UNSW Master of Industrial Research Candidates
Our MIR chemistry scholarship candidates at UNSW are:
Sarah Zeigman with Pharmaxis
Ben Stewart with Cochlear
Toby Funston with Memjet
Julia Chov with Memjet
Callan Wear with Memjet
Eloise O’Brien with THC Pharma
Akira Henriques with Crosbe
Ivan Johan with Memjet
Sarah recently graduated with a Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours) and is currently pursuing a Master of Industrial Research (MIR) with a focus on medicinal organic chemistry. With a deep interest in optimizing and working on novel chemical scaffolds for drug development, Sarah hopes to contribute to advancements in the field of pharmaceutical research. Sarah is supervised by Ass Prof Luke Hunter as well as Pharmaxis’ Dr Jonathan Foot. Motivated by the desire to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry applications, Sarah is undertaking the MIR program to gain practical drug-development skills and play an active role in shaping the future of pharmaceutical innovation. In her spare time, Sarah can be found playing board games with friends or reading a good fantasy book.
Project
Sarah’s project looks to identify and optimise novel inhibitors for treatment of inflammatory diseases. By synthesising promising scaffolds to biological testing, this project involves implementing synthetic organic chemistry skills to potentially make new treatments for life threatening or debilitating diseases.
Commencing the MIR program in February 2023, Ben has a background in Commerce & Science at UNSW. Building on his previous studies, Ben feels that the MIR is the perfect opportunity to learn how scientific research is carried out in industry. In collaboration with Cochlear, and under supervision of Prof Martina Stenzel and Cochlear’s Dr Kapila De Silva, Ben’s research is focused on targeted drug delivery from a Cochlear Implant. In his free time, you may find Ben bushwalking, reading or swimming at the beach.
Project
Implantable drug delivery systems have widespread commercial and research applications due to their ability to provide targeted drug delivery to the affected site at low doses. Ben’s project involves investigating the surface chemistry of the drug containing material to understand the factors influencing drug delivery from the polymer matrix. It is hoped that this will inform the development of new drug coating formulas to enable greater control of drug delivery. Though Ben is only in the preliminary phase of his research, he has already gained valuable experience in analytical techniques including Raman spectroscopy, XRD and electron microscopy, as well as new knowledge of materials science.
Elise joined the MIR Program in May 2023 having worked in industry for two years. She completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Science at Macquarie University. Her time in industry was focussed on product development - improving the efficiency and stability of cosmetic formulas. In her spare time, she participates in community programs such as the local community fire unit and is a field hockey player currently playing in the Metro league competition of Sydney.
Project
The cosmetic industry is constantly evolving to develop new and more efficient formulas for delivering actives into the skin system. This project will investigate bio-mimetic Antioxidants, their use in combinations, and their synergistic effect in the skin. Supervision at UNSW is by Ass Prof Luke Hunter and Ass Prof Wallace Bridge, while supervision at Ultraceuticals will be undertaken by Dr Shiva Farabi.
Toby Funston was the Centre’s 1st UNSW MIR candidate, entering the program just over 12 month ago (T2 2019). Toby was motivated by a desire to see the impact of applied science in a real-world context and build on his background of Chemistry & Chem Eng. from UNSW. Partnering with Memjet, under the guidance of Dr Simon Fielder, Toby investigated new methods to study the rheology of thin adhesive films by TMA (thermomechanical analysis). Together with UNSW academics Prof Pall Thordarson and Prof Martina Stenzel, Toby has contributed significantly to Memjet’s research activities in this area and his findings are of critical importance to the commercialization of these adhesives. When not analyzing adhesives Toby can be found bouldering and playing socially distanced board games.
Project
Adhesives are used widely in the manufacturing industry to bond materials with different properties such as thermal expansion, and printers are no exception. During the assembly of a Memjet printhead, there are seven different adhesive systems used, one of which is to attach the silicon microelectronic nozzles (dies) to the plastic ink channel housing. This adhesive must support the dies throughout the printhead lifetime, providing a fluid seal to stop ink colour mixing and maintaining high dimensional stability. This project is working to develop a die attach adhesive based on thermally catalysed polyphenol chemistry to meet the design specifications.
Lewis Pointing is UNSW’s 2nd MIR candidate having commenced in February 2020 (T1 2020) and moving to Nowra-Bomaderry to be closer to Manildra Group’s flagship starch manufacturing facility. Despite a challenging start coinciding with the onset of Covid-19, Lewis has leveraged his skills as an industrial chemist and adapted to new areas such as grain science, food processing and microbiology to undertake a project aimed at improving process sanitation and environmental outcomes in starch processing. He is supervised by Dr Jon Beves at UNSW and capably mentored by Mark Baczynski and Amy Barrie as part of Manildra’s R&D team. Outside of the project, he loves experimenting in the kitchen, practicing Spanish and smashing goals at CrossFit.
Project
Effective microbiological control is essential in the food industry for a number of important reasons, in particular to prevent yield loss. The aim of this project is to identify the various chemical and biological levers in the starch manufacturing process to more effectively control acid-producing bacteria. These are non-pathogenic but have the effect of consuming product and thus reducing yields downstream as well as lowering pH throughout the process necessitating alkali addition. Improving bacterial control will ideally result in lower chemical and operational costs, improved yields and better environmental outcomes.
