Barbara Ann Messerle

Professor Barbara Ann Messerle is a Visiting Professor at the School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales (UNSW). She previously served as the Head of School of Chemistry since 2007 and has held academic roles including Professor, Associate Professor, and Senior Lecturer at UNSW. Her research focuses on organometallic chemistry, catalysis, and NMR spectroscopy, with contributions to catalyst design, heterocycle synthesis, and multimetallic systems. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Sydney in 1987, followed by postdoctoral and fellowship positions at ETH Zürich and the University of Sydney.

Her research explores economic and energy-efficient chemical synthesis using organometallic catalysts, including hydrazine-mediated N-C bond formation and novel ruthenium/rhodium complexes. She has pioneered NMR techniques for structural analysis in organometallic reactions and developed multimetallic catalysts for multistep reactions. Her work enhances the viability of synthesizing biologically active molecules and pharmaceuticals.

Professor Messerle has supervised numerous students, including those who authored theses on topics such as hydrazine in transition metal-mediated reactions and catalysts for heterocycle synthesis. She has held ARC fellowships and contributed to national NMR facility development through her role as Chair of the ANZMAGnet steering committee. Her teaching and outreach efforts emphasize state-of-the-art facilities and safety management in hazardous materials.