Victoria’s six Young Tall Poppy scientists for 2011 include two Australian Synchrotron users: Matthew Hill from CSIRO and David Turner from Monash University.
Matthew Hill is a materials chemist from CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering. He received a $5000 prize as Victorian Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year.
Matthew uses the AS powder diffraction and macromolecular crystallography beamlines in his studies of ultraporous materials known as metal organic frameworks (MOFs). Matthew’s MOFs presently hold world records for storage of hydrogen and natural gas at room temperature, and carbon dioxide at zero degrees. MOFs have applications or potential applications in the automotive industry and in clean-energy and energy-efficient technologies. Matthew was previously awarded a Victoria Fellowship 2010 by the Victorian Government.
David Turner is a research fellow in the School of Chemistry in the Science Faculty at Monash University. He is using synchrotron x-ray crystallography techniques to help him develop new materials that can interact with biologically or environmentally important molecules. These new compounds could potentially help address the environmental impact of increasing global industrialisation, with applications such as carbon dioxide storage.
Matthew and David are close collaborators who work together at the AS.
The Victorian Young Tall Poppy Awards are supported by Deakin University, La Trobe University, Monash University, the University of Melbourne and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, with national support through the Department of Health and Ageing.