PUBLIC LECTURE: The Computer as a Window on the Nanoworld

Professor Alan Robson Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia

Invites you and your guest to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Professor Ian Constable’s appointment as founding Professor of Ophthalmology at the

2005 Ian Constable Lecture

to be presented by

Professor Julian D. Gale, Premier’s Research Fellow, Professor of Computational Chemistry at Nanochemistry Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology

The Computer as a Window on the Nanoworld

at Winthrop Hall The University of Western Australia

Thursday, 21 April 2005, commencing at 8.00pm

Nanotechnology could be described as the science of small things with the potential for a large impact. The possibility of designing new materials and devices based on objects only one order of magnitude larger than the component atoms themselves has sparked the imagination of many scientists, technologists and even fiction writers. For once, it can be demonstrated conclusively that size does matter! Probing such unimaginably small dimensions has required fantastic innovations in experimental techniques. However, the quest for understanding through interpretation still remains challenging. Rapid advances in the power of supercomputers provide one part of the solution as it becomes possible to observe, through accurate computer models, the behaviour of atoms as they explore the nanoscale world. In return, nanotechnology may represent the future of computing as the challenge of exponentiating miniaturisation increases. Whatever happens, the power of computer simulation to provide insights where it is impossible to see directly will only grow.

Biographical note:

Professor Julian D. Gale holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Chemical Crystallography from the University of Oxford. Prior to being awarded the inaugural Western Australian Premier’s Research Fellowship Professor Gale led a research team at Imperial College in London. In 2003 he immigrated to Australia to assume his Fellowship at Curtin University of Technology. Julian Gale is recognised internationally for his work in the areas of materials science and catalysis. His current area of research is in computational nanochemistry – investigating the fundamental interactions between atoms and electrons which produce materials with different technologically important properties.

Professor Gale uses high-performance computing and software applications to explore how best to design molecules and solids that are optimized for specific applications. This strategy is being trialled in the areas of nanotechnology, minerals, energy storage and pharmaceuticals to identify innovative ways of carrying out chemical reactions. His research which has resulted in the development of simulation software for molecules, polymers, and other materials is recognised as the international standard and used by more than one thousand research groups. In 2001 Julian Gale was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Bessel Prize for scientific excellence and has 120 publications, one book, seven book chapters, 10 referred proceedings and three internationally distributed software packages.

Enquiries to Associate Professor Terri-ann White on (08) 6488 1340.

RSVP to (08) 6488 2020 (automated line)