Professor Leone Spiccia

Professional Associations

• BSc (Hons) UWA 1978; PhD UWA 1984
• FRACI, CChem, Member ACS
• Reader in Chemistry 1999-
• Deputy Head of School 2002-
• Associate Head Postgraduate Affairs 2003-04
• Special Commendation 2004 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Postgraduate Supervision
• 2005 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Postgraduate Supervision

Teaching Commitments

General, inorganic and bio-inorganic chemistry level 1-4 courses taught with emphasis on: 

• coordination and inorganic chemistry
• bio-inorganic chemistry
• kinetics and reactivity of metal complexes
• metal ions in biology
• electron transfer reactions of metalloproteins
• techniques and methods in inorganic chemistry
• advanced problem solving

Research Areas

• Biological and medicinal chemistry:- metalloenzyme mimics; de novo peptides incorporating macrocyclic ligands; peptide nucleic acid – metal complex hybrids; new agents for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV; biosensors and biological imaging agents; bioconjugates for application in neuroscience; new tools for studying pathogens
• Coordination chemistry:- hexacyanometallates as templates for magnetic materials; polynuclear metal complexes with novel physicochemical properties
• Application of immobilised metal complexes in protein purification
• Hydrolytic polymerization of inert metal ions; metal ion speciation and complexation in aqueous solution (ambient to hydrothermal conditions)
• Benign gold processing
• Dye sensitised solar cells;  bio-inspired water oxidation catalysts for photoelectrochemical cells;  electrochromic devices
• Novel coatings for high performance ink receptor layers; freeze thaw indicators
• Sol-gel processing of ceramic oxides

Collaborative projects are being pursued with colleagues from:

• Chemistry, Physics, Chemical and Materials Engineering, APPI  and Medicine at Monash University
• the Universities of Melbourne, Western Australia and Wollongong, ANU
• ARPANSA, CSIRO, ENSIS Papro, the Adelaide Museum
• EPF Lausanne, UC Davis, Princeton University, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Research Centre Rossendorf - Dresden

Research Outcomes

• Substantial research funding from the ARC (Discovery, Centres of Excellence, Linkage Industry, Linkage International, LEIF), ERDC, DITAC (GIRD) CSIRO-Monash, AINSE, Monash Research Grants, DAAD and the AAS
• Over 170 refereed publications and patents
• Over 110 lecture/poster presentations at local and international conferences
• Invitations to give lectures at many local and overseas universities and conferences
• Visiting professor in Heidelberg (1997) and EPF Lausanne (1997)