Monica joined the MIR program in T2 (2020), and comes to us with a background in chemistry from both UNSW and QUT. Monica’s project is with Cobalt Blue under the leadership of Ass Prof Suzanne Neville (UNSW), Prof Vanessa Peterson (ANSTO) and Dr Andrew Tong (CoB).As an early career scientist, Monica has gained commercial experience in the quality control laboratories of specialist gas mixture, complementary medicine and epoxy resin industries. Monica is beginning a new challenge in her career, commencing a Master of Industrial Research with UNSW and is looking forward to utilising and expanding on the skills gained in industry through further study and research.
Project
In a joint project between UNSW, ANSTO and Cobalt Blue Monica will be doing research to improve the understanding of pyrite ore processing to produce battery grade cobalt and sulfur. Specifically, Monica’s research is focused on carrying out experimental synthesis and characterisation to optimise the thermal decomposition process.
Hamish commenced the MIR program in T2 (2020) with Cobalt Blue and is working with Ass Prof Suzanne Neville (UNSW), Prof Vanessa Peterson (ANSTO) and Dr Andrew Tong (CoB). Hamish has a chemistry background from the UOW focusing mainly on atmospheric, analytical and material chemistry. He loves astronomy, space, and theoretical physics Most importantly, Hamish is a huge gaming nerd (mostly shooters), and a Minecraft professional.
Project
The project is part of a larger collaboration between mining industrial and academic partners looking to optimize treatment of pyrite ores for extraction of valuable resources such as cobalt and elemental sulfur for preparing precursors compounds for energy applications such as cathodes in lithium-ion batteries. Specifically, the research is focused on carrying out computational and kinetic modelling to optimise the thermal decomposition process.
Julia is currently 3 months into the MIR program. She studied Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide. During her studies, she developed a strong interest in the manufacturing industry, especially around quality and innovation and took on the MIR program to gain deeper experience in the innovation and research area of industry. Julia works with supervisor Dr. Jog Prasharas part of the Ink Development team at Memjet generating knowledge on different surfactant interactions with ink components and Memjet devices. Academically, Julia is supported by Ass Prof Luke Hunter and Prof Pall Thordarson at UNSW. When not immersed in understanding surface chemistry, she enjoys ice skating and working as a creative artist designing artwork, promotional material and overseeing production planning for an indie singer.
Project
Inks are complex solutions, dispersions or emulsions consisting of various components. As such, ink formulation for digital printing is a complex and challenging process due to interacting properties of the components and the constantly evolving nature of market requirements, types of media and regulatory constraints. Unfortunately, there is no universal ink formulation that will meet the requirements in all types of printing processes/techniques/media. Thus, any advance in printing requires an associated advance in ink formulation engineered for compatibility with the print head whilst maintaining a desirable finish for nonhazardous and environmentally safe labelling. This project focuses on the investigation, selection and testing of formulation components, surfactants and additives to meet ink requirements for use with Memjet printheads.
Originally from the Hunter Valley, Callan studied a Bachelor of Chemical engineering/Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) at the University of Newcastle before joining the MIR program as a Masters student at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in T2 2020. Callan is under the leadership of Dr Richard Myors at Memjet and Prof Martina Stenzel at UNSW. His research is undertaken with, Memjet, where he is developing an analytical method to characterise the migration of ink components into food. He has always enjoyed soccer, playing as a fullback through his schooling years including University. Recently, he has taken up rock climbing (bouldering mainly) and also enjoys the odd video game and book.
Project
Development of a robust analytical method for characterising the migration of aqueous ink components into food simulants. Food safety is a crucial industry and with printed food packaging it is important for the inks and the packaging material not to contaminate the food. To ensure that no contamination occurs, stringent testing is required to make sure none of the potentially toxic ink components end up in the food. This project involves developing an analytical method utilising powerful tools such as Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to monitor (both qualitatively and quantitatively) the migration of ink additives into food simulants.
Eloise commenced the program in T2 (2020) with THC Pharma, and is our first interstate MIR candidate; located at Southport near the Qld-NSW border. Eloise is a chemistry graduate from Griffith University, who left an industry role as a chemical analyst (UHPLC & LC-MS) to participate in this programme, which is the next step on her journey to fulfilling her passion for Medicinal Chemistry. Eloise is working with Dr Mike Harrison at THCP and Prof Naresh Kumar and Dr Vinh Nguyen from UNSW. When not in the lab, Eloise plays high level Rugby 7’s for the Griffith AON’s national team and captains the inaugural Southport Sharks Women’s AFL Team, from which she hopes to launch a career the national AFLW by 2021.
Project
Development, optimisation and scale up of manufacturing process to produce medicinal cannabis products. THC Pharma is a subsidiary of THC Global, which is a newly established Australian-owned manufacturer of medicinal cannabis products. The primary objective of the project is to conduct process development work that is currently underway and to optimise the manufacturing processes. Following on from this work the focus will shift to further increasing production capacity using the optimised processes to cater to the increasing demand for GMP medicinal cannabis products for both the Australian and export markets.
