Soncini Research Group

I was born in Melbourne in 1993 but grew up in the rural town of Drysdale, on the Bellarine Peninsula. My interest in science was fostered at Geelong High School, where I sat on the Student Representative Council for two years and became the school vice-captain in my final year. After graduating in 2011 with an ATAR of 98.55 and accolades including the Australian Defence Force Long Tan Leadership Award, I studied in Germany with an academic scholarship from the Society for Australian and German Student Exchange. Upon my return in 2012, I began my journey into academia at the University of Melbourne. Under the Bachelor of Science I took courses in chemistry, mathematics, physics and biology, while also studying German and French for some fun on the sidelines. I had a great interest in academia and took on an extra-curricular research project in my second year, with Dr Angus Gray-Weale (soft matter theory), followed by an integrated project in my third year, with Dr Alessandro Soncini (theoretical chemistry). In 2014, I graduated from the Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in every subject, and a weighted average mark of 90.42 over all science subjects. I enjoyed being able to combine my passions for physics, mathematics and chemistry under Alessandro's guidance, and so decided to continue on to the Master of Science in the Soncini Research Group. I completed the Master of Science in 2016, having received the James Cuming Memorial Scholarship (Major) for academic merit and the J.S. Anderson Prize for research potential in chemistry. I passed each subject with First Class Honours and a weighted average mark of 91.19. Since starting a PhD in January 2017 as a member of the Soncini Research Group, I've received the Rowden White Scholarship, the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, and a place on the Dean's Honours List for a fifth consecutive year. Alessandro and I are now eagerly awaiting the publication of our first research article together, on which I shall be presenting a poster at the Royal Australian Chemical Institute's Centenary Congress in July 2017. When I'm not researching spin-switching and toroidal moments in molecular wheels, I fill my spare time by writing music and playing tennis and netball. I now live in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, with my partner, Debbie.