonald will be presenting "Revolutionizing sample preparation for low-resource molecular testing".

Designing hard-soft interfaces in composite materials for enhanced functionality and performance

15 May 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof Luke Henderson will present 'Designing hard-soft interfaces in composite materials for enhanced functionality and performance', and provide an overview of their efforts in the manipulation of carbon fibre surface chemistry to improve their functionality and performance.

Electrochemical technologies: A paradigm shift in energy and manufacturing

11 May 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Jessica Allen of The University of Newcastle will be presenting "Electrochemical technologies: A paradigm shift in energy and manufacturing". In this talk, the potential application of a number of electrochemical systems powered by renewable energy inputs is discussed including molten salt electrolysis for carbon capture and transformation, electrochemical ammonia, green methanol and green steel. The sustainable manufacture of materials for electrochemical systems will also be discussed since these are essential for meaningful movement towards truly zero, or even negative, emission systems.

Kinetics of multi-step reactions: insights into the mechanisms of P450 enzymes

2 May 2023 12:30pm1:30pm
Prof F. Peter Guengerich of Vanderbilt University (USA) will be presenting "Kinetics of multi-step reactions: insights into the mechanisms of P450 enzymes"

Mathematical modelling human diseases and intervention strategies: HCV, SARS-CoV-2, and more.

21 April 2023 11:30am12:30pm
In this session, Dr Padmanabhan will describe our mathematical frameworks that have quantified the molecular determinants of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into host cells, identified systems-level mechanisms underlying interferon-based HCV treatment failure, elucidated new drug synergy mechanisms, and examined the workings of COVID-19 vaccines.

Insights Into The Development of NMR interpretation Ability

18 April 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
A/Prof. Ginger Shultz, from the University of Michigan, will present Insights Into The Development of NMR interpretation Ability.

Moving Beyond the Metal: Assisted Small Molecule Activation

17 April 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof. Nathaniel Szymczak's, from the University of Michigan, presentation will emphasize how Lewis acids can be used to augment metal-based reactivity, as well as to show how incorporation of these units within a ligand scaffold can provide access to unique activation/functionalization processes.

A brief introduction to Chemometrics and Applications

27 March 2023 12:00pm1:00pm
A/Prof Daniel Cozzolino from the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences (QAAFI) will present "A brief introduction to Chemometrics and Applications". This presentation will discuss how the combination of chemometrics with rapid analytical methods to reveal the complexity of agro-food systems.

Comprehensive study on NS1 diversity among contemporary epidemic DENV strains in Indian ocean territories

24 March 2023 11:30am12:30pm
Associate Professor Marjolaine Roche from the Infectious Process in Tropical Insular Territories lab (Reunion Island, France) will be presenting "Comprehensive study on NS1 diversity among contemporary epidemic DENV strains in Indian ocean territories".

Polymer-based Vaccine Delivery Nano-platforms

17 March 2023 11:30am12:30pm
Dr Mariusz Skwarczynski from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences will be presenting "Polymer-based Vaccine Delivery Nano-platforms".

Structural templation of Zr-MOF-derived carbons

14 March 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Joshua Powell from Texas A&M University will describe the carbonization of several zirconium-based MOFs and structural analysis of the metal species present in the resulting MOF-derived carbons.

Oxygen potentiates antiviral innate immunity by sustaining EGLN1-catalyzed proline hydroxylation of IFR3

10 March 2023 11:30am12:30pm
Professor Wuhan Xiao from the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences will be presenting "Oxygen potentiates antiviral innate immunity by sustaining EGLN1-catalyzed proline hydroxylation of IFR3."

A multiscale study of bacterial biofilms. From isolated components to multicellular organisms

27 February 2023 1:00pm2:00pm
Associate Professor Liraz Chai from the Institute of Chemistry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Israel, will share the soft matter and biological perspectives of biofilms, focusing on the properties of water, ECM, and metal ions.

