Materials stars - Annual Report 2016

New Investigators

Penny Brothers

New MacDiarmid Principal Investigator and University of Auckland Chemist, Professor Penny Brothers, is building novel molecules as building blocks for light-absorbing components of solar cells and magnetic materials. 

Anna Garden

New MacDiarmid Associate Investigator and University of Otago Chemist and winner of a 2016 Marsden grant, Dr Anna Garden, is using computers to design nanomaterials for environmental remediation.

Jonathan Halpert

Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington, Rutherford Discovery Fellow and now new MacDiarmid Principal Investigator, Dr Jonathan Halpert, is investigating new nanomaterials for use in next generation solar cells, LEDs and other optoelectronic applications.

Jenny Malmström

New MacDiarmid Associate Investigator and University of Auckland Chemical Engineer, Dr Jenny Malmström, was awarded a 2016 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship and Marsden Fast-Start to develop artificial tissue surfaces to enable a deeper understanding of stem cell regulation.

Carla Meledandri

Joint winner of the KiwiNet 2016 Emerging Innovator Award, University of Otago Chemist and new MacDiarmid Principal Investigator, Dr Carla Meledandri, is taking nanotech into the world of dentistry.

Franck Natali

New MacDiarmid Associate Investigator and Victoria University of Wellington physicist, Associate Professor Franck Natali, is creating new memory storage devices for tomorrow’s computers.

Geoff Waterhouse

New MacDiarmid Principal Investigator and University of Auckland Chemist, Associate Professor Geoff Waterhouse, is developing nanomaterials that catalyse the transformation of light energy into chemical fuels.

Catherine Whitby

New MacDiarmid Associate Investigator and Massey University Chemist, Dr Catherine Whitby, is using nanotechnology to understand and improve the properties of emulsions in food and cosmetics. 

Rising stars

Baptiste Auguié

2016 Rutherford Discovery Fellow, Victoria University of Wellington Physicist and MacDiarmid alumnus, Dr Baptiste Auguié, is putting a new twist on light-matter interactions with his research programme on chirality at the nanoscale..

Renee Goreham

Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Nann’s group with strong links to the MacDiarmid Institute, Dr Goreham won a 2016 NSC seed grant to explore the physical properties of silver clusters for medical applications.

Ben Mallet

2016 Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Auckland Physicist and MacDiarmid alumnus, Dr Ben Mallett, is seeking to understand the love-hate relationship between magnetism, superconductivity and charge order. 

Nicholas Monahan

2016 Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemist and MacDairmid alumnus, Dr Nicholas Monahan, returned to Victoria University of Wellington to shed light on how next generation solar cells generate electricity.