Lachlan Yee

Biography

Dr Yee is a Senior Lecturer of chemistry in the School of Environment, Science and Engineering. He is a chartered chemist and office bearer of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, which is a valuable Australian resource for learning chemistry both in Australia and internationally. Dr Yee has made significant contributions to the interdisciplinary field of polymer science and bacteria in environmental arenas.

Research

The focus of Dr Yee’s research is to develop environmentally benign and sustainable solutions to the challenges of pollution, biofouling and the need for active surfaces to combat exposure of materials to natural elements. His recent research emphasises the utility of polymer science as a powerful platform to overcome a number of environmental challenges such as marine biofouling where he published the first ever report of a living polymer immobilised bacterial biofilm that produced antifouling compounds to effect a significant reduction in algal and larval settlement in the field. Dr Yee has also reported on the biodegradation of polyhydroxybutyrate, polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate and polyhydroxyoctanoate in soil via biofilm bacteria where the first ever reports of the importance of bacterial adhesion modes contributes to the rates of biodegradation of the polymers. Significantly, he has also published on the topical environmental issue of polychlorinated organic pollutants in soil and how the dechlorination of hexachlorobutadiene in soil can be facilitated by the novel combination of alginate polymers and a nutrient solution including electron shuttles to biostimulate dehalogenating biofilm bacteria. Recently, Dr Yee continues to research the nitric oxide communication chemistry of bacteria within a biofilm.

Supervision

Dr Yee supervises, as both principal and co-supervisor, PhD students, Masters, Honours and research students.