Dr Robert Falconer
BSc PhD
Senior Lecturer
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 8253
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 7501
Email: r.j.falconer@sheffield.ac.uk
Chemical and Biological Engineering
The University of Sheffield
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Sheffield
S1 3JD
TeachingCourse Director for MSc Biological and Bioprocess Engineering |
Research Interests
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Courses taughtCPE1004 Science for Chemical Engineers |
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Biography
As a postgraduate I worked at the biotechnology companies Biotech Australia and GroPep working on expression and purification of recombinant proteins, process design and quality management. I went on to graduate with a PhD in process design from the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Adelaide in South Australia. I returned to the business sector working in production management at Diagnostic Systems Laboratories and Tuta Healthcare (medical diagnostics and medical device manufacturers, respectively). In 2003 I accepted a position as research coordinator at the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Cambridge where I undertook research on protein refolding and virus-like particle self-assembly. I then worked at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at the University of Queensland, undertaking research on protein stability and protein-small molecule interactions using micro-calorimetry and a range of spectroscopy techniques.
In 2011 I was appointed by the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield as a senior lecturer. Now my current research fits into three areas:
- Protein stability and formulation. This is aimed at supporting the biopharmaceutical industry in achieving stable therapeutic protein formulations.
- Terahertz spectroscopy of proteins, water and small molecules. While this project aims to understand the physical chemistry of the protein hydration layer it is an important factor in drug target interactions which is currently only partially understood.
- Astringency of wine. From a physical chemistry perspective this research is on the interaction of polyphenolics with proteins but from a wine industry perspective this is an opportunity to set wine quality standards based on reliable analytical techniques.
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I am also a founding member of the Pharmaceutical Engineering Interest Group. |
Key Papers
Bye, J.W., Cowieson, N.P., Cowieson, A.J., Selle P.H., Falconer, R.J. (2013) The dual effects of sodium phytate on the structural stability and solubility of proteins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61: 290-295.
Meliga S.C., Farrugia W., Ramsland P.A., Falconer R.J. (2013) Cold-induced precipitation of a monoclonal IgM; a negative activation enthalpy reaction. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 117: 490-494.
Falconer, R.J., Markelz, A.G. (2012) Terahertz spectroscopic analysis of peptides and proteins. Journal of Infrared, Millimetre and Terahertz Waves, 33: 973-988.
Ding, T., Huber, T., Middelberg, A.P.J., Falconer, R.J. (2011) Characterisation of low frequency modes in aqueous peptides using far-infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamic simulation. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 115: 11559–11565.
McRae, J.M., Falconer, R.J., Kennedy, J.A. (2010) Thermodynamics of grape and wine tannin interaction with polyproline: implications for red wine astringency. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58: 12510–12518.
Falconer, R.J., Marangon, M., van Sluyter, S.C., Neilson, K.A., Chan, C., Waters, E.J. (2010) Thermal stability of thaumatin-like protein, chitinase and invertase isolated from Sauvignon blanc and Semillon juice, and their role in haze formation in wine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58: 975-980.