AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Research Field: Organic Chemistry
Sickness and disease occur when normal processes in the body are only
partly functioning, not functioning at all, or sometimes when they are
functioning too well. The role of prescription drugs is to return these
processes to normal.
Tristan designs and constructs new molecules with the aim of treating
sickness, particular focussing on diseases of the brain. His research utilises
organic chemistry to invent new ways to make molecules with therapeutic
potential.
Tristan’s public outreach is immense interacting with school groups,
societies and initiatives to advance the public interest in science. This
includes public lectures and science days as well as hosting groups at the
Australian National University (ANU) to engage in chemistry lab
experiments. He also works as the Deputy-Director of the Australian
Chemistry Olympiad, training exceptional talent to compete on the
international stage. Tristan received his PhD from the ANU in 2013 and
after working at various institutes both nationally and internally is
currently a Lecturer at the ANU.