The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Organometallic Transformations of Organic Compounds. The program will develop new metal-based catalysts for two main purposes (i) transforming basic hydrocarbons eg. natural gas and low-molecular-weight petroleum products into more advanced compounds (such as alcohols, alkenes and carboxylic acids); and (ii) converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds eg. ammonia or ammonia derivatives. In both projects, the aim is to take readily available and abundant starting materials that ar ....Organometallic Transformations of Organic Compounds. The program will develop new metal-based catalysts for two main purposes (i) transforming basic hydrocarbons eg. natural gas and low-molecular-weight petroleum products into more advanced compounds (such as alcohols, alkenes and carboxylic acids); and (ii) converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds eg. ammonia or ammonia derivatives. In both projects, the aim is to take readily available and abundant starting materials that are currently difficult to utilise and to design and develop specific reagents to convert them to "value-added" products. The program will also explore the mode of action of metal-based reagents leading to better reagent and catalyst design.Read moreRead less
Understanding biological nitrogen fixation: an investigation of multi-electron reduction catalysis at novel iron-sulfur clusters. A new class of iron-sulfur clusters held together by a central light atom will be prepared and their reactions thoroughly studied. These clusters are important because they will have the same structure as the iron-molybdenum cluster of the enzyme nitrogenase. This enzyme fixes atmospheric nitrogen as ammonia. It is the primary route of nitrogen entry into all living s ....Understanding biological nitrogen fixation: an investigation of multi-electron reduction catalysis at novel iron-sulfur clusters. A new class of iron-sulfur clusters held together by a central light atom will be prepared and their reactions thoroughly studied. These clusters are important because they will have the same structure as the iron-molybdenum cluster of the enzyme nitrogenase. This enzyme fixes atmospheric nitrogen as ammonia. It is the primary route of nitrogen entry into all living systems. Industrially ammonia is produced in an energy-demanding process on a vast scale. The studies will provide insights into how nitrogenase works and how to design new multi-electron reduction catalysts. The research may lead to new energy-efficient routes to ammonia and to other new alternative fuel sources. Such processes would transform Australian industry and how we live.Read moreRead less
Synthesis of new heterocyclic analogues of isoflavones. Intake of high dietary isoflavonoid phytoestrogens has been linked to low prevalence of hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and prostate cancer, and heart disease. The isoflavones resemble endogenous estradiol in structure, and have been shown to display weak estrogenic activity. Novogen Limited is pioneering the development of novel drug candidates based on isoflavones. This collaborative research project deals with the development o ....Synthesis of new heterocyclic analogues of isoflavones. Intake of high dietary isoflavonoid phytoestrogens has been linked to low prevalence of hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and prostate cancer, and heart disease. The isoflavones resemble endogenous estradiol in structure, and have been shown to display weak estrogenic activity. Novogen Limited is pioneering the development of novel drug candidates based on isoflavones. This collaborative research project deals with the development of synthetic methodologies for the preparation of new analogues of isoflavone metabolites as potential drug candidates. The target compounds will be evaluated for possible therapeutic use by the industry partner.Read moreRead less
Development and Biological Chemistry of Novel Platinum Anti-Cancer Agents. "Rule-breakers", platinum anticancer complexes that do not follow the well established structure/activity relationships, have emerged as the way forward in the treatment of cancer resistant to the current generation of drugs and in reducing side effects. We have developed two new groups of "rule-breakers" and these have already demonstrated highly promising anticancer activity and novel biological behaviour. In this proje ....Development and Biological Chemistry of Novel Platinum Anti-Cancer Agents. "Rule-breakers", platinum anticancer complexes that do not follow the well established structure/activity relationships, have emerged as the way forward in the treatment of cancer resistant to the current generation of drugs and in reducing side effects. We have developed two new groups of "rule-breakers" and these have already demonstrated highly promising anticancer activity and novel biological behaviour. In this project we will (i) prepare new anticancer active platinum complexes based on these two highly promising groups of compounds and (ii) determine how these drugs work and what happens to them when in biological environments.Read moreRead less
