Brasch Group News
December: Ben receives the School of Science award for the most outstanding BSc(Hons) graduate and an award for the most outstanding postgraduate student in Chemistry (sponsored by Hill Labs).
November: Ben Stackpole is awarded an A grade for his BSc(Hons) research project and a first-class honours degree! Congratulations, Ben!
October 2023: Duan gives an excellent presentation on his 3rd year research project and receives an A grade for his research project!
October 2023: Jess and Anau present at the School of Science Research Showcase and Jess wins the best oral presentation award!
September 2023: A warm welcome to Mathilda Saunders (PhD student) and Julia Robertson (postdoctoral fellow)! Both Mathilda and Julia are microbiologists who are part our Marsden research team, supervised by Brent Seale (primary supervisor) and Nicola.
August 2023: Congratulations to Anau for passing her PhD candidacy oral exam!
July 2023: Welcome to Fathima Nimra Abdul Haleem (Nimra) who joins us from Sri Lanka to do her PhD studies! Nimra has been awarded a Dodd-Walls Centre PhD scholarship. Congratulations, Nimra!
July 2023: Nicola and Jess present at the ICBIC conference in Australia and Jess wins the Dan Stranks PhD student award for her oral and research poster presentations. Great job, Jess!
February 2023: Jess and Nicola attend the Maurice-Wilkins symposium in Dunedin and Jess presents a poster.
December 2022: Nicola is invited to give a keynote lecture at the AsBIC 10 conference in Japan.
December 2022: Duan Ferreira begins a summer research project on the synthesis of N-hydroxysulphinamides (HNO donors), supported by the Dodd-Walls Centre.
November 2022: The Brasch group attends the NZ Institute of Chemistry conference in Auckland. Nicola presents an invited oral presentation and Jess, Anau and Ben present posters on their research. Jess wins an NZIC best poster presentation award!
November 2022: Anau is awarded a Dodd-Walls Centre travel award to attend the NZIC conference in Auckland.
November 2022: Nicola, Jess, Brent Seale, Yan Li and Scott Ferguson (University of Otago) are awarded a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden grant of $960,000!
October 2022: Ben and Jess are awarded a NZ Institute of Chemistry travel award to attend the NZIC conference in Auckland.
September 2022: Anau’s AUT doctoral scholarship award is recognised at the Graduate Research School’s doctoral scholarship award ceremony.
September 2022: Ben is awarded the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC) most outstanding BSc graduate in Chemistry award and Jess is awarded the School of Science award for the most outstanding BSc(Hons) graduate. Congratulations, Ben and Jess!
September 2022: Nicola organizes the 2022 School of Science Research Showcase. Click here for more photos of the event.
September 2022: Jessica Fredericksen wins the prestigious School of Science Postgraduate Student Award for Excellence in Teaching. Congratulations, Jess!
September 2022: Ben Stackpole and Anau Lautaha present posters at the School of Science Research Showcase. Anau also presents a lightning (3 minute) talk and wins an award!
July 2022: The Brasch group celebrates Ema being awarded a first class BSc(Hons) and the imminent arrival of her first child.
July 2022: Ema Maretic is awarded an “A” grade for her dissertation and a first class BSc(Hons) degree. Congratulations, Ema!
July 2022: Ben Stackpole starts his Honours project in our lab.
July 2022: Jess, Anau and Nicola attend the Dodd-Walls Centre symposium in Dunedin. Jess and Anau present posters on their research. Jess wins a poster award!
Click here for more photos of the event.
July 2022: Ben receives an A+ grade for his 3rd year research project. Congratulations, Ben!
June 2022: Welcome to Duan Ferreira, who has started a research project in the Brasch Group.
June 2022: Ben Stackpole gives an excellent presentation on his 3rd year research project!
April 2022: Congratulations to Anau, who has been awarded the prestigious AUT doctoral scholarship!
March 2022: The Brasch group is awarded a Faculty research grant to develop antimicrobial conjugates of vitamin B12. This research is being carried out in collaboration with Dr Brent Seale and Assoc. Prof. Yan Li at AUT, and Prof. Greg Cook and Dr Scott Ferguson at the University of Otago.
February 2022: Jess successfully defends her PGR9 PhD candidacy proposal. Congratulations, Jess!
December 2021: Vinay’s article on the generation of HNO from photoactive (2-nitrophenyl)ethyl-caged N-hydroxysulfonamides is published in The Journal of Organic Chemistry. DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c01800
September 2021: Vinay passes his PhD oral exam! Congratulations, Vinay!
Quote from one of the examiners: “Overall, this is a very high-quality body of work. The candidate demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the field, has acquired a detailed and high-quality body of experimental work, and obtains a number of important conclusions and suggestions for future work.”
Vinay’s PhD Exam with Auckland in Level 4 COVID Lockdown.
August 2021: Anau Lautaha joins us as a research assistant. Anau will be investigating the photodecomposition of molecules which release HNO. Welcome, Anau!
June 2021: We all attend the Dodd-Walls Symposium at the University of Auckland. Jess presents a poster and is awarded a prize for Best Poster Presentation. Congratulations, Jess!
