Lachlan Schwarz

Lachlan Schwarz is a Lecturer in Chemistry at Charles Sturt University (CSU), affiliated with the School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences. He holds a BSc and PhD from the University of Newcastle (UoN), where his doctoral research focused on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) and their application in analyzing 'Cork Taint' compounds in wines. Prior to academia, he gained industry experience as an Analytical Chemist at Bluetongue Brewery and Senior Analytical Chemist at Amdel Environmental Laboratories. His postdoctoral work at Monash University and CSU's National Wine and Grape Industry Centre explored MIPs for bioactive compound recovery and fungal metabolite impacts on grape/wine quality.

Research Interests:

• Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for selective separation and sensing
• Food and wine quality analysis, including ergosterol-based fungal contamination detection
• Phenolic compound extraction from rice bran for health benefits
• Development of virtual chemistry lab tools for education

Professional Roles: CSU's representative to the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), with additional memberships in the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST) and The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). Active in advancing analytical chemistry applications in food safety and environmental monitoring.

Recent Research Trends: His articles focus on MIP applications in food/wine analysis, fungal metabolite detection in grapes, and bioactive compound characterization. Highlights include ergosterol as a Botrytis biomarker and rice bran phenolics' anti-diabetic effects.

Lab Affiliations: Part of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre and the Chemistry Teaching Team at CSU, contributing to both research and pedagogical innovation.