Tall Poppy of the Year

Dr Robert Shellie, a senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) school of chemistry, researcher at the Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS) and LC•GC Europe EAB member and columnist, has been named 2010 Young Tasmanian Tall Poppy of the Year.

The national Tall Poppy Campaign was created in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science and recognizes the achievements of Australia’s outstanding young scientific researchers for excellence in research alongside their communication skills and record in community engagement.

“This award is especially thrilling because I see a strong importance in communicating science in a meaningful way outside of my scientific discipline,” Dr Shellie said. “I’m looking forward to continued opportunities for community engagement through the Tall Poppy Campaign.”

Dr Shellie specializes in multidimensional chromatography, developing sensitive techniques to solve complex separation problems. He is currently working with a team of UTAS researchers to develop a blood test that can show if a Tasmanian devil has contracted the Devil Facial Tumour Disease, an aggressive parasitic cancer.

This story originally appeared in The Column. Click here to view that issue.