June 2021: Ruth’s paper concerning mechanistic studies of the photodecomposition of a N-hydroxysulphonamide photocaged by the (6-hydroxynapthalen-2-yl)methyl chromophore is published. And another stunning cover page artwork by Rosie Moonie! DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c00457
June 2021: Ben Stackpole begins his 3rd year research project with us. Welcome, Ben!
May 2021: Vinay submits his PhD thesis!
April 2021: Jess Fredericksen is awarded an AUT VC Scholarship for PhD studies with Nicola and Dr Brent Seale. Congratulations, Jess!
March 2021: Jess Fredericksen is awarded a 1st class Honours degree, including an A+ for her Honours dissertation. Congratulations, Jess!
February 2021: Ema receives an “A” grade for her 3rd year research project. Well done, Ema!
February 2021: Jess, Nicola and Ema attend the Maurice Wilkins Centre symposium at the University of Auckland. Jess presents a poster on her Honours research on fluorescent vitamin B12 analogues.
January 2021: Nicola Brasch and former students Ruth Cink and Lynn Lisboa publish an article in Inorganic Chemistry entitled ‘Mechanistic Studies on the Reaction between Aquacobalamin and the HNO Donor Piloty’s Acid over a Wide pH Range in Aqueous Solution.’ PhD student Rosie Mooney created a stunning cover page artwork that was featured on the journal cover. (DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c02968)
November 2020: Ema Maretic is awarded the NZ Institute of Chemistry prize for the top graduating Chemistry major.
July 2020: Nicola is appointed Head of Postgraduate Studies, School of Science.
April 2020: Jess and Nicola are awarded a Maurice Wilkins Centre grant to explore the uptake of vitamin B12 analogues into bacteria, in collaboration with Dr Cassandra Fleming (AUT), Dr Brent Seale (AUT), and the team of Prof. Greg Cook in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Otago.
February 2020: Jess has decided to do her Honours research in our lab. Great choice, Jess!
February 2020: Ema Maretic begins a 3rd year research project in our group. Welcome, Ema!
January 2020: Dr Ruth Cink takes up a permanent Professional Teaching Fellow position in the School of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland.
December 2019: Dominique and Vinay present posters at the NZIC conference in Christchurch.
December 2019: Nicola attends the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery Symposium in Wellington.
November 2019: Jess is rewarded an A+ grade for her 3rd year research project. Well done, Jess!
October 2019: Fouad Ismael joins the group from Kurdistan, Syria, for his PhD studies. Welcome, Fouad! Fouad has been awarded a PhD stipend from the Dodd-Walls Centre.
October 2019: Vinay’s paper on 2-nitrobenzyl photocaged N-hydroxysulfonamides is published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A. DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.112033
September 2019: Dominique and Vinay are awarded Dodd-Walls travel grants to attend the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry conference in November.
September 2019: Jess is awarded a Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences Summer Studentship Award, to carry out a collaborative research project with Dr Brent Seale and Nicola this summer.
August 2019: Ruth Cink graduates with her PhD! Well done, Ruth!
August 2019: Anthony Giovengo passes his PhD oral defense! Well done, Anthony!
August 2019: Nicola presents an invited lecture at ICBIC-19 in Interlaken, Switzerland
July 2019: Nicola gives invited seminars at The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University, and her former university, Kent State University, in the US.
July 2019: Nicola presents our photoactive HNO donors research at the Gordon Research conference in Photochemistry in Boston, USA
May 2019: Ruth successfully defends her PhD thesis, and receives the highest grade possible! Congratulations, Ruth!
April 2019: Our collaborator Professor Paul Sampson visits us from Kent State University, USA, and gives a seminar.
April 2019: Nicola is awarded a Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust travel grant.
April 2019: Dr Brent Seale and Nicola are awarded a Faculty of Health & Environmental Sciences seed grant to develop novel vitamin B12 analogues.
March 2019: Nicola is appointed an Associate Investigator at the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery.
March 2019: Our research on photoactive molecules that release HNO is highlighted in the Dodd-Walls Centre 2018 annual report.
March 2019: Photochemist Dr Arthur Winter from Iowa State University, USA, visits us and gives a seminar.
February 2019: Professor John Goodwin from Coastal Carolina University, USA, joins us for his sabbatical! Welcome, John!
February 2019: Nicola gives a research seminar at the University of Otago.
January 2019: Ruth, Vinay, Dominique and Nicola attend the Dodd-Walls Centre Symposium in Dunedin. Ruth and Dominique receive awards for their poster presentations!
January 2019: Ruth and Joe’s paper entitled “Stoichiometric Nitroxyl Photorelease Using the (6-Hydroxy-2-naphthalenyl)methyl Phototrigger” is published in Organic Letters. DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.8b04099
December 2018: Vinay presents a poster at the Ions Koala conference in Sydney
December 2018: Ruth submits her PhD thesis! Ruth has accepted a postdoctoral position with Professor Cather Simpson, University of Auckland.