Facilitating Opportunity and Inclusion Through STEM

12 December 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Associate Professor Joanne Jamie and Dr Ian Jamie from the School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, will share how research that started with looking at the chemistry of bush medicines in partnership with Yaegl Country Elders, progressed to the multi-award-winning National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP)

Electrochemical and Electrostatic Catalysis of Chemical Reactions

5 December 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Michelle L Coote from the Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Flinders University, will present some of her group's recent progress in both electrochemical and electrostatic catalysis of organic reactions.

Development of Vaccine Antigens and Monoclonal Antibodies for Human Metapneumovirus

2 December 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Prof Jason McLellan, Welch Chair in Chemistry and Professor of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, will discuss his and his colleagues' work on designing key proteins that form the basis of several vaccines now in clinical trials against the coronavirus, as well as separate proteins used in vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, a virus especially dangerous for young children and seniors.

Biarylitide biosynthesis: exploring a versatile Cytochrome P450 peptide crosslinking system.

30 November 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Assoc Prof Max Cryle from Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute will present the results of his group's investigations into the utility of peptide crosslinking P450 enzymes from biarylitide biosynthesis to generate a range of cyclic tripeptide species.

Nanocellulose derived sustainable materials

23 November 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Nasim Amiralian, leader of the Bio-inspired Materials research group at UQ will give an overview of the fundamental aspects of nanocellulose production and applications in several different industries including nanocomposites, biomedical technologies, water treatment, and flexible electronics. 

A gelation transition enables the self-organisation of bipolar metaphase spindles.

21 November 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Benjamin Dalton from the Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, will present his groups work on understanding how the local activity of molecular motors enable coherent spindle-scale microtubule flows and organisation.

Overcoming the "valley of death": Optimising pre-clinical models to triage vaccine candidates

16 November 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Deborah Burnett's, from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, presentation will focus on using sophisticated humanised mouse models, next-generation sequencing and antibody repertoire exploration to better evaluate vaccines at the pre-clinical stage, allowing for enhanced selection of vaccine candidates resulting in translational and commercial success.

Developability of New Monoclonal Antibody-based Immunotherapeutics for Cancer

14 November 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Associate Professor Veysel Kayser from the University of Sydney will provide a summary of the current state-of-play of the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as well as other antibody-based therapies and provide new advancements mainly from the group's lab.

Finding new T cell targets for respiratory pathogens

9 November 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Illing from the Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, will present her team's success on applying mass spectrometry-based epitope discovery workflow to characterise peptides naturally presented by HLA-I on the surface of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infected cells.

Development of vaccines for the prevention of Hepatitis C

26 October 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Professor Heidi Drummer, Program Director Program Director for Disease Elimination at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, will present her latest work on developing a universal prophylactic vaccine against HCV.

Leveraging statistical shapes in genomics: looking beyond what’s Normal.

19 October 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Associate Professor Jessica Mar from AIBN, UQ, will discuss her group's studies which focus on the shape of gene expression distributions, specifically shape diversity, and how they reveal new insights into biology.

Genetic influence on within-person trait variability

12 October 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Kathryn Kemper, a quantitative geneticist from The Institute of Molecular Biosciences, will discuss her work on estimating the genetic influence on within-person variability for traits such as height and weight; and the relationships between longitudinal trait change and outcomes including musculoskeletal disease and all-cause mortality.

Panel discussion on career progression for female Level A and B academics

12 October 2022 10:30am11:30am
This Women in Science event focuses on the career progression of Level A and B female academics in STEM. Panellists include Professor Tilley form the Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Professor Melissa Brown, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, and a range of early- and mid-career researchers from a variety of disciplines, regarding how they have risen to the challenges of pursuing a research career in science

What it means to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Academic in 2022

29 September 2022 10:00am11:00am
This is a mini-symposium and Q&A event where Prof Maree Toombs and Dr Jeremy Tarry, two of UQ's Indigenous academics, will discuss their experiences of being Aboriginal academics.

Greenhouse gases: geological CO2 storage, and methane in aquifers overlying gas reservoirs

26 September 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Julie Pearce from the UQ Centre for Natural Gas will discuss the feasibility of CO2 geological storage in the Surat Basin, QLD.

