Alison Downard

Last updated

Alison Downard
Alma mater University of Otago
AwardsFellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, honorary degree from the University of Rennes 1
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
Institutions University of Canterbury
Thesis

Alison Joy Downard is a New Zealand academic, and has been a full professor at the University of Canterbury since 2009. [1] Her work focuses on surface chemistry, electrochemistry and nanoscale grafted layers.

Contents

Academic career

After a PhD titled Electron transfer reactions of organometallic clusters at the University of Otago, Downard moved to the University of Southampton, followed by a two-year postdoctoral associate position at UNC Chapel Hill from 1986. In 1988, she moved to the University of Canterbury, rising to full professor in 2009. [1] [2]

In 2017, Downard was featured as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words. [3]

Downard works as part of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Downard's research on chemical modifications to surfaces at the nanoscale has enabled new electrodes to be discovered. Her findings have implications for energy storage. [1] [3]

Awards

In 2014, Downard was awarded the R. H. Stokes medal by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. [4] The same year she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Rennes 1. [5] [1]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

Self-assembled monolayer

Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of organic molecules are molecular assemblies formed spontaneously on surfaces by adsorption and are organized into more or less large ordered domains. In some cases molecules that form the monolayer do not interact strongly with the substrate. This is the case for instance of the two-dimensional supramolecular networks of e.g. perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) on gold or of e.g. porphyrins on highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG). In other cases the molecules possess a head group that has a strong affinity to the substrate and anchors the molecule to it. Such a SAM consisting of a head group, tail and functional end group is depicted in Figure 1. Common head groups include thiols, silanes, phosphonates, etc.

Self-cleaning surfaces are a class of materials with the inherent ability to remove any debris or bacteria from their surfaces in a variety of ways. The self-cleaning functionality of these surfaces are commonly inspired by natural phenomena observed in lotus leaves, gecko feet, and water striders to name a few. The majority of self-cleaning surfaces can be placed into three categories: 1) superhydrophobic, 2) superhydrophilic, and 3) photocatalytic.

Nanoparticle deposition Process of attaching nanoparticles to solid surfaces

Nanoparticle deposition refers to the process of attaching nanoparticles to solid surfaces called substrates to create coatings of nanoparticles. The coatings can have a monolayer or a multilayer and organized or unorganized structure based on the coating method used. Nanoparticles are typically difficult to deposit due to their physical properties.

Liquid marbles

Liquid marbles are non-stick droplets wrapped by micro- or nano-metrically scaled hydrophobic, colloidal particles ; representing a platform for a diversity of chemical and biological applications. Liquid marbles are also found naturally; aphids convert honeydew droplets into marbles. A variety of non-organic and organic liquids may be converted into liquid marbles. Liquid marbles demonstrate elastic properties and do not coalesce when bounced or pressed lightly. Liquid marbles demonstrate a potential as micro-reactors, micro-containers for growing micro-organisms and cells, micro-fluidics devices, and have even been used in unconventional computing. Liquid marbles remain stable on solid and liquid surfaces. Statics and dynamics of rolling and bouncing of liquid marbles were reported. Liquid marbles coated with poly-disperse and mono-disperse particles have been reported. Liquid marbles are not hermetically coated by solid particles but connected to the gaseous phase. Kinetics of the evaporation of liquid marbles has been investigated.

Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance

Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) is the combination of electrochemistry and quartz crystal microbalance, which was generated in the eighties. Typically, an EQCM device contains an electrochemical cells part and a QCM part. Two electrodes on both sides of the quartz crystal serve two purposes. Firstly, an alternating electric field is generated between the two electrodes for making up the oscillator. Secondly, the electrode contacting electrolyte is used as a working electrode (WE), together with a counter electrode (CE) and a reference electrode (RE), in the potentiostatic circuit constituting the electrochemistry cell. Thus, the working electrode of electrochemistry cell is the sensor of QCM.

