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An integral and interconnecting component of each of four major programs is the exploitation of the School's analytical expertise and equipment. The School also has an active research program in the area of chemical education.
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute IPRI
The Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) is one of seven institutes at the University of Wollongong. The Institute comprises of more than 40 personnel (full-time research staff and students) and is located in purpose built laboratories on the University of Wollongong campus. IPRI is recognised internationally as a pioneer in Intelligent Polymer Research. The Institute has strategic links and alliances with other research institutions in the USA, Japan, Korea, Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The Intelligent Polymer Research Institute is also the leading partner and main administrative centre for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science. The Centre was formally opened in February 2006 and is a collaborative partnership between IPRI, Monash University, The Bionic Ear Institute, and St Vincents Health in Melbourne. The work program of the Centre of Excellence expands on research conducted under the previous ARC Centre for Nanostructured Electromaterials. The main aim of the centre is still to explore the science of nanomaterials having an electron or charge transfer functionality: to prepare such nanomaterials, study and develop theories for their behaviour, and exploit these new behaviours in useful applications. An ethical dimension is also included to monitor the impact of such developments on the community as a whole.
Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry CAC
The central role of atmospheric chemistry in all aspects of global climate change is undisputed. The foci of our research are the measurement of atmospheric trace gas concentrations, their total column amounts, and the sources and sinks of key atmospheric trace gas species.
Centre for Medical Chemistry and Pharmacology
The Centre for Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology (CMCP) was established in November 2006 and forms part of the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute. There are 8 academic staff, more than 9 post-doctoral fellows and 27 post-graduate students endeavouring to enhance the understanding of the molecular origins of disease and undertake modern drug design, leading to the development of new pharmaceuticals. The three major disease states currently being targeted by the CMCP are: anti-infectives, encompassing antibacterial agents, including multi-drug resistant strains, anti-viral agents (e.g. HIV, Dengue fever, hepatitis C, anti-fungals) and anti-malarial agents; anti-cancer agents, incorporating both drug design and development as well as formulation and clinical aspects; and cardio-vascular disease, including fundamental research associated with phospholipids and diet as well as the development of new small molecule therapeutics. Our research has attracted approximately $4.5 million (2004-2006) and expanding collaborations with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other research organisations (e.g. The Centre for Medical Bioscience at UoW) enables continued opportunities to progress our understanding of disease states.
Environmental Chemistry
This diverse research area involves 7 academic staff and over 12 other research personnel throughout the faculty of Science. The research covers aspects of air, water, sediment and soil chemistry. Current water based projects include the fate and speciation of metal contaminants in marine ecosystems, the identification of biological indicators of aquatic contamination and toxicity. Atmospheric projects include the measurement of greenhouse gas emission rates and their isotopic signature from various sources (such as agriculture), the measurement of changes in atmospheric composition on both a regional and global scale, and quantification of solar radiation as a tool in understanding atmospheric processes.
Biological Chemistry and Biochemistry
The physical sciences (chemistry, physics, mathematics) are the foundations for understanding biological processes. The School of Chemistry has several research groups involved in projects that include: (i) elucidating fundamental processes in biology such as the mechanism of replication of the bacterial genome, (ii) investigating unusual DNA structures that are present under different conditions in cells, (iii) developing new methods for clinical analysis of plasma proteins that may be important in diagnosis of disease, (iv) understanding changes in lipid composition of various tissues as result of aging and disease, and (v) measuring oestrogen mimics in waste water. These research areas directly involve several academic staff in Chemistry in addition to numerous higher degree students and collaborators in the Science faculty and at other institutions. Some of the staff are members of the University’s Centre for Medical Bioscience. Other staff members within Chemistry in the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology (see above) have interests in discovering new drugs that inhibit biological processes. For example, there are projects investigating the interactions of anticancer ruthenium- and arsenicbased chemotherapeutic agents with cellular proteins and DNA.
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