Robert Chapman

Dr. Robert Chapman is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Newcastle's School of Environmental and Life Sciences, with an adjunct appointment at UNSW's School of Chemistry. His research focuses on high-throughput polymerization techniques for designing therapeutic polymers, protein-like mimics, and biosensors through peptide-polymer conjugates.

• BEng (UNSW), PhD (University of Sydney)
• Postdoctoral work at Imperial College London with Prof. Molly Stevens
• Previous roles: Lecturer/DECRA Fellow (UNSW), Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow (UNSW)

His research bridges polymer chemistry and biomedical applications, with expertise in polymer therapeutics, drug delivery, nanoparticle biosensing, and enzyme stabilization. He has developed novel methods for photoreversible polymerization, pH-responsive nanocarriers, and micelle-based protein mimics.

Recent work highlights combinatorial polymer design for enzyme encapsulation (2024), light-controlled drug release (2024), and TRAIL protein mimics for cancer therapy (2023). His 2025 studies explore real-time nanoparticle tracking and protein-binding polymer screening.

Scientific recognition includes:

• ARC Discovery Projects ($397k, $360k)
• PanKind Foundation grant for pancreatic cancer
• CSIRO collaboration funding
• Multiple high-impact publications in JACS, Chemical Science, and Nanoscale

He supervises 10 ongoing research projects and has taught courses in Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Nanomaterials. His lab provides resources for polymer synthesis, biomaterials testing, and nanocarrier design.