Feature ArticleCore cross-linked star polymers via controlled radical polymerisation
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Anton Blencowe graduated with a First Class Honours MChem degree in Chemistry from the University of Reading in July 2002. During the final year studies of his degree he conducted a research project in the Hayes Research Group focusing upon the synthesis of hyperbranched diacetylene polyesters. He commenced postgraduate studies sponsored by the DuPont Fellows Forum at the University of Reading in 2002 under the guidance of Dr. Wayne Hayes. After completion of his Ph.D. entitled “The Development of Polymerisation and Surface Modification Techniques using Diazirines as Carbene Precursors” in 2006 he took up a Research Fellow position in the Polymer Science Group at The University of Melbourne. Since his appointment he has been awarded several Early Career Researcher Grants for the development of advanced materials and works on projects ranging from the development of functional polymers for tissue engineering and polymer therapeutics, to polymers for metal extraction and coatings technologies. His research interests include, amongst other things: star polymer synthesis, properties and applications; the development of novel macromolecular architectures and polymerisation methodologies; biomacromolecular scaffolds.
Jing Fung Tan graduated with a B.Eng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from University of Melbourne in 2006. During his undergraduate studies he was awarded the Melbourne Abroad Scholarship in 2004 for an exchange program to Imperial College London. Upon graduation, he was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) funded by DuPont and commenced his Ph.D. studies in the Polymer Science Group under the guidance of Associate Professor Greg Qiao in the same year. He was also the 2006 President of the Postgraduate Association of Chemical Engineers at The University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the synthesis of novel polymeric architectures via controlled and conventional radical polymerisation techniques.
Tor Kit Goh graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) (Hons) from the University of Melbourne in December 2004. He subsequently joined the Polymer Science Group and is currently conducting research on star polymers for advanced coatings applications with A/Prof. Greg Qiao as his mentor. His postgraduate research is funded by an ARC-DuPont Linkage Grant – Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) and he was recently awarded the 2008 Endeavour Research Fellowship, which supported a 6-month research project on stereospecific living radical polymerisation with Prof. Masami Kamigaito of Nagoya University. His research interests include polymer chemistry, synthesis of macromolecular architectures and polymer rheology.
Greg G. Qiao received his B.Eng. in Polymer Engineering from the East China University in 1982. He completed his synthetic organic chemistry based Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Curt Wentrup at the University of Queensland in 1996. Subsequently, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor David Solomon at the University of Melbourne, where he was introduced to the field of synthetic polymers. Since 2000 he has been the leader of the Polymer Science Group at the University of Melbourne. He is now a Reader in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and an Assistant Dean (Research) in the Melbourne School of Engineering. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI). His major current research interests are in the synthesis of novel macromolecular architectures by controlled polymerisation techniques, polymeric membranes for gas separations, biomacromolecular scaffolds for soft tissue engineering and functional polymers for industrial applications.