Our people

DR ELENA TARAN
Platform Manager

Elena joined The University of Melbourne as MCFP Manager in 2019. Her previous appointments included positions with School of Chemical Engineering and Australian National Fabrication Facility at The University of Queensland. Elena completed her PhD in the Surface Control Engineering Laboratory of Kyoto University. She is an expert in surface characterisation by scanning probe microscopy, vibrational spectroscopy and microanalysis.

ORCID
e: elena.taran@unimelb.edu.au

DR ANDERS  BARLOW
Academic Specialist - Electron and Ion Microscopy

Anders' background is in materials characterisation and surface chemical analysis. After his PhD he spent 4 years in the UK at a national XPS service laboratory, during which time he was introduced to the helium ion microscope. In 2016 he returned to Australia and joined La Trobe University continuing to apply his experience in surface analysis until in 2018 he joined the MCFP as the HIM specialist. Anders supports researchers in the application of helium ion microscopy to novel challenges in micro and nanoscale imaging of soft materials.

ORCID
e: anders.barlow@unimelb.edu.au
t: 03 903 59639 (x59639)

DAN SMITH
Platform Support Officer - Nanofabrication

Dan previously worked at Hewlett Packard and he has over 25 years of experience in micro/nanofabrication, MEMS and semiconductor manufacturing, process development, integration and characterisation. Dan is based at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) where he assists University of Melbourne researchers in accessing and using the facilities at MCN. He provides project support including experimental design, equipment training, process development and characterisation.

e: dan.smith@nanomelbourne.com
t: 03 9902 4377

PAUL BRANNON
Platform Support Officer - Advanced Fluorescence Imaging

Paul has previously worked at the University of Chicago and in the Biological Imaging Facility at Northwestern University. He has a background in molecular biology and optical microscopy, with a focus on confocal microscopy. Paul is responsible for the Advanced Fluorescence Imaging node of the MFCP. He has experience in imaging a wide range of samples, including live cells and nanoparticles.

e: paul.brannon@unimelb.edu.au
t: 03 903 57749 (x57749)

DR DARRYL JOHNSON
Academic Specialist - Cytometry

Darryl has previously worked within the University of Melbourne and the ACR Centre of Excellence for Advanced Molecular Imaging. He has a background in molecular biology, biochemistry and immunology. He is an expert in cell cytometry, confocal microscopy, multiparameter imaging and image analysis.

e: darrylj@unimelb.edu.au
t: 03 903 57749 (x57749)

DR TIAN  ZHENG
Academic Specialist - Nanomaterials Characterisation

Tian has a background in atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanomaterial characterisation. In 2017, she joined University of Melbourne as the platform support officer for the Nanomaterial Characterisation Node in MCFP. She has experience in AFM sample preparation, morphological imaging, mechanical characterisation and a range of functional imaging modes for both nanomaterials and biological samples.

e: tian.zheng@unimelb.edu.au
t: 03 903 58587 (x58587)

RAVEEN WIJESURIYA
Platform Support Officer - X-ray Characterisation

Raveen has previously worked in the chemical industry and specialises in the formulation and manufacture of industrial coatings with applications in building, general industrial and food packaging. He also has a background in analytical chemistry including x-ray characterisation and separation science.

e: raveen.wijesuriya@unimelb.edu.au

PROF RAY DAGASTINE
Platform Academic Champion

Ray Dagastine is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Academic leader of the Materials Characterisation and Fabrication Platform. Ray has held successful fellowships as an ARC Future Fellow (2009 – 2013) and Senior Technology Fellow at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) (2009-2015). He has established a successful research program in colloid and interfacial science working on both fundamental studies and applied projects in food, personal care products, and minerals processing often around formulation problems. Ray has extensive expertise in atomic force microscopy, optical scattering methods and particle and surface characterisation techniques. He also has research interests in structure in complex fluids, non-equilibrium surface forces, nanomechanical properties of soft materials and diffusion of anisotropic nanoparticles in confinement.

e: rrd@unimelb.edu.au
t: 03 834 44704 (x44704)

PROF GEORGE FRANKS

George Franks is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and has over two decades of research experience in the ceramics and minerals processing fields. His research interests include suspension rheology, advanced ceramics powder processing, mineral processing, particularly flocculation and flotation, colloid and surface chemistry, alumina surfaces, oxide crystal growth and materials modelling. He is a member of the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, Melbourne Materials Institute and the Defence Materials Technology Centre.

e: gvfranks@unimelb.edu.au
t: 03 834 49020 (x49020)