51 newly promoted and recruited Professors are taking part in the 2018 Professorial Inaugural Lecture series at UNSW Sydney to mark their achievement and showcase their specialist knowledge.
Please join us for the second Inaugural Lecture for the 2018 series.
Lecture 1: Professor Jonathan Morris
Drug Discovery and Development Using Synthetic Chemistry
Nature provides an array of chemicals that have profound biological properties, which can be used for the treatment of disease. These materials are not readily available from their natural source and chemists focus on discovering ways to restore access to these valuable materials. In addition to discovering new chemistry and strategies, this work provides us with the opportunity to develop molecules that are optimised for the treatment of diseases such as aged macular degeneration and cancer. I will describe my journey to achieving these goals and how synthesis of small molecules can led to the discovery of potential therapeutics.
Lecture 2: Professor Jason Evans
My Scientific Journey toward Regional Climate Projections
I grew up in Newcastle, good at maths and curious about the world, I ended up studying maths and physics at University. My first research exposure was in solid state physics (atomic scale structures), which was followed by a project in relativity (universe scale structures) but I settled on researching a problem closer to human scale – climate change and water resources. I continue to work on improving our understanding of how we can change the climate system and what those changes mean for the systems we care about.
Location: The Chancellery, Council Chambers, Gate 9 UNSW (Building C22) Google map
Jonathan was born in Perth, but spent his formative years growing up in the Pilbara and Wheatbelt areas of WA. He completed a BSc Hons degree at UWA, then moved to ANU to do his PhD. Upon completion he completed postdoctoral studies at University of Texas at Austin, then took up his first academic position at the University of Canterbury in NZ. In 2004, he moved to the University of Adelaide. In late 2009, UNSW appointed him to lead the new Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry degree. In 2014, he was appointed Deputy Dean of Graduate Research (0.5 FTE).
Jason is an expert in the science of the climate system, particularly in regards to land-atmosphere interactions, regional climate change and the water cycle. He did his PhD at the ANU before spending 6 years at Yale University in the USA as a research scientist. He returned to take up a position in the Climate Change Research Centre at UNSW. He has held multiple ARC research fellowships, published more than 140 journal articles and led the NSW/ACT Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) project with NSW state government. Jason is also a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
