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Australasian Colloid and Interface Society Web: http://acis.wildapricot.org/; E-mail: acis.enquiries@gmail.com |
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ACIS Newsletter – Issue 29, June 2022
Welcome
Dear Esteemed Members,
Welcome to our 29th issue of ACIS News! We produce a quarterly newsletter - sent around in February, May, August, and November (approximately) - to keep the wonderful members of ACIS informed of our initiatives and for members to directly communicate with our Society. We publish job announcements, meetings of interests to our society, career development opportunities, any exciting research that you would like to share with us and much more. To everyone up to date with the on-goings in our colloids society, please send your suggestions and items for the next newsletter to christine.browne@monash.edu or Stuart Brown at s3399895@student.rmit.edu.au.
President’s Corner
It is lovely to know that our members are getting out and about – networking is what has made this community so strong for so long. For example, ACIS members were well-represented at the recent Sydney Surfaces and Soft Stuff Meeting held on 20 May at UNSW. Returning in face-to-face mode, this one-day conference gives HDR students an opportunity to present their latest research to an audience of peers, supervisors and industry colleagues. Even our immediate past president Ben Boyd was in town to catch up with Sydneysider colloidal associates. Thanks to Stuart Prescott for delivering again for this region. I encourage members to let ACIS know about other relevant events in their area.
The ACIS Three Minute Thesis competition is imminent. Being held on Wednesday 8th of June at 11 AEST, it is not too late to register for this free event and witness our rising HDR stars. In this event research students get to hone their oral presentation skills and convince broad audiences of the wonders of their research in a very short three minute timeslot. Please check out the history of this event. I thank Tam Greaves, Aaron Elbourne and Saffron Bryant for their organisation.
IACIS2022 is almost here! When Ian Gentle and Greg Warr first assembled the competitive bid for Australia to host a future meeting of this long-standing conference over a decade ago, they could never have anticipated the immense challenges ahead. From border closures to rescheduling, together with the necessity for a hybrid event in these COVID-times, they and the rest of the organising committee have stuck with their mission. While it won’t be as large as some prior IACIS conferences, it is still shaping up to be an excellent showcase of the latest colloid and interface science. I hope that as many ACIS members as possible are able to attend for the additional benefits of networking to seed new collaborations and catch up with colleagues they haven’t seen for too long. The ECR and student delegates have voted strongly by signing up for the post-conference workshop on Advanced Characterisation of Colloids and Interfaces being held at UQ. This indicates that we can likely do more for these members. If this is you, please chat to the Board members attending IACIS or email us via acis.enquiries@gmail.com with ideas for additional face-to-face events that you think would be of benefit.
Finally, I would like to congratulate all academic colleagues who managed to submit excellent colloid and interface science and engineering grant proposals in the recent rounds of National Competitive Grants. May your assessors be constructive and supportive.
Erica Wanless (President)
News
IACIS Brisbane 2022
With IACIS 2022 happening in Brisbane a few short weeks, the final touches are being put on the conference organisation. We are looking forward to welcoming delegates from 28 different countries, including over 180 from around Australia and more than 150 from overseas. It is not too late to register, so don't miss this once-in-a-career opportunity to be part of our international IACIS community meeting in Australia, by visiting IACIS2022.org and registering now!
On the website you will find information about the great line-up of international and local plenary, keynote and contributed talks, including the detailed program.
We have also increased the capacity of the Workshop on Advanced Characterization of Colloids and Interfaces on 30th June and 1st July at UQ (twice) due to very strong demand. A few places are left, but it will be necessary to close that in the next week so don’t delay. Again, visit the website for more information.
We look forward to getting together with our international community in Brisbane soon. See you there!
Ian Gentle and Greg Warr, IACIS 2022 co-chairs
AMN10 in Rotorua 2022
The 10th International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology is the flagship international conference run by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, one of NZ’s Centres of Research Excellence. It will be held in Rotorua for the first time on the 7th – 10th of February 2023. Follow this link to the conference website: https://confer.eventsair.com/amn10/
Registrations have just opened and key dates include:
Abstract submission deadline: Friday 26th of August
Author Notification: Friday 30th of September
Early bird registration deadline: Friday 14th of October
International PhD School – Neils Bohr Institute
The Neils Bohr Institution is holding an international course from the 6th to the 12th of August, on the geometry and topology of ordered cellular patterns such as foams, bicontinuous and polycontinuous forms and nets found in synthetic and biological materials. No specialized mathematical knowledge is assumed, apart from some elementary familiarity with the shape of space, polyhedra and symmetry. The course will introduce students to unifying structural concepts in a range of ordered multi-phase hard/soft materials. We encourage students with theoretical or experimental backgrounds to attend. For more information follow this link: https://indico.nbi.ku.dk/event/1316/
Opportunities
PhD Opportunity at RMIT
Light Scattering Techniques for Characterizing Blood Platelets in Solution
This PhD project will develop new methods for the characterization of the platelet’s morphology and their associated microparticles using light scattering techniques and use this knowledge to develop improved long-term storage strategies for platelets. This project includes a $31,000 per annum (pro rata) stipend and is supervised by Professor Gary Bryant at RMIT (City).
For more information on the project follow this link and search the project title: https://www.rmit.edu.au/research/research-degrees/find-a-project
To apply submit the following documents to Prof Gary Bryant (gary.bryant@rmit.edu.au):
A cover letter (research statement)
A copy of electronic academic transcripts
A CV that includes any publications/awards and the contact details of 2 referees.