Drug repurposing and SAR - a powerful combination in combating Candida auris.

21 September 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Claudia Simm from Monash University will present results from conducting a phenotypic screen against Candida species using compounds of the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Pathogen box.

Computational Molecular Spectroscopy for Astrochemistry and Beyond

16 September 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Laura McKemmish from the School of Chemistry, UNSW, will discuss teaching computational chemistry and programming for chemists.

Breaking the back of the gonorrhoea superbug

14 September 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
This seminar featuring Dr Freda Jen from The Institute of Glycomics, Griffith University, will focus on the discovery of gonococcal vaccine antigens and drug candidates.

Biorefineries for Sustainable Chemical Synthesis and Fluorescent Sensors as Tools for Investigating Biological Processes

8 September 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Steven Bull from the Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, will describe efforts to use a biorefinery based approach to catalytically upgrade biorenewable monoterpene feedstocks into a variety of sustainable commodity chemicals, bioplastics and drugs that are currently derived from non-renewable petrochemical feedstocks. In the second half of the presentation, efforts into developing fluorescent chemical sensors as investigational tools for probing complex biological processes in cellular systems, including for the real-time detection of osteocyte bone resorbing activity in deep bone cavities, imaging of amyloid-beta plaques in mice brains and visualisation of drug induced liver damage will be described.

Understanding Infection and Immunity of SARS-CoV-2: from Diagnostics to Therapies for COVID-19

7 September 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Professor Lisa Ng, the Executive Director of A*STAR’s Infectious Diseases Labs, will provide an overview of the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection. She will describe its interaction with the immune system and the subsequent contribution of dysfunctional immune responses to disease progression that provided useful insights in the successful development of vaccines and booster strategies.

Systems Glycobiology in Food and Health

31 August 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Professor Benjamin Schulz from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences will present work on the development and use of glyco/proteomic analytical approaches for measuring the complexity of glycosylation and other post-translational modifications at systems levels to understand their dynamics and roles in fundamental biology, virology, and fermented beverages. 

The search for Borrelia and other tick-borne pathogens down under

17 August 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr. Charlotte Oskam, Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, will discuss the methodology used to characterise the bacterial communities found within Australian ticks and the search for novel candidate pathogens, as well as bacterial genera of known tick borne pathogens and endosymbionts. Her team's findings show that without the use of molecular advances, such as next-generation sequencing, many bacteria of potential medical and veterinary interest could go undetected.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples Reconciliation Seminar

9 August 2022 2:00pm3:00pm
Join us to learn about SCMB's research collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples - from traditional medicine and novel phage therapeutics to natural hot springs

Proanthocyanidins: from semisynthesis to isolation.

1 August 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Tuba Esatbeyoglu form the Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover, Germany, will present her team's semisynthetic approach to the preparative formation of eight dimeric procyanidins from B-type, their isolation and elucidation of their structure.

Evolution, transmission and prevention of streptococcal pandemics through global population genomics

27 July 2022 12:30pm1:30pm
Dr Mark Davies from the Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, will discuss the application of population genomics to advance vaccine design through to tracking the evolution and transmission of pathogenic clones of Streptococcus pyogenes.

Physical Properties of Ionic Liquids in Electrochemical Reactions

11 July 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Debbie Silvester Dean from the School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, will discuss her team's recent work elucidating reactions at the ionic liquid–solid electrode interface

Tracing bacterial evolution in deep time using new phylogenomic methods

6 July 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Assoc Prof Tom Williams from the University of Bristol will present some recently published and new (unpublished) results on the phylogeny of Bacteria, the nature of the last bacterial common ancestor, the timescale of bacterial evolution, and the impact of the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) on bacterial genomes >2Ga.

Structural Biology and Biochemistry Theme Seminars - Probing protein assemblies by native mass spectrometry

30 June 2022 3:00pm4:00pm
Dr Keitos Sokratous from OMass Therapeutics, Oxford, UK, will present a general overview of structural mass spectrometry (MS) approaches in studying proteins and protein assemblies, with a particular focus in native MS.

