Dr Thomas Nicholls

Research Associate

College of Science and Engineering

place Bedford Park (346)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Dr Tom Nicholls completed his PhD at the University of Tasmania in 2019 supervised by Prof. Alex Bissember. Tom’s research focused on the development of copper-based photocatalysts and their application in synthetic methodology. He then moved to the University of Leeds, UK to work with A/Prof. Charlotte Willans as a post-doctoral research fellow investigating the electrochemical synthesis of organometallic complexes and the development of catalytic methodologies using high throughput experimentation. Tom returned to Australia in 2022 to take up a position with Prof. Justin Chalker at Flinders University with a focus on developing electrochemical and photochemical methods to produce high sulfur content polymers and their applications in recovering gold from electronic waste. In 2024, Tom was awarded a DECRA fellowship to begin his independent career. His research focuses on developing new catalysts that harness electricity and visible light to enable new synthetic methodology.

Qualifications

PhD is Synthetic Chemistry, University of Tasmania, 2019

Supervised by Prof. Alex Bissember & A/Prof. Michael Gardiner

Honours, awards and grants
  • Discovery Early Career Researcher award (DECRA) Fellowship, 2025

  • Flinders University Research Investment Funding, 2023

    Awarded for the purchase of a Modern Chemical Synthesis Suite including electrochemical, photochemical and continuous flow reactors

  • Research Training Program Scholarship, Australian Government