Dr Fred Pfeffer
  Phone   +61 3 522 71439
Email   fred.pfeffer@deakin.edu.au
Position   Senior Lecturer
Campus   Geelong
Research grouping   Chemistry and Forensic Sciences

Dr Pfeffer studied hons and PhD at Deakin University. He then spent 13 months lecturing at Trinity
College Dublin then a further 14 months at TCD as a postdoctoral fellow working with Professor
Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson on the synthesis and evaluation of fluorescent anion sensors. He returned to
Deakin in 2004 to the faculty of Science and Technology as a lecturer and has pursued research interests
ranging from anion recognition to the the synthesis of new antibiotic and antidiabetic agents

Research interests

  1. Supramolecular anion recognition and sensing using conformationally preorganised frameworks (collaboration with Prof Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson from TCD Ireland)
  2. Synthesis of new antibiotics based on polymyxins and the defensins (collaboration with Prof Roger Nation and Dr Jian Li at Monash MIPS)
  3. New methodology for Indole and related antidiabetic agents targeting PPAR receptors (Collaboration with Dr Scott Stewart from UWA and Dr Nicky Kinstantopoulos and Prof Ken Walder from MRU Deakin)


Career

1994 BSc (Deakin, majoring in maths and chemistry)
1996 BSc hons (Deakin)
2001 PhD (Deakin)
2001–2004 Contract lectureship and postdoctoral fellow (Trinity College Dublin)
2004 Lectureship (Deakin)

Key publications

L. C. Henderson, J. Li, R. L. Nation, T. Velkov and F. M. Pfeffer (2010) Developing an anion host for lipid A binding and antibacterial activity Chemical Communications 18, 3197-3199

F. M. Pfeffer and A. J. Lowe (2008) Size matters—strong binding of the terephthalate dianion by thiourea functionalised fused [n]polynorbornane hosts Chemical Communications 16, 1971-1873

L. D. Van Vliet, T. Ellis, P. J. Foley, L. Liu, F. M. Pfeffer, R. A. Russell, R. N. Warrener, F. Hollfelder and M. J. Waring (2007) Molecular Recognition of DNA by Rigid [n]-Polynorbornane-Derived Bifunctional Intercalators: Synthesis and Evaluation of their Binding Properties Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 50 , 2326–2340

T. Gunnlaugsson, M. Glynn, G. M. Tocci (nee Hussey), P. E. Kruger and F. M. Pfeffer (2006) Anion recognition and sensing in organic and aqueous media using luminescent and colorimetric sensors Coordination Chemistry Reviews 250 (23-24), 3094-3117

F. M. Pfeffer, T. Gunnlaugsson, P. Jensen, P. E. Kruger (2005) Anion recognition using preorganized thiourea functionalized [3]polynorbornane receptors Organic Letters 7 (24) , 5357-5360

View entire list of audited publications

Professional activities

Member ACS, RACI
Refereree for ACS & RSC journals amongst others

Related links

Thorri's home page at TCD Ireland
www.tcd.ie/Chemistry/staff/peo ple/gunnlaugsson.php

Professor Roger Nation at Monash
www.pharm.monash.edu.au/depart ments/pharmpract/staff/rnation .html

the Metabolic Research Unit (MRU) at Deakin
http://www.deakin.edu.au/hmnbs /mru/

 

Postdoctoral fellows

NameProject title
Luke Henderson (2008-2010)New antibiotics inspired by nature Trent Ashton (2010- )New Antidiabetic Agents - LP100100087  

 

PhD students

Student nameThesis title
Adam Lowe (awarded)Anion recognition using conformationally preorganised [n]polynorbornane hosts Dan Priebbenow (awarded)A Novel Palladium-Catalysed Approach to Functionalised N-Heterocycles Megan Thornton (3rd Year)Functionalised flavonoids for use as designed multiple ligands Ben Long (2nd year)Polynorbornane based antibiotics mimicking vancomycin Simren Khosa (2nd year)A new class of membrane permeabilising antimicrobial peptide mimics Mark Johnstone (1st year)Supramolecular chemistry of functionalised polynorbornane frameworks Cassi Fleming (1st Year)New small heterocycle synthesis and the development of selective HDAC inhibitors  

 

Honours students

Student nameThesis title Ben Long (2009)Polynorbornane based antibiotics Simren Khosa (2009)Colistin mimcs: maximising London disersion forces Cassi Fleming (2009 mid)microwave synthesis and functionalisation of 1,3,4-thiadiazoles Linden Servinis (2009 mid)Syntheis of Functionalised Indole-2- and indole-3-carboxylic acids as potential antidiabetic agents Mark Johnstone (2010)Conformationally preorganised anion sensors using excmier formation and FRET based systems Shane Hickey (2011)Small conformationally organised poycationic antimicrobials Matt Wride (2011)Antimicrobial polymers using a ROMP approach  

 

Teaching areas

Organic Chemistry at all year levels.
Unit chair for SBC214 Organic Chemistry and SBC318 Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry


Deakin University acknowledges the traditional land owners of present campus sites.

22nd September 2011