Summary
I am a molecular pharmacologist who works at the University of Adelaide, Australia. I have a broad interest in the understanding of how surface receptors can modulate neuronal function and survival, as well as interests in natural product pharmacology and drug design. As well I am interested in evolutionary biology, science communication (committee member of SA Science Communicators) and am an avid amateur astronomer. My astronomy blog is astroblog.
I did postdoctoral work in the Institute of Pharmacology at the Free University of Berlin in 1991-1994, returning to Australia in 1994. I have collaborated with Professor John Carver, Dr. Scot Smid and Professor Colin Barrow on using natural products to attack the neurodegeneration process in Alzheimer’s Disease. I was recently elected as convenor of the Toxicology Special Interest Group of the Australasian Society for Pharmacology and Toxicology. I am also collaborating with Professor Roger Byard on the forensic implications of herbal medicines. I have held NH&MRC funding and currently hold ARC funding.
Experience
- Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide 2001 – present
Education
- University of Melbourne, PhD (Pharmacology), 1989
Publications
- Herbal medicines and forensic investigations, Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2010
- alphaB-Crystallin inhibits the cell toxicity associated with amyloid fibril formation , Cell Stress Chaperones 2010
- (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) maintains kappa-casein in its pre-fibrillar state ..., J Mol Biol 2009
Research Areas
- Food Engineering (090802)
- Biocatalysis And Enzyme Technology (100301)
- Basic Pharmacology (111501)
- Cell Neurochemistry (060105)
- Natural Products Chemistry (030502)
Grants and Contracts
- Enzymatic synthesis, microencapsulation and biological evaluation of a new class of ... (2010)
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funding Source: ARC
Available for
- Multidisciplinary Research Collaboration
- Speaking Engagements
- Talking With Students
- Media Interviews