November 2018: Nicola gives a Dodd-Walls sponsored seminar at the University of Victoria, Wellington.
November 2018: Jess Fredericksen joins the group! Welcome, Jess!
November 2018: Nicola is appointed to the Diversity Committee of the Dodd-Walls Centre.
October 2018: Vinay is awarded a travel grant from the Dodd-Walls Centre!
September 2018: Dominique is awarded a Dodd-Walls PhD scholarship! Congratulations, Dominique!
July 2018: Marwa graduates with an MSc degree. Congratulations Marwa!
July 2018: Ruth makes it through to the Finals of the AUT Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition!
June 2018: Ruth, Vinay, Dominique and Nicola attend the Dodd-Walls symposium at the University of Auckland. Ruth gives an invited oral presentation and wins an award!
May 2018: Nicola is appointed an Associate Investigator at the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies
May 2018: Vinay, Sonya and Joe’s paper on the synthesis and release of HNO from the HNO donor trifluoromethanesulphonyl-hydroxamic acid is featured as a Frontispiece in Chemistry-A European Journal. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201800662
May 2018: Lynn Lisboa has been awarded a Marsden doctoral scholarship to carry out PhD studies in the lab of Associate Professor James Crowley at the University of Otago. Her project concerns stimuli-responsive supramolecular flowers. Congratulations, Lynn!
April 2018: Yue Shen accepts a job at BASF, Shanghai. Congratulations, Yue!
April 2018: Joe and Ruth’s paper on photoactive HNO donors incorporating the (3-hydroxy-2-naphthalenyl)methyl phototrigger is featured on the Cover page of the European Journal of Organic Chemistry.
March 2018: Dominique Rwizinkindi joins the group for his PhD studies. Welcome, Dominique!
February 2018: Ruth travels to the University of Hong Kong to collect time-resolved spectroscopic data in the lab of Professor David Lee Phillips for her HNO donor molecules, thanks to funding from the Dodd-Walls Centre and the Photon Factory.
Ruth (sitting in the centre) together with Professor David Phillips’ research group.
February 2018: Marwa completes the requirements for an MSc degree. Congratulations, Marwa!
February 2018: Lynn is awarded an “A grade” for her Honours thesis, and a 1st class Honours degree in Chemistry! Congratulations, Lynn!
February 2018: Ruth wins the Best Poster award at the School of Science Graduate Research Showcase!
December 2017: Ruth Cink is awarded a Dodd-Walls Centre travel award of $1,500 to allow her to travel to Hong Kong to carry out experiments in the lab of Professor David Lee Phillips. Congratulations, Ruth!
November 2017: Ruth attends a Future Leaders Program hosted by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Ruth also presents a poster at the Institute’s annual symposium held in Wellington.
November 2017: Nicola, Ruth, Lynn and Yue attend the 24th International Society of Pure and Applied Coordination Chemistry Symposium (SPACC 24) at the University of Auckland. Ruth and Lynn present posters and Nicola gives a Keynote lecture. Ruth receives a prize for her poster presentation!
November 2017: Ruth is involved in Science Wananga, a three-day science experience for Maori secondary school students, in Dunedin.
September 2017: Ruth presents a poster at the School of Chemical Science’s Research Showcase, University of Auckland, and receives an Honourable Mention for her poster presentation.
August 2017: Yue Shen joins our group. Yue comes to us from Shanghai Institute of Technology, and will complete the last year of her AUT-SIT BSc degree at AUT. Welcome, Yue!
August 2017: Joe graduates with his PhD! Joe has accepted a postdoc position with Professor Mark Meyerhoff, University of Michigan. Congratulations, Joe!
July 2017: Joe and Ruth attend the Gordon Research conference on Photochemistry, in Maine, USA. Both Joe and Ruth present posters, and Joe is also selected to give an oral presentation on his research!
July 2017: Joe successfully defends his PhD thesis! Congratulations, Joe!
April 2017: Vinay successfully defends his PhD PGR9 proposal!
April 2017: Joe is awarded the Jay and Carol Taylor Graduate Student Research Award for Excellence in Research from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Kent State University. Congratulations, Joe!
February 2017: Lynn begins her Honors project in the lab. Great to have you with us for another year, Lynn!
February 2017: Ruth is awarded a Dodd-Walls Centre Travel Award of $1,500 to attend the Gordon Research conference on Photochemistry in Lewiston, Maine, USA in July. Congratulations, Ruth!
January 2017: Ruth gives an invited talk on her research at the Dodd-Walls Symposium in Dunedin.
January 2017: Nicola is invited to serve on the Editorial Board of the journal Reaction Kinetics, Mechanisms and Catalysis.
January 2017: Dr Alex Brito visits us from the lab of Professor Lindsay Allen at UC Davis, USA, and gives a talk on a new approach to detect functional vitamin B12 deficiency.
Archived Brasch Group News
Brasch Group News 2016
Brasch Group News 2015
Brasch Group News 2014
Brasch Group News 2013
Brasch Group News 2012
Brasch Group News 2011
Brasch Group News 2010
Brasch Group News 2009
Brasch Group News 2008