Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide
I am a molecular pharmacologist who works at the University of Adelaide, Australia. I have a broad interest in the understanding of how surface receptors can modulate neuronal function and survival, as well as interests in natural product pharmacology and drug design. As well I am interested in evolutionary biology, science communication (committee member of SA Science Communicators) and am an avid amateur astronomer. My astronomy blog is astroblog.
I did postdoctoral work in the Institute of Pharmacology at the Free University of Berlin in 1991-1994, returning to Australia in 1994. I have collaborated with Professor John Carver, Dr. Scot Smid and Professor Colin Barrow on using natural products to attack the neurodegeneration process in Alzheimer’s Disease. I was recently elected as convenor of the Toxicology Special Interest Group of the Australasian Society for Pharmacology and Toxicology. I am also collaborating with Professor Roger Byard on the forensic implications of herbal medicines. I have held NH&MRC funding and currently hold ARC funding.
Stop worrying and trust the evidence: it's very unlikely Roundup causes cancer
Oct 09, 2018 13:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
The common weed killer Roundup (glyphosate) is back in the news after a US court ruled it contributed to a mans terminal cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma). Following the courts order for manufacturer Monsanto to compensate the...
The chemicals in firefighting foam aren't the new asbestos
Oct 10, 2017 08:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
This weeks ABC Four Corners episode investigated contamination at defence force sites and surrounding aquifers with chemicals called perfluoroalkyl acids or PFAAs. Around 18 sites are reported to be affected, with the...
Should over 50s avoid that afternoon coffee? Maybe.
Jan 13, 2017 04:10 am UTC| Health
Sleep is good. This is one thing both experts and the person in the street can agree on about that knitter up of the unravelled sleeve of care [1]. Getting decent sleep not only leaves you feeling refreshed, but lack of...
There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well
Emissions impossible? How the transport sector can help make the 2050 net-zero goal a reality
Did Biden really steal the election? Students learn how to debunk conspiracy theories in this course
Trump wouldn’t be the first presidential candidate to campaign from a prison cell