Bowl-Shaped Catalysts for Site-Selective C-H Functionalization

24 June 2022 11:15am12:15pm
Prof. Huw M. L. Davies from the Department of Chemistry, Emory University, USA will describe a series of new bowl-shaped catalysts, which are capable of distinguishing between very similar C-H bonds in a highly selective manner. Please contact Prof Craig Williams (c.williams@uq.edu.au) if you wish to meet the speaker afterwards.

Curious Chemical Conundrums

24 June 2022 9:30am10:30am
Prof. Varinder K. Aggarwal from the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, UK reactivity will discuss selectivity in various ylide reactions, reactivity of highly strained molecules and C-H borylation reactions. Please contact Prof Craig Williams (c.williams@uq.edu.au) if you wish to meet Prof Aggarwal afterwards.

Synthetic streamlining via C-H bond functionalization.

20 June 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof. Nidhi Jain from the UQ Centre for Natural Gas and Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, will discuss his groups recently developed strategies to construct C-C, C-N, C-O and C-S bonds assisted by palladium and copper catalysts, hypervalent iodine reagents and photocatalysts in visible light. Please contact Dr Paul Shaw (p.shaw3@uq.edu.au) if you wish to meet the speaker afterwards.

You can take the boy out of science but you cannot take the scientist out of the boy - the mutually beneficial relationship between research and other sectors

20 June 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
This seminar will not feature any Western blots, ELISAs, immuno-fluorescent microscopy or immuno-assays. Instead, Dr Jason Leung from Pricewaterhouse Coopers will talk about: I) The skills and experiences gained through research and academia and their value when transferred to other sectors; and ii) The lessons learned from other sectors and how these are relevant to research and academia

Greenhouse gases: geological CO2 storage, and methane in aquifers overlying gas reservoirs.

13 June 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Julie Pearce from the UQ Centre for Natural Gas, will discuss experiments performed at reservoir pressure and temperature conditions to react pure and impure CO2 with formation water and the rock cores, and modelling to understand potential impacts of CO2 storage. 

Targeting the gut microbiota– a new therapy for T1D?

1 June 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Associate Professor Emma Hamilton-Williams from UQDI will present the findings from her team's recent clinical trial using a prebiotic fibre supplement to target the gut microbiota in adults with type 1 diabetes to remodel the microbiota functional response as well as systemic immunity.

Structural Biology & Biochemistry Theme Seminars

26 May 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Molecular basis of auto-inhibition, activation and substrate recognition of SARM1, the executioner of axon degeneration presented by Dr Weixu Gu and Co-encapsulation of Ancestral P450 and its redox partner Cytochrome P450 reductase in VLP (P22) presented by Loic Bourdon

Polymeric Nanosensors and Nanozymes for Drug Delivery

23 May 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Scientia Associate Professor Rona Chandrawati from the School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, UNSW, will discuss the design, synthesis, and applications of nanoparticles for sensing and drug delivery.

RNA recombination between self-amplifying RNA vaccines and wild-type viruses

18 May 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Tess Hick from Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands will present work that addresses the hypothetical risk of RNA recombination between self-replicating alphavirus replicon and circulating wild-type viruses.

In-operando transmission electron microscopy characterisation and solid-state Na-ion batteries.

16 May 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Ruth Knibbe from the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, UQ, will discuss two main areas her group has been working on – in-operando liquid electrochemical transmission electron microscopy and the development of solid-state batteries.

Oxidised Cholesterols in the Lung: Novel Immune Regulators during Bacterial and Viral Respiratory Infections

11 May 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
A/Prof Katharina Ronacher from the Mater Research Institute will present data demonstrating that oxidised cholesterols, or so called oxysterols, that are produced produced in the lung in response to both bacterial (M. tuberculosis) and viral respiratory infections (influenza, SARS-CoV-2), facilitate the chemotactic recruitment of immune cells expressing the oxysterol-sensing receptor GPR183 to lung.

