Professor Sarah Harmer

Professor

College of Science and Engineering

+61 8 82015338

sarah.harmer@flinders.edu.au

Physical Sciences (2104)

GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Sarah is an applied physicist with a focus on the surface spectroscopic analysis of transition metal chalcogenides. She has established the first Photoemission Electron Microscope (NanoESCA III) in Australia. She is the founding Director of Flinders Microscopy and Microanalysis, and the Deputy Director of the Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

Her research utilises:

Photoemission Electron Microscopy (PEEM);
Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES)
Momentum Microscopy
Synchrotron X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (SXPS);
X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES);
Scanning Photoelectron Microscopy (SPEM);
Scanning Transmision X-ray Microscopy (STXM);
Conventional XPS;
Time of Flight Secondary IonMass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).

Sarah received a PhD from the Ian Wark Research Institute, UniSA in 2003. She then accepted a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Western Ontario where her research focused on the surface electronic structure of 3d transition metal sulfide and arsenide fracture surfaces using Synchrotron X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (SXPS) and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES). Upon returning to Australia in 2005, Sarah worked in the Manufacturing & Infrastructure Technology division of CSIRO. In 2006 she returned to the Wark as a Research Fellow within the Australian Mineral Science Research Institute (AMSRI). In 2012 she took up an ARC Future Fellowship at Flinders University to study the interaction between bacteria and mineral surfaces using advanced synchrotron nanospectroscopic techniques.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Applied Science: UniSA (1999)
Doctor of Philosophy: The Ian Wark Research Institute, UniSA (2003)

Honours, awards and grants

Awards & Fellowships

Winnovation SA Award Science 2022
ARC Future Fellowship 2011
Lumsden Award 2008
Australian Academy of Science Scientific Visits to North America 2007/08
International Center for Materials Research (ICMR) and Uni of California Santa Barbara Summer School for First Principles Calculations for Condensed Matter and Nanoscience 2005
Alumni Certificate of Achievement for Outstanding Academic Achievement in App Physics Honours, 1999

Selected Major Grants

CRC TiME (2021): Harmer et al. Mine Closure $4.7M cash, $5.5M in kind = $10.2M
ARC LIEF (2021) Harmer et al. A spectromicroscopy Facility: Band Mapping to Atomic Resolution Imaging. Funds: $920k.
NCRIS, SA Government and Flinders University (2019): Harmer. Photoemission Electron Microscope $3.78M
ARC LIEF LE190100123 (2019): Raston; Monteiro; Thordarson; Stubbs; Chalker; Forbes; Harmer et al. Thin film microfluidic facility. ARC: $380k.
ARC Linkage Project LP160101497 (2017): Pring, Harmer, Brugger, Gibson, Grguric, Ehring. Reverse Engineering Nature: metal extraction through mineral replacement. Funds Awarded: $875k ARC and BHP Billiton.
ARC LIEF, LE130100038 (2012) Quinton et al. Scanning Auger Microscope Facility Funds Awarded from ARC: $450k.
ARC Synchrotron Research Initiative, SR120200004 (2012): Smith et al.Awarded ARC & NHMRC: $30M. Total funds: $120M
ARC Future Fellowship, FT110100099 (2011): Harmer. The Microbe Factory: A Novel Approach to Benign Minerals Processing. Funds Awarded ARC: $648k.
ARC LIEF, LE110100174 (2010): Lay et al. Innovative Synchrotron Science - Access Program to the Australian National Beamline Facility and Cutting-Edge Beamlines at International Synchrotrons. Funds Awarded from ARC: $800k.
Marsden Fund 10-GNS-023 (2010): Daughney, Johannessen, Weisener HarmerBassell. Shedding Light on a Fundamental Geochemical Process Funds Awarded: $720k NZD.
ARC Linkage LP0989689 (2009): Harmer & Ametov. Matching Flotation Concentrate Composition to Downstream Processing in Copper Production at OD, BHP. Funds: $1.3M.

Teaching Grants

Faculty Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant (2012) Parappilly & Harmer, $10k

Key responsibilities

Director Flinders Microscopy and Microanalysis

Deputy Director Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology

Topic coordinator

PHYS3702 Solid State Physics and Optoelectronics

PHYS3701 Nuclear and Statistical Physics

Topic lecturer

PHYS1102 Fundamental Physics II

CPES7711 Advanced Techniques in Chemical and Physical Sciences

Supervisory interests

Biomining

Condensed matter physics

Geochemistry

Inorganic electronic structure and spectroscopy

Surface science

Higher degree by research supervision

Current

Principal supervisor: Biomining and Biogeochemistry (3), Surface Science (1), Condensed matter physics and Inorganic electronic structure and spectroscopy (1)

Associate supervisor: Surface Science (2)

Completion

Principal supervisor: Bioleaching (1), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (UniSA) (1), Bioflotation

Associate supervisor: Synchrotron nanospectroscopic imaging of sulfides (UniSA) (1)

Higher degree by research student achievements

Sian La Vars

3 Minute Thesis University Finalist - AUG 2013

Sian La Vars

Poster Prize ICONN conference 2014 - FEB 2014

Belinda Bleeze

Best Poster CaPS Honours - NOV 2014

Connor Retallick