Metallographitic Discs as New Materials. Materials science plays a pivotal role in determining and improving economic performance and quality of life. While application of materials is the ultimate goal, basic understanding of a material's behaviour from the atomic/nano-level to macrostructural level is also of critical importance. This project builds upon the recent success of soluble, well-defined carbon discs in molecular electronics, through the preparation and study of metal-containing deri ....Metallographitic Discs as New Materials. Materials science plays a pivotal role in determining and improving economic performance and quality of life. While application of materials is the ultimate goal, basic understanding of a material's behaviour from the atomic/nano-level to macrostructural level is also of critical importance. This project builds upon the recent success of soluble, well-defined carbon discs in molecular electronics, through the preparation and study of metal-containing derivatives as new advanced crystalline and liquid crystalline materials. The possibility of enhanced electronic, optical and/or magnetic properties, along with good processability, make these materials potential candidates as the active component of future, technologically important devices.Read moreRead less
Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will desi ....Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will design catalysts with multiple complementary metal centres tailored to bind and activate nitrogen gas to facilitate its reaction with hydrogen or other reagents.Read moreRead less
Synthesis of pyrroloquinoline analogues of isoflavone metabolites. Cancer and heart disease are the two main diseases that affect our society indiscriminately and put enormous drains on healthcare resources. The intake of high dietary isoflavonoid phytoestrogens has been linked to low prevalence of cancers and heart disease. Novogen Limited is pioneering the development of novel drug candidates based on phytoestrogen metabolites. This collaborative research project deals with the development ....Synthesis of pyrroloquinoline analogues of isoflavone metabolites. Cancer and heart disease are the two main diseases that affect our society indiscriminately and put enormous drains on healthcare resources. The intake of high dietary isoflavonoid phytoestrogens has been linked to low prevalence of cancers and heart disease. Novogen Limited is pioneering the development of novel drug candidates based on phytoestrogen metabolites. This collaborative research project deals with the development of synthetic methodologies for the preparation of new analogues of phytoestrogen metabolites as potential drug candidates. The target compounds will be evaluated for possible therapeutic use by the industry partner.Read moreRead less
Organometallic Transformations of Organic Molecules. Simple hydrocarbons such as natural gas and petroleum are amongst the most abundant and readily available natural feedstocks for the organic chemical industry. However, apart from simply burning them for fuel, there are very few methods for using these materials as starting materials for industry. In chemical terms, simple hydrocarbons are very stable and this makes them difficult substances to convert cleanly to other more useful compounds. ....Organometallic Transformations of Organic Molecules. Simple hydrocarbons such as natural gas and petroleum are amongst the most abundant and readily available natural feedstocks for the organic chemical industry. However, apart from simply burning them for fuel, there are very few methods for using these materials as starting materials for industry. In chemical terms, simple hydrocarbons are very stable and this makes them difficult substances to convert cleanly to other more useful compounds. This research program investigates new approaches for converting hydrocarbons to more useful materials by using metals such as iron and ruthenium. This research program will provide a new route to ?value-added? products from hydrocarbons and develop new uses for these abundant raw materials.Read moreRead less
From Nanostructured Functional Materials to Sustainable Processes. Nano-structured functional materials in the areas of catalysis and reversible hydrogen storage will be developed with the view to arrive at (a) sustainable processes and (b) the adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier. These aims are driven by a global need to change the industrial paradigm due to environmental pressures and limited resources, particularly in terms of energy. Expected outcomes are new avenues to process intens ....From Nanostructured Functional Materials to Sustainable Processes. Nano-structured functional materials in the areas of catalysis and reversible hydrogen storage will be developed with the view to arrive at (a) sustainable processes and (b) the adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier. These aims are driven by a global need to change the industrial paradigm due to environmental pressures and limited resources, particularly in terms of energy. Expected outcomes are new avenues to process intensification, leading to novel commercial routes, and a hydrogen storage technology which has the potential to play a strong part in the global economy.Read moreRead less