Magnets come in all shapes and sizes; new examples based on coordination complexes, stable organic radicals and nanoparticles.

9 May 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Rebecca O. Fuller from Chemistry – School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, will present a talk highlighting three very different magnetic materials that her team is developing.

Widespread discrepancy in mouse genetic backgrounds complicates Chikungunya virus, SARS-CoV-2 and other mouse studies

27 April 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Daniel Rawle, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, will describe a serendipitous discovery that, in the course of investigating the physiological role of granzyme A, has revealed the significance of the Nnt gene mutation in the inflammatory responses in mouse models. Remarkably, k-mer mining of the Sequence Read Archive illustrated that ≈27% of Run Accessions and ≈38% of BioProjects listing C57BL/6J as the mouse strain had Nnt sequencing reads inconsistent with a C57BL/6J genetic background. Nnt and mouse background issues have clearly complicated our understanding of granzyme A and may similarly have influenced studies across a broad range of fields. We also show that Nnt genotype and mouse backgrounds can affect SARS-CoV-2 mouse models. I will end the talk by outlining the SARS-CoV-2 mouse models in our lab, and another serendipitous discovery; ACE2-independent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Student-led Development of Virtual Laboratories for Multimodal (Hybrid) Teaching

11 April 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Stephanie Schweiker from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine at Bond University will present on the student-led feedback and modifications made to improve our virtual laboratory experiments developed for multimodal (hybrid) teaching.

RNA interference for sustainable plant protection

6 April 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Anne Sayer from QAAFI/SCMB will present recent research into the effectiveness of using RNA interference (RNAi)-based plant protection as an environmentally sustainable disease control strategy against fungal pathogens.

New Strategies for the Synthesis of Unusual Peptides and Alkaloids

4 April 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Prof Steven L. Castle from the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, Brigham Young University / Provo, UTAH, USA, will present results from his teams synthetic efforts targeting the peptide yaku’amide A and related analogs, and the anticancer activity of these compounds will be discussed. In addition, efforts to use the methodology developed in this endeavor to evaluate the ability of dehydroamino acids to increase the proteolytic stability of peptides will be described.

Lateral-flow point of care tests - from CD4 T-cells to liver disease and COVID-19

30 March 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Associate Professor David Anderson from the Burnet Institute will provide an update on the development of point-of-care tests for CD4 T-cells (Visitect CD4), syphilis, liver disease and cirrhosis, and dimeric IgA and neutralising antibodies in COVID-19.

Infection and Immunity Theme Seminar

24 March 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
EMCRs and HDR students from the Infection and Immunity theme will present their latest research.

Arthritogenic alphaviruses: New insights on how host immune responses drive disease

23 March 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Ali Zaid from the Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University, present recent work based on animal models of arthritogenic alphaviruses Ross River virus (RRV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), with a focus on immune responses and the role of distinct immune compartments in inflammation, disease, and resolution.

Electrochemical CO2 Utilisation – Catalysts, Device, and System

21 March 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Fengwang Li from the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, will talk about recent advances in CO2RR to ethylene, a chemical used to produce plastics and the basis of a US$160B global industry. Specifically, molecular tuning catalyst design strategy, membrane electrode assembly (MEA) based electrolyser, and carbon balance in CO2RR will be discussed.

The Australian black swan genome and transcriptome provide insight into the pathogenesis of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI).

16 March 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Associate Professor Kirsty Short from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, presents research demonstrating that compared to other wild waterfowl, black swans have not expanded their immune gene repertoire, lack a key viral pattern-recognition receptor and mount a poorly controlled inflammatory response to HPAI.

CFC to HCFC to HFC to HFE? Worsening a fingermark developer for a better environment.

14 March 2022 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr William Gee, Senior Lecturer at the School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, presents the latest challenge faced by iodine alpha-napthoflavone fingerprint development.