Akira is motivated to turn theory and lab discoveries into real world applications. He graduated from UTS with a BSc major in Applied Chemistry, finishing under guidance from Dr. Paul Thomas. He studied the properties of water contained in opal, using various analytical techniques such as FT-IR, TGA, DSC and MS, in order to make predictions about where to prospect for opals and how to make characterisations.
Partnering with Crosbe under Chief Scientist and Industry R&D expert Liam Devlin and Technical Development Director Luciano Pereira, in his short time at Crosbe he has developed a working prototype and begun physical testing and isothermal conduction calorimetry. These techniques are key to delivering both commercial and research benefits. In his free time he enjoys training in mixed-martial arts and simulator racing.
Project
Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cements have been used in China for many applications for over 40 years, however, adoption in the western world has been slower. They have mainly been used during the last 25 years in high early strength concrete in mining, airport runways and roads. This project will investigate the interaction of CSAs with local materials and their use in a wide range of applications. The work will maximise the unique properties of CSAs such as their fast-setting, high strength and low carbon emissions compared to that of ordinary Portland cements. The project will also aim to use CSAs in dry-mix mortar applications. The team aims to better understand the kinetics, thermodynamics, rheology and complex chemistry, and to translate their research discoveries into new products with efficient large-scale production.
Samuel is a Chemical Engineering graduate from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) who commenced the MIR program in January 2021. Samuel left his role as a Consultant with KPMG’s Risk Assurance division to participate in this opportunity. His key motivators were to gain exposure to the water treatment industry, acquire new water engineering and research skills, and to work alongside industry experts in addressing challenges faced in the wastewater treatment industry.
Samuel is currently based out of DuPont Water Solutions (DWS) in Windsor NSW and operates under the leadership of Geoffrey Johnston-Hall and James McMahon as part of DWS’s R&D division. Academically, Samuel is supervised by Prof. Martina Stenzel and Prof. Pierre Le Clech from UNSW. In his time away from the worksite, Samuel can be found re-watching ‘The Office’ for the 100th time, enjoying a game of football (soccer), volunteering at his local church or enjoying the outdoors on the back of his motorbike.
Project
Hollow fiber (HF) membrane technology is widely used in water and wastewater treatment. The technology allows for a high packing density to be achieved with reduced module manufacturing and operational complexities. The aim of Samuel’s project is to develop the next generation of DWS’s membrane filtration technologies for wastewater and surface water treatment. Specifically, to study the role of membrane module design and operating conditions on overall filtration performance, and to meet increased market demand for more price competitive treatment solutions by investigating the reduction of system CAPEX and OPEX per m2 of membrane.
Ivan Johan joined the MIR program in the third quarter of 2021. As a student of chemistry, he has always been fascinated by the real world application of chemical technology. After the completion of his undergraduate study at UNSW, Ivan began a project with Memjet focusing on the development of white ink.
Memjet’s appeal to Ivan lay in its innovative and world leading inkjet technology. Under the supervision of Dr Simon Fielder (Memjet) and Prof. Richard Tilley (UNSW) Ivan is developing a new method to make a white ink that is compatible with the unique features of Memjet’s print head design. When not working with ink Ivan spends his time tutoring other students and reading comics.
Project
In a world where most of us think of printing as the creation of a coloured image on a white background, there is, at first glance, little need for an ink that is itself white. However, for packaging and labelling, the need to print a white image represents a significant commercial opportunity. Ivan’s project looks to probe the possibilities of this emerging ink technology.
Leo entered the MIR program in T1 (2021) with diverse experience in chemistry and nanoscience. His primary motivators for joining the program were to apply the analytical skills acquired during his Honours year in an industrial landscape, to connect with a range of experienced team members from different backgrounds, and to appreciate the overlap that exists between research and applied science.
When he is not tinkering in the laboratory, Leo will most likely be spotted enjoying a boardgame with friends, hanging out with his pet rabbit or watching a thrilling James Bond film. On the weekends Leo also tutors high-school students at First Education, which he has been a part of since 2018.
Project
Membrane bio-reactor (MBR) technologies are used widely in the treatment of municipal wastewater for reuse in domestic and industrial applications, offering higher effluent quality and improved ecological footprints. With growing demands imposed by quality guidelines, water scarcities, increasing urbanization and increasing energy costs, water utilities are demanding more efficient filtration technologies capable of treating a broad range of waste water types.
In collaboration with DuPont Water solutions, under the guidance of Geoffrey Johnston-Hall and UNSW academic Prof. Martina Stenzel, this project aims to develop novel ultra-filtration (UF) membrane technologies used in MBR wastewater treatment. The role of membrane materials and manufacturing processes will be explored, providing deeper insight into mechanisms of membrane formation. New membrane technologies will be developed and manufactured in small scale pilot manufacturing, and scaled up into full-scale prototype products for field testing. By comparing the performance of these next-generation fibres to production-scale modules, these findings will help to maintain a competitive edge in the MBR market.