Gilbert Daniel Nessim Israeli chemistry professor (born 1966)

Gilbert Daniel Nessim is a chemistry professor at Bar-Ilan University specializing in the synthesis of 1D and 2D nanomaterials for electronic, mechanic, and energy applications.

Janice Marjorie Lord is a New Zealand academic, a plant evolutionary biologist, and as of 2020 is an associate professor at the University of Otago, where she is the curator of the Otago Regional Herbarium.

Jennifer Bohun Hay is a New Zealand linguist who specialises in sociolinguistics, laboratory phonology, and the history of New Zealand English. As of 2020 she is a full professor at the University of Canterbury.

Diana Rosemary Lennon was a New Zealand academic and pediatrician, specialising in infectious diseases, and was a full professor at the University of Auckland.

Philippa Marion Wiggins was a New Zealand academic, who made significant contributions to the understanding of the structure of water in living cells.

Marion Frances Robinson was a New Zealand nutritionist and physiologist. She was professor of nutrition at the University of Otago, and is particularly noted for her investigation of the importance of selenium in the human diet.

Neil Gemmell New Zealand geneticist

Neil John Gemmell, is a New Zealand geneticist. His research areas cover evolutionary genetics and genomics, molecular ecology, and conservation biology. Originally from Lower Hutt, he obtained his PhD at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2008, Gemmell has been a professor at the University of Otago and since 2019 holds one of their seven Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chairs. Significant work includes the search of the Loch Ness Monster (2018) and the sequencing of the tuatara genome. In 2020, Gemmell received the Hutton Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Chiara Neto is an Italian chemist and Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Sydney. Her research considers functional nanostructures and the design of new materials for sustainable technologies. She is the former President of the Australasian Colloid and Interface Society and was selected as an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in 2018.

Stefan A. F. Bon is a Professor of Chemical Engineering in the department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. His research considers polymer-based colloids. He is a Fellow of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, an elected member of the International Polymer Colloids Group (IPCG), and member of the physical Newton international fellowship committee, and served as the Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Lecturer in 2015-2016.

Katsumi Kaneko was born in Yokohama (Kanagawa), Japan. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1969 from Yokohama National University, Yokohama. He received a master's degree in physical chemistry at The University of Tokyo, in 1971. He received Doctor of Science in solid state chemistry in 1978 for submitted thesis from The University of Tokyo, entitled “Electrical Properties and Defect Structures of Iron Hydroxide Oxide

Liane M. Rossi is a Brazilian chemist who is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of São Paulo. Her research considers nanomaterials and catalysis. She serves on the editorial boards of ChemistrySelect, ACS Catalysis and ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Jingdong Zhang was a Chinese–Danish chemist and Professor of Chemistry at the Technical University of Denmark. Her research considered nanochemistry and the novel materials for catalysis, as well as the development of advanced characterisation techniques such as scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. She was elected to the Akademiet for de Tekniske Videnskaber in 2017.

Chunying Chen Chinese chemist

Chunying Chen is a Chinese chemist who is a Professor at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology. Her research considers nanoscale biological interactions. She was awarded the 2021 Royal Society of Chemistry Environment, Sustainability and Energy Award. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Janet Wilmshurst New Zealand palaeoecologist

Janet Mary Wilmshurst is a New Zealand palaeoecologist who works on reconstructing the ecological past. Wilmshurst has been a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi since 2015. She was president of the New Zealand Ecological Society, and currently works as principal scientist in long-term ecology at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research focusing on recent fossil records to reconstruct and trace past ecosystem changes in response to natural disturbance.

Christy F. Landes is an American physical chemist who is the Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Chair at Rice University. She seeks to understand the structure-function relationships in biological processes. She was appointed a National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellow in 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "UC Research Profile – University of Canterbury – New Zealand". The University of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  2. "International Society of Electrochemistry". International Society of Electrochemistry. Retrieved 23 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. 1 2 "Alison Downard". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  4. "Electrochemistry Division". raci.org.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  5. "D-F". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.