Look what the cat dragged in! Infection kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the feline model of COVID-19

9 March 2022 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Craig Miller, Director of the Immunopathology Core Laboratory in the Oklahoma Center for Respiratory and Infectious Diseases (OCRID) at Oklahoma State University will present his latest research on infection kinetics in a feline model of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection that results in clinical disease and histopathologic lesions consistent with acute COVID-19 in humans.

New Strategies for Anticancer and Antibacterial Drug Discovery

8 March 2022 10:00am11:00am
Prof Paul Hergenrother from the Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, will describe his teams creation of close to 1000 bioactive compounds and their application in discovering rules for Gram-negative penetrance, and the use of this information to create a number of novel classes of antibiotics with activity against Gram-negative bacteria. The lecture will also discuss some of his team's latest advances in anticancer drug discovery.

Preventing pneumococcal disease in the Asia-Pacific

24 November 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
A/Prof Catherine Satzke, who leads the Translational Microbiology Group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, will present her lab's recent data from their pneumococcal vaccine impact studies in low and middle-income settings in the Asia Pacific.

Fight against COVID-19: functional and structural study of the T cell response

17 November 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Professor Stephanie Gras, the head of the Viral and Structural Immunology lab at La Trobe University, will present her lab latest research into the T cell response to COVID-19 infection.

Defining the antiviral basis for Wolbachia-mediated biocontrol.

3 November 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Johanna Fraser from the Institute of Vector-borne Diseases at Monash University will present recent findings on the changes to mosquito gene expression profiles that may contribute to the antiviral state following the introduction of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia into Aedes aegyptii, the main vector of dengue and Zika.

Urbanization & Zoonotic Diseases in South East Asia

27 October 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Cadhla Firth, Senior Research Scientist and Program Coordinator at EcoHealth Alliance and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, James Cook University will present her research on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of emerging zoonoses at the human-animal interface, with a focus on rapidly changing environments.

Novel tiny particles for advancing animal health

20 October 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Karishma Mody from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation will discuss her research into exploiting nanotechnology to improve animal health.

Simulating Chemistry on Quantum Computers.

18 October 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Associate Professor Ivan Kassal from the School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, will explain the power of quantum computers for problems in chemistry and survey the range of possible applications. He will also discuss his group’s work on fully nonadiabatic simulations of chemical dynamics using existing trapped-ion quantum computers, which exploits the otherwise-unused motion of the trapped ions to represent the motion of the nuclei.

A rationally designed BCG-replacement vaccine for tuberculosis

13 October 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Presented by Andreas Kupz who is an NHMRC Career Development Fellow and leads the Tuberculosis Immunology group at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) at James Cook University.

Stingless bee honey and its bioactive content.

11 October 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Presented by Dr Natasha Hungerford from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland

Catalytic Isomerization as a Tool for Site- and Stereoselective Chemical Synthesis

6 October 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Asst. Prof. Ming Joo (MJ) Koh from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, will describe his team's recent developments in iron- and nickel-catalyzed processes that leverage alkene isomerization as a key step to promote regio- and stereoselective synthesis of various molecules of interest.

Some liquid biopsy nanodiagnostics for monitoring cancer and the human immune system

6 October 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Alain Wuethrick from the Centre of Personalised Nanomedicine at the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, will discuss his research that focuses on developing liquid biopsy nanodiagnostics for monitoring cancer and the human immune system.

System glycobiology to decode glycosylation changes in immunity, infection, and cancer

29 September 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Rebeca Kawahara from the Glycoimmunology group in the Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, will discuss how new mass spectrometry-based strategies helped uncover the glycan remodelling associated with monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and present recent data of the immunoglycopeptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 spike protein presented by human leukocyte antigen class II (HLA-II) on monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

BCG as a vaccine against tuberculosis.

15 September 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr Angelo Izzo from the Centenary Institute will present the work done in his lab that has led to a better understanding of how BCG confers protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Fluorescent approaches to study the biological interactions of cisplatin

6 September 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Elizabeth New from the School of Chemistry, University Sydney will discuss how her team's development of selective fluorescent sensors increases our understanding of how the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin affects the chemistry of the cell.