Industry-Funded PhD Studentship
Connecting Structure and Rheology in Dairy Protein Concentrates
New and improved concentrated dairy products are constantly being designed for their nutritional value and health benefits. The goal of this project is to use both theory and experiments to develop rheological models for emerging products. The project is affiliated with the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (www.macdiarmid.ac.nz), one of New Zealand’s Centres of Research Excellence. It is funded by Fonterra, one of the world’s largest dairy companies, and represents an opportunity to carry out research embedded with the expert team at Fonterra’s Research and Development Centre, in Palmerston North, New Zealand. See this link or contact Assoc. Prof. Geoff Willmott (g.willmott@auckland.ac.nz) for further details.
The project would suit a student with a strong Honours or Master’s degree in soft matter, materials science, physical chemistry, engineering or a related field. Experience with dairy products, colloids, and/or rheology (and especially rheological models) would be an advantage. Applications are being reviewed on an ongoing basis, with an initial deadline of 1 July 2022 and with the aim of commencing the project later in 2022.
Funded PhD Studentship
Reversible Assembly of Solid Patchy Particles
This PhD project will explore technological possibilities for colloidal self-assembly. The aim is to develop method(s) for reversible assembly of micrometer-scale solid colloidal particles into structures such as 3D porous matrices. The colloids may be patchy particles, which can be designed so that they 'dock' in prescribed configurations. Reversibility can be achieved, for example, by using magnetism to produce clusters. The methods developed will be scalable, with specific sustainability applications in mind (e.g. catalysis, or capture and storage), so that useful technologies may emerge. The project is funded by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (www.macdiarmid.ac.nz), one of New Zealand’s Centres of Research Excellence, and supervised by Assoc. Prof. Geoff Willmott (lab website). See this link or contact Geoff (g.willmott@auckland.ac.nz) for further details.
The ideal candidate will have a strong Honours or Masters degree in the physical or chemical sciences (or a related field), and relevant experimental experience e.g. with microfluidics or fabrication of patchy or Janus colloids. Applications are being reviewed on an ongoing basis, with an initial deadline of 1 July 2022 and with the aim of commencing the project later in 2022.
PhD Scholarship in Surface Chemistry
A PhD Scholarship in Surface Chemistry is available to Australian citizens and permanent residents only in the group of Prof Chiara Neto in the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney, on the study of drag reduction by lubricant-infused surfaces. The project is in collaboration with MicroTau Pty Ltd. based in Sydney. In addition to the main scholarship of AUD $35,950 per annum, the scholarship holder will receive a top-up scholarship of $5,500/annum.
For more details about the scholarship visit: https://www.sydney.edu.au/scholarships/d/phd-scholarship-in-surface-chemistry.html;
The Neto group https://neto.sydney.edu.au/
Or contact Prof Chiara Neto chiara.neto@sydney.edu.au
Post-doctoral position at Toronto Metropolitan University
The Foods and Soft Materials Research group at Toronto Metropolitan University is presently seeking a recent PhD graduate to conduct post-doctoral research in the physical chemistry of food fats and emulsions. The position entails significant theoretical and hands-on experimentation in food structure design and analysis as well as the elaboration of the relationship underpinning food fat composition, processing, structure, rheology and functionality. An important component of the position is the close collaboration with an industrial research partner. The post is currently available and is for a two-year term.
The applicant must be a highly motivated individual with no more than 2-3 years of prior post-doctoral experience. A relevant Ph.D. in food science, physics, physical chemistry or related field is desired, along with know-how in experimental design, modelling and statistical evaluation of data. A working understanding of different microscopy techniques such as confocal and electron microscopy is preferable along with a good handle of x-ray diffraction, particle sizing, DSC and rheology. Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and the ability to work effectively and independently within a multi-disciplinary research group are required.
For all enquiries, please email Dérick Rousseau (rousseau@ryerson.ca). To apply, please send your application, comprising a letter of introduction and motivation, a full CV (max 4 pages) and contact details for at least 2 referees to Dérick Rousseau, Dept of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 2K3.
Activities
Join our Awards, Communications, Conferences and Events Committees
ACIS needs its members to be actively engaged. Please let us know if you would like to be involved in the committees that will run the activities of the Society: Awards; Communications; Conferences and Events. Or if you would like to propose other activities we should be running. We especially invite students and early-career researchers to become involved. Please email your interest to acis.enquiries@gmail.com.
Visiting Scientist Register
Are you planning to host a visit by an outstanding scientist in the colloid and interface field? Why not let ACIS members know about the visit? We aim to keep track of visiting scientists, to facilitate their introduction to the Australasian scientific community. Please email details of the visit to acis.enquiries@gmail.com.
ACIS Membership
Please encourage your colleagues, students and industrial partners working in the field of colloids and interface to join us. General membership is $100 per annum. The membership year is from 1st March each year. Memberships paid after this date are valid until 28th February of the following year. More information is available on our website http://acis.wildapricot.org/.
Use Our LinkedIn
Group to Tell People Your News
ACIS is now present on LinkedIn. Please join our LinkedIn group and post discussion items on job ads, conference calls, and interesting facts about the wonderful world of colloid and surface science.
Or Tag your Friends and Colleagues
Share your next big breakthrough, job opportunity or beautiful science with the ACIS community by using @AusColloids.
The Newsletter team signing off,
Christine Browne – christine.browne@monash.edu
Stuart Brown – s3399895@student.rmit.edu.au