Dr Alastair Wark

Senior Lecturer

Pure and Applied Chemistry

Personal statement

Alastair Wark started his career with a BSc in Applied Chemistry in 1996 at the University of Strathclyde. He completed his PhD research in 2000 under the joint supervision of Dr Len Berlouis and Dr Frank Cruikshank at Strathclyde and also working with Prof. Pierre-Francois Brevet at the EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. Following post-doctoral research at EPFL he was awarded a Lindemann Trust Fellowship in 2001and joined the laboratories of Prof. Rob Corn at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After moving across to the University of California-Irvine with Rob’s group and a Project Scientist position, Alastair returned to the Chemistry Department in late 2007 as a Lecturer in Nanometrology.

Publications

The effect of prosthesis-related loading on soft tissue health
Sargent Marisa, Wark Alastair, Buis Arjan
Strathclyde Doctoral School Multidisciplinary Symposium 2022 (2022)
Stimulated Raman scattering microscopy with spectral phasor analysis : applications in assessing drug-cell interactions
Tipping William J, Wilson Liam T, An Connie, Leventi Aristea A, Wark Alastair W, Wetherill Corinna, Tomkinson Nicholas C O, Faulds Karen, Graham Duncan
Chemical Science Vol 13, pp. 3468-3476 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SC06976D
A universal polymer shell-isolated nanoparticle (SHIN) design for single particle spectro-electrochemical SERS sensing using different core shapes
Boccorh Delali K, MacDonald Peter A, Boyle Colm W, Wain Andrew J, Berlouis Leonard E A, Wark Alastair W
Nanoscale Advances Vol 3, pp. 6415-6426 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1NA00473E
Investigating the response of skeletal muscle to prosthesis-related loading conditions : an ex vivo animal model
Graser Marisa, Wark Alastair, Day Sarah, Sandison Mairi, McConnell Gail, Buis Arjan
International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 18th World Congress (2021)
Development of an ex vivo model to study the response of skeletal muscle to transverse mechanical loading
Graser M, Wark A, Day S, Buis A
BioMedEng21 (2021)
De novo design of functional coassembling organic−inorganic hydrogels for hierarchical mineralization and neovascularization
Okesola Babatunde O, Mendoza-Martinez Ana Karen, Cidonio Gianluca, Derkus Burak, Boccorh Delali K, Osuna de la Peña David, Elsharkawy Sherif, Wu Yuanhao, Dawson Jonathon I, Wark Alastair W, Knani Dafna, Adams Dave J, Oreffo Richard O C, Mata Alvaro
ACS Nano Vol 15, pp. 11202-11217 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c09814

More publications

Research interests

My research focus is based around the synthesis, functionalization and analytical applications of novel nanomaterials alongside the development of techniques capable of optically imaging and tracking single nanoparticles and molecules.  The advantages of these materials for nanometrology and bioanalytical science is that optical measurements can be performed to monitor biomolecular interactions in real-time. As well as developing robust methodologies for ultrasensitive bioaffinity detection at target concentrations approaching just a few molecules, we are also exploring the use of multimodal imaging techniques for monitoring nanoparticle-cellular interactions. This involves developing hybrid nanostructures which can be used for tackling research challenges requiring dynamic measurements in complex biological environments. Consequently, my research is highly multidisciplinary and I have enjoyed successfully collaborating with researchers from across the biology, physics, engineering and medicine research fields.

Professional activities

West of Scotland Meeting for Teachers of Chemistry 23rd
Organiser
16/1/2023
22nd West of Scotland Meeting for Teachers of Chemistry
Organiser
13/5/2022
Practical CLPL at Strathclyde: past, present, and future
Speaker
13/1/2022
PhD External Examiner University of Glasgow
External Examiner
6/2021
PittCon 2021
Participant
2021
University of Portsmouth IBBS Departmental Seminar
Invited speaker
9/2020

More professional activities

Projects

Commonwealth split-site PhD fellowship
Wark, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Anjali, A (Post Grad Student)
01-Jan-2022 - 30-Jan-2023
Doctoral Training Partnership 2020-2021 University of Strathclyde | Taysum, Hannah
Wark, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Hoskins, Clare (Co-investigator) Taysum, Hannah (Research Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2025
Commonwealth split-site studentship
Wark, Alastair (Principal Investigator) Chauhan, Pooja (Post Grad Student) Rolinski, Olaf (Academic)
22-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2022
NPL contribution to PhD studentship Delali Boccorh
Wark, Alastair (Principal Investigator)
Nanoparticle reporters for highly localized ion and pH profiling on skin and porous surfaces
01-Jan-2017 - 30-Jan-2021
Nanoanalysis for Advanced Materials and Healthcare - EPSRC strategic equipment
Martin, Robert (Principal Investigator) Edwards, Paul (Co-investigator) Faulds, Karen (Co-investigator) Florence, Alastair (Co-investigator) Graham, Duncan (Co-investigator) Sefcik, Jan (Co-investigator) Ter Horst, Joop (Co-investigator) Trager-Cowan, Carol (Co-investigator) Uttamchandani, Deepak (Co-investigator) Wark, Alastair (Co-investigator)
This proposal seeks funding to deliver enhanced capability for characterising and assessing advanced nanomaterials using three complementary, leading edge techniques: Field-emission microprobe (EPMA), combined Raman/multiphoton confocal microscope (Raman/MP) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). This suite of equipment will be used to generate a step-change in nanoanalysis capability for a multi-disciplinary team of researchers who together form a key part of Strathclyde's new Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC). The equipment will support an extensive research portfolio with an emphasis on functional materials and healthcare applications. The requested equipment suite will enable Strathclyde and other UK academics to partner with other world-leading groups having complementary analytical facilities, thereby creating an international collaborative network of non-duplicated facilities for trans-national access. Moreover the equipment will generate new research opportunities in advanced materials science in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory, UK industry and academia.
08-Jan-2015 - 07-Jan-2019
Egyptian Cultural Bureau, Chanel Scheme
Azab, Marwa (Post Grad Student) Wark, Alastair (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2015 - 31-Jan-2017

More projects

Address

Pure and Applied Chemistry
Technology Innovation Centre

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