Lipid modulation of membrane proteins: a matter of fat

1 September 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
A/Prof Megan O'Mara from the Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University will discuss recent work in understanding the role of lipid chemical diversity in complex tissue-specific mammalian and bacterial membranes.

Phase-variable gene regulation in bacteria: a gambling strategy to generate diversity

25 August 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Dr John Atack from The Institute of Glycomics, Griffith University, will present an overview of his lab's work to characterise both phase-variable gene expression and the role of phasevarions in several host-adapted pathogens, with a view to directing and informing development of new and/or improved vaccines and treatments against the bacteria encoding them.

From phenotypic- to target-based malaria drug discovery

23 August 2021 4:00pm5:00pm
Professor Chibale from The Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa will describe a phenotypic-based drug discovery process which led to the identification of a clinical candidate, mechanism of action studies to identify the Plasmodium falciparum phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PfPI4K) as the target and establishment of a kinase-focused malaria drug discovery programme.

Development of animal models to address key paradigms in dengue research

18 August 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Key findings arising from studies in symptomatic dengue mouse models will be presented by Associate Professor Sylvie Alonso from the Department of Microbiology, The National University of Singapore.

Two-dimensional layered materials as hole transporting materials for solar cells

9 August 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Dr Munkhbayar Batmunkh from the School of Environment and Science - Chemical Sciences at Griffith University will present recent research on two-dimensional layered nanomaterials such as black phosphorus and metal carbide MXene and their use in a wide range of energy-related application including solar cells.

Human host response to viral infection: Learning from the live yellow fever vaccine

4 August 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Conventionally, the approach to defining the host responses to viral infection is to study patients presenting with acute illness. During this seminar, Professor Ooi from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, describes the insights gained regarding the immune response during the pre-symptomatic incubation period by studying the response to the live yellow fever vaccine in healthy volunteers.

The fight against alphaviral arthritis

14 July 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Mosquito-borne alphaviruses circulate worldwide, frequently causing outbreaks of arthritic disease in humans. During this seminar, Associate Professor Lara Herrero from Griffith University will discuss recent developments in the quest for potential treatment strategies.

The Role of Viral Immunology in Development of Vaccines and Immunotherapy for HIV Herpesviruses and COVID-19

25 June 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
The Role of Viral Immunology in Development of Vaccines and Immunotherapy for HIV Herpesviruses and COVID-19
presented by Professor Tony Cunningham, Director, Centre for Virus Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research; Director, Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research and Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney.

The lipid droplet is a key organelle in the early innate immune response to viral infection

16 June 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Lipid droplets (LDs) are increasingly becoming recognized as critical organelles in signaling events, transient protein sequestration and inter-organelle interactions in multiple signalling pathways. However, the role LDs play in anti-viral innate immune pathways remains largely unknown.  We believe that LDs play vital roles in facilitating the magnitude of the early anti-viral immune response, in particular the production of IFN following viral infection, and control of viral replication. Our group has characterised the the lipidome, proteome and trafficking patterns of LDs during an early antiviral response, and can demonstrate that these critical organelles play a vital role in the control of viral replication.

A journey through virology, bacteriology, protozoology to ‘omics’ and commercialising anti-tick vaccines

