Prof. Colette Boskovic
Professor, School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne
Colette leads a group of inorganic chemists interested in the synthesis and study of molecular materials based on paramagnetic transition metals and lanthanoids.
Some of these species can function as magnets, such that a single molecule could act as the smallest possible unit of magnetic memory. Others can be switched between states with different properties (e.g. colour) by heating or cooling. These functional molecular systems have potential applications in quantum computing, molecular spintronics, high density data storage, display devices or as molecular switches.
Colette is also passionate about teaching inorganic chemistry and about enhancing the participation of women in chemistry.
Colette graduated from the University of Melbourne with a BSc(Hons) degree in 1993 and a PhD in 1998. After postdoctoral stints at Indiana University, USA, and the University of Berne, Switzerland, she returned to the School of Chemistry in 2004 as a Lecturer. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2009 and Associate Professor in 2016.
Colette was awarded the 2004 Selby Research Award from the University of Melbourne, the 2013 Alan Sargeson Lectureship from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Inorganic Chemistry Division and the 2014 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (Teaching and Research) from the Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne. She was a visiting professor at the University of Barcelona in 2017 and she received an ARC Future Fellowship in 2019.
Colette was elected a Fellow of the RACI in 2020. She is presently the Chair-Elect of the RACI Inorganic Chemistry Division Committee and the AINSE Councillor for the University of Melbourne. She is a member of the International Advisory Boards for the Asian Conference on Molecular Magnetism and Asian Conference on Coordination Chemistry.
