Dr Carol Hua will join the University of Melbourne as a Senior Exciton Science Research Fellow in February 2023.
Carol has considerable expertise in the development of metal-organic frameworks as chemical sensors and stimuli responsive materials, with a focus on molecular chirality for pharmaceutical and technological applications.
After obtaining her BSc from UNSW and completing a PhD at the University of Sydney, Carol undertook roles as a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Limerick in Ireland and Northwestern University in the United States, supported by Endeavour and American-Australian Fellowships.
Carol is seeking a student to conduct a project in:
Stimuli Responsive Chemical Sensors
In this project, chemical sensors containing groups responsive to external stimuli (e.g. light, pressure and electrochemical potential) will be developed and incorporated into solid substrates.
The chemical sensors will use Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which are crystalline materials containing metal ions with bridging organic ligands, to create a scaffold with accessible pores where the chemical analyte can be detected.
The interaction of the MOF with the chemical analyte will be optimized by tuning the size and chemical properties of the pore.
This project will involve the synthesis of MOF chemical sensors and use a range of characterisation techniques including x-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and spectroscopic (UV-Vis-NIR, fluorescence, FT-IR) methods.
Figure 1: Fluorescent, colour changing, and chemical sensing MOF crystals
How to enquire and apply
To read more about Carol's career, go to: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/827646-carol-hua
To contact Carol prior to February 2023, please email communications@excitonscience.com
For general information about scholarships available through the University of Melbourne, go to: https://science.unimelb.edu.au/study/scholarships
For specific enquiries about scholarships and stipends available through Exciton Science, contact info@excitonscience.com