2 June 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Presenter Professor Ala Tabor leads the Animal BioTICKnology group at the Centre for Animal Science in QAAFI at UQ since 2010. She did her undergraduate BSc at the Department of Microbiology, UQ (1981-1984), Honours in Virology at UQ (1986) after a year working at JCU. After short term contracts at the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (Sugar Research Australia Ltd) and the Tropical Health Program (UQ’s Faculty of Medicine) from 1991-2010 she was employed as a Molecular Microbiologist with Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries (currently Qld Dept of Agriculture & Fisheries). Ala completed her PhD part-time from 1989-1995 through the Faculty of Medicine’s Tropical Health program researching Burkholderia pseudomallei the causative agent of human melioidosis. She is a research focussed academic with a strong background in industry engagement associated with animal health and agricultural biotechnologies. Her research interests are associated with the application of omics to: 1) develop molecular diagnostic and genotyping methods; 2) study gene function in relation to virulence and host pathogenicity of infectious diseases, to develop new effective vaccines and 3) identify biomarkers and study microbiomes associated with improving animal health. She has >100 publications with 3 full pending patents for 2 different anti-tick vaccines and commercialised diagnostic assays and tools. Research areas includes bovine reproductive diseases, Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus), cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus species complex), and tick-borne diseases (babesiosis and anaplasmosis). Prof Tabor has attained and completed ~$12 million in competitive grants in the last 10 years including the ARC, pharma and industry. Together with the SCMB Biotechnology Program and SAFS she developed UQ's 'Agricultural Biotechnology-Field of Study’ within the Masters of Biotechnology in 2020. Her international recognition is exemplified by her membership of the BMGF International Cattle Tick Vaccine Consortium (CATVAC, est. 2015), specialist tick editor for the International Journal for Parasitology, Chair for the 9th International Tick and Tick-borne Pathogen (TTP9) conference (2017), and the Australian node leader for the 1000x Ixodes genome project.

Adventures with Photoactive Metal Complexes: Sensitised Lathanide Luminescence, Photoredox Catalysis and Photoactive Supramolecular Cages

24 May 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Assoc. Prof. Evan Moore, SCMB, The University of Queensland
After completing my postgraduate studies at The University of Queensland in 2004, I undertook postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, with Prof. Ken Raymond. I returned to Australia in mid-2008, after being awarded an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Melbourne. In 2011, I was appointed as an Adjunct Lecturer at UQ, and was also awarded a Marie-Curie International Fellowship, undertaken in the Photochemical Nanosciences Laboratory at the Università di Bologna, Italy. In May 2012, I returned to Brisbane, rejoining the University of Queensland as an ARC Future Fellow, and was recently promoted to Associate Professor in 2021.

Dietary microplastics promote gut inflammation leading to prolonged viral arthritis

19 May 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Global microplastic (MP) contamination is now well described, with clear detrimental effects on the environment. The potential for MPs to affect human health remains a matter of speculation (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01143-3), with limited compelling evidence in mammalian systems. We show that 80 µg/kg/day consumption of 1 µm MP beads in mice generated a low grade colon inflammation that was associated with an exacerbation of chikungunya virus arthritis. No MPs crossed the gut wall, and there was no effect on the microbiome. Together with RNA-Seq-derived mechanistic insights, we provide evidence that at levels of MP consumption seen in humans, MP can exacerbate proinflammatory immunopathology.

Unravelling the molecular mechanisms behind mutations and their link to phenotypes using graph-based signatures

28 April 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
David Ascher is an NHMRC Investigator, Head of the Computational Biology and Clinical Informatics group at the Baker Institute and the Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Laboratory at the University of Melbourne. He is also the Academic Lead of the Systems and Computational Biology Platform at Bio21 Institute. He is an Associate Editor of Progress in Biophysics & Molecular Biology and Frontiers in Bioinformatics, and holds positions at Cambridge University (UK), FIOCRUZ (Brazil), and the Tuscany University Network (Italy). His research focuses on unravelling the link between genotype and phenotype, using computational and experimental approaches to understand the effects of mutations on protein structure and function. He has developed a platform of 32 widely used programs for assessing the molecular consequences of coding variants (>500,000 hits per month). These methods have been implemented into industry pipelines and translated to guide diagnosis, management and treatment of a number of hereditary diseases, rare cancers and drug resistant infections.

Completing the Cycle: Ring Opening and Ring Closing Reactions for Complex Heterocycle Synthesis

23 March 2021 3:00pm4:00pm
Associate Professor Christopher J. T. Hyland, School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Wollongong

Manipulating Light with Molecular Excitons

8 March 2021 1:00pm2:00pm
Presenter: Professor Timothy Schmidt, School of Chemistry, UNSW