Previous PhD Students
Dr Elmira Mohamed (2017-2021)
Elmira is a PhD student at the Australian National University. She is currently working on the development of nanoscale haemostatic materials utilizing a green method to produce biomass-based nanomaterials. This new class of haemostatic nanomaterials can be applied in wide-ranging medical and veterinary situations including surgical settings, sporting/combat fields, and household/vehicle first-aid kits.
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Dr Francesca Maclean (2014-2017)Francesca’s project focuses on controlling the response of astrocytes after penetrating traumatic injury, whilst also providing a growth-permissive environment, using self-assembling peptide hydrogels and nanofibres. She is investigating the in vivo response to these materials using a traumatic (stab) mouse model, and is also developing 3D culture environments in which to further study the ability of these biomaterials to attenuate the astrocytic inflammatory response.
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Dr Kiara Bruggeman (2013-2017)
Kiara's research focuses on incorporating therapeutic drugs into these materials to further promote regeneration. The chemical instability of these drugs (lasting only about an hour in living tissue before degrading) presents an obstacle to long term delivery, and she has been investigating ways to stabilise these drugs using biomaterials in order to prevent degradation to provide long term therapeutic benefit.
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Dr Alexandra Rodriguez (2012-2015)
Alexandra's PhD thesis focused on the development of Fmoc-self-assembling peptide hydrogels for promoting brain repair in Parkinson's disease. Through a process of materials optimisation, she incorporated a series of specific peptide sequences known to promote neural regeneration, providing an enhanced environment for neural cells both in vitro and in vivo. She also investigated the use of this peptide hydrogel system as a viral vector gene delivery vehicle.
After completing her PhD, she worked as a volunteer with the Burnet Institute on a project in Dili,Timor where she was helping local medical laboratory staff establish a multiplex PCR diagnostic for chlamydia and gonorrhea. |
Dr Yali Li (2011-2015)Yali's PhD thesis involved investigating the properties of nanometre thin coatings with various functions. The coatings were used as platforms for mammalian cell cultivation, which showed control of cell attachment to the surfaces. She then further optimised the coatings to incorporate anti-bacterial properties which may have potential impact for the development of infection resistant biomedical devices.
After completing her PhD, Yali worked as an English teacher at AOJI Education Group. Recently, she joined Lanzhou Institute of Physics, works as a postdoctoral research fellow, studying the efficiency of carbon nanotubes supported catalysts for nitric oxide conversion. |
Dr Andrew Rodda (2010-2014)Andrew's PhD thesis focused on the development of an electrospun fibre scaffold that incorporated a polymer brush coating to control cellular adhesion signalling. The project used well-controlled synthetic reactions (RAFT, ATRP, CuAAC) to create precisely tailored fibrous materials, with which cells could interact in a defined manner.
Andrew has since worked at Callaghan Innovation (NZ) and Aeroqual Ltd. (NZ) and is currently an Assistant Lecturer in Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University. |
Dr Nicholas Boyd (2011-2016)
Nick’s PhD thesis focused on developing biomimetic scaffolds for bone regeneration. Growth factors and bioactive nanoparticles were applied onto 2D surfaces and nanofibrous membranes via electrospraying and layer-by-layer self-assembly coatings. The synergistic effects of structural, biochemical and nano-scale stimuli of these scaffolds were systematically investigated in vitro. These new nanomaterials enhanced the expansion and osteogenic differentiation of human stem cell populations, and offer great promise as bolt-on devices for bone replacement therapy including hip replacement and dental restoration.
After finishing his PhD, Nick is now focused on developing an injectable system that enhances the bioactivity of stem cell treatment for patients with osteoarthritis in affiliation with Monash University and Melbourne Stem Cell Centre. |
Dr Marini Sawawi (2009-2015)
Marini’s PhD thesis focused on developing a new method to produce short electrospun polymeric fibres. The long continuous fibres were scissioned by ultrasonication method manipulating the readily available ultrasonic probe that can be found at most laboratories. The ultrasonication parameters were manipulated to obtain a micron length short fibres and the as spun fibres that fail to directly scissioned using this method was treated to enable scissioning. These short electrospun fibres would be useful in biomedical field such as an injectable fibres and as reinforcement in composite application.
After finishing her PhD, Marini is now teaching at Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak apart from doing her research in natural fibre composites. |