Professor Gregory Metha
Professor of Chemistry
School of Physical Sciences
Faculty of Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Greg Metha studied undergraduate Chemistry at Monash University and continued as a PhD student exploring the laser spectroscopy of aldehydes. He spent subsequent years as a post-doctoral fellow at the Universities of British Columbia and Sydney before moving to Adelaide in 1997 as an ARC Fellow. then Academic in 2003. He is now Professor and immediate past Head of the Chemistry Department. He enjoys teaching into a wide range of courses and runs an active and happy research group.
My research interests can be summarised as follows:
- Development of sensitive surface methods for the physical and chemical characterisation of chemically-synthesised, atomically-precise clusters on oxide surfaces.
- Exploration of catalytic activity of metal clusters on oxide surfaces using atomically-accurate modelling of metal clusters and their interaction with surfaces.
- Far Infra-red spectroscopy of metal clusters using synchrotron radiation (at the Australian Synchrotron) to identify key vibrational features that characterises cluster structure.
- Experimental and computational study of the structure and reactivity of metal clusters in the gas phase to benchmark computational approaches to prototypical metal cluster/surface systems.
- Reaction investigations of metal-carbide clusters as potential replacement catalysts.
- Development of laser ablation products for flame combustion diagnostics (with Chemical Engineering).
Teaching Prizes
- 2015 D.R. Stanks Award for Excellence in Chemical Education; SA Branch RACI.
- 2015 University of Adelaide Commendation for Excellence in Support of Student Experience (team award).
- 2014 Chemical Education Division Medal; Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
- 2014 Exectutive Dean of Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching (team award).
- 2006 Stephen Cole the Elder Prize for Excellence in Teaching (first 5 years of Teaching).
- 2006 Executive Dean of Sciences Prize for Excellence in Teaching (first 5 years of Teaching).
- 2005 Executive Dean of Sciences Certificate of Merit in Teaching (first 5 years of Teaching).
Teaching Grants
- Australian Learning & Teaching Council grant to develop POGIL in Foundations of Chemistry lectures 2011–2012 ($2,000).
- University L & T grant to develop Level I courses in summer semester, 2011–2012 ($8,000).
- Faculty grant to continue Demonstrator and Tutor training program, 2008 ($1,000).
- Faculty L & T grant to develop a Demonstrator and Tutor training program, 2006–2007 ($40,000).
- University L & T grant to develop a Demonstrator and Tutor training program, 2006–2007 ($50,000).
- University of Adelaide L & T grant to restructure tutorial program for Foundations of Chemistry, 2003–2004 ($25,000).
Teaching Developments
- Convener, working group to re-develop the curricula for all Level III Chemistry courses, 2012–present.
- Convener, working group to re-develop Foundations of Chemistry courses IA, IB & IS, 2011–2012.
- Developed Lecture material for a new Computational Chemistry in Honours, 2010.
- Developed Lecture material for the new Materials Chemistry III course, 2007.
- Developed Lecture and Tutorial material for the new Analytical Chemistry II course, 2005.
- Developed Lecture and Tutorial material for the revised Chemistry I course, 2005.
- Completed "Teaching at University" course, 2004.
- Team Member in the expanded Australian Chemistry Enhanced Laboratory Learning (ACELL) project, 2004–2009.
- Technically upgraded laboratory experiments for Level I Chemistry, 2008.
- Developed new experiments for EcoChemistry and Nanoscience named-degree students, 2006.
- Developed specialist tutorials for Chemistry named-degree (Nanoscience and Molecular & Drug Design) students, 2006.
- Team Member in the CUTSD-funded project Australian Physical Chemistry Enhanced Laboratory Learning (APCELL) project, 2001–2003.
- Developed and published the "Flame Emission" practical for the APCELL experiment database, 2002.
- Key motivator to enforce independent entry requirements for Level I Chemistry course (Foundations of Chemistry & Chemistry I), 2003.
- Introduced multiple-choice questions into Foundations of Chemistry course, 2002.
Teaching-Related Coordination
- "Chemistry" Coordinator for B.Sc(Adv) students in Principles and Practice of Research (PPR) II & III courses, 2013–2016.
- Coordinator of Level III Chemistry, 2007–2010.
- Director of Chemistry Undergraduate Laboratories, July 2003–2006.
- Convener, Chemistry Student-Staff Liaison Committee, 2003 & 2008.
Teaching Areas
- Chemistry I; Chemical Energy & Equilibrium (9 lecture series + tutorials), 2002–present.
- Foundations of Chemistry I; Chemical Energy (9 lecture series + tutorials), 2003–2005, 2012–present
- Chemistry III; Molecular Photoscience, (6 lecture series + tutorials), 2002–present.
- Materials Chemistry III; Sub-Nano Assemblies, (8 lecture series + tutorials), 2007–present
- Honours; Computational Chemistry, (8 lecture series + workshops), 2010–present
- Environmental & Analytical Chemistry II; Instrumentation (5 lecture series + tutorials), 2005–2008.
- Environmental & Analytical Chemistry II; X-ray & Optical Methods (5 lecture series + tutorials), 2009–2011.
- Chemistry II; Thermodynamics, (8 lecture series + tutorials), 2006–2010.
- Environmental & Analytical Chemistry II; Heavy Metals, (5 lecture series + tutorials), 2007–2009.
- Environmental & Analytical Chemistry II; Nuclear Chemistry (5 lecture series + tutorials), 2007–2009.
- Chemistry I ANR; Chemical Equilibrium (9 lecture series + tutorials), 2002.
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