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Staff Profiles

Assoc. Prof. Gary Willett

 

Gary David Willett

B.Sc.(Hons) University Medal 1973 LaT; Ph.D. 1978 LaT, FRACI.
Honorary Visiting Fellow
E-mail: g.willett@unsw.edu.au

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

CSIRO Research Fellow with Professor Tomas Baer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, 1978-1979. Tutor and ARGS Research Fellow with Professor Noel Hush, FRS, University of Sydney, 1980-1982. University of New South Wales, Lecturer, 1983-1986, Senor Lecturer, 1987-1992, Associate Professor 1993. Special Studies programmes with Professor Gareth Brenton, Royal Society Mass Spectrometry Unit, 1987; Professor Terry McMahon, University of Waterloo, 1989; Professor Peter Derrick, University of Warrick; Dr. Terry Murray, University of Dayton, 1994. Treasurer of the Physical Chemisry Division of the RACI, 1983.

RESEARCH AT A GLANCE

  • High Field ESI Fourier transform ICR mass spectrometry of human lipids.
  • High Field Fourier Transform ICR mass spectrometry and the gas phase chemistry of laser ablated metals and their binary carbide, oxide and sulfide clusters.
  • Mass spectrometry of fullerenes and metallofullerenes from petroleum precursors.
  • Ab initio quantum chemical calculations of ion structures, their thermochemistries and their reaction dynamics.
  • ESI and APCI Fourier transform ICR mass spectrometry of natural products including porhyrins and biologically active anti-inflammatory oils.

AWARD, LECTURES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST

  • University medal, School of Physical Sciences La Trobe University, 1973.
  • Third place in the 1990 Mccoll Prize for the best research paper published in the Journal of Organic Mass Spectrometry.
  • SSP Laboratory Research Visitors:
    Professor Yohji Achiba, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1994, Professor Gareth Brenton, University of Wales-Swansea, British Council Grant, 1995, Professor John Westmore, University of Manitoba, 1998; Dr. Bill Henderson, University Wakaito, 1998, Professor Gao Zhen, Chinese Academy of Science, Australia China Council Grant, 1998.
  • Team Leader in successful ARC applications for the purchase of a high field Bruker BioApex Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer with a pulsed molecular beam laser cluster source, 1997 and 1998.

PUBLICATIONS

  • The Structure of Gas Phase Tin Oxide Ions Generated by Laser Ablation: A Combined Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry and Density Functional Theory Study; P. Jackson, K.J. Fisher, I.G. Dance, G.E. Gadd and G.D. Willett; Journal of Cluster Science; 2002, 13, 165-187.
  • Determination of Ruthenium-Phosphorus Bond Dissociation Energies by ES-FTICR Mass Spectrometry; J.B. Westmore, L. Rosenberg, T.S. Hooper, G.D. Willett and K.J. Fisher; Organometallics; 2002, 21, 5688-5691.
  • Nanoclusters of phenylphosphonium cations and cyanoferrate anions in the gas phase, and the principles of association of these ions in crystals; P.A.W. Dean, K. Fisher, D. Craig, M. Jennings, O. Ohene-Fianko, M. Scudder, G. Willett and I. Dance; Dalton Transactions; 2003, 1520-1528.
  • High-resolution electrospray-ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of macadamia nut oil; A.M. Fard, A.G. Turner and G.D. Willett; Australian Journal of Chemistry; 2003, 56, 499-508.
  • Analysis of self-assembled monolayer interfaces by Electrospray mass spectrometry: A gentle approach; W. Yang, R. Zhang, G.D. Willett, D.B. Hibbert and J.J. Gooding; Analytical Chemistry; 2003, 75, 6741-6744.
  • Exploring the use of the tripeptide Gly-Gly-His as a selective recognition element for the fabrication of electrochemical copper sensors; W. Yang, E. Chow, G.D. Willett, D.B. Hibbert and J.J. Gooding; Analyst (Cambridge, United Kingdom); 2003, 128, 712-718.
  • Exploring the use of the tripeptide Gly-Gly-his as a selective recognition element for the fabrication of electrochemical copper sensors; W. Yang, E. Chow, D. Willett Gary, D.B. Hibbert and J.J. Gooding; Analyst; 2003, 128, 712-8.
  • Stepwise Synthesis of Gly-Gly-His on Gold Surfaces Modified with Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers; W.R. Yang, D.B. Hibbert, R. Zhang, G.D. Willett and J.J. Gooding; Langmuir; 2005, 21, 260-265.
  • Stepwise synthesis of Gly-Gly-His on gold surfaces modified with mixed self-assembled monolayers; R. Yang Wenrong, D.B. Hibbert, R. Zhang, D. Willett Gary and J.J. Gooding; Langmuir: ACS journal of surfaces and colloids; 2005, 21, 260-5.
  • Gas-Phase Ion-Molecule Reactions of Metal-Carbide Cations MCn+ (M=Y and La; n=2, 4, and 6) with Benzene and Cyclohexane Investigated by FTICR Mass Spectrometry and DFT Calculations; R. Zhang, A. Dinca, K.J. Fisher, D.R. Smith and G.D. Willett; Journal of Physical Chemistry A; 2005, 109, 157-164.