Dr John Furst

Biography

I have worked extensively in the US in the field of fundmental atomic physics. Between 2000 and 2006 I was involved in multidisciplinary teams that had expertise in both Food Technology and Marine Science. My work in that period involved a combination of very applied physics, such as the cooking of wheat and limpet adhesion mechanisms, together with more fundamental physics, such as the characterisation of conjugated polymers and the photo-dissociation of molecules.

I am currently working in several teams studying diverse topics such as fundamental molecular physics, food science and human nutrition.

Qualifications

• PhD, Flinders University
• Diploma in Education, Flinders University
• Bachelor of Science (Honours), Flinders University

Research

Research keywords

• Atomic and molecular physics
• Food Material characterisation

Research expertise

My research work is multidisciplinary. I have done research in various areas of Applied Science, such as Marine Science, Food Science and Nanotechnology as well as fundamental atomic and molecular physics.

Thus I have looked at physical processes in a variety of topics e.g.

• The physical properties of cooked wheat in breakfast cereals.
• Limpet adhesion mechanisms in the intertidal zone
• The characterisation of conjugated polymers using photoluminescence techniques.
• The photodissociation of simple molecules.

My most recent research into the photodissociation of molecules is part of a collaborative effort with researchers in the US who were developing a new set of experiments at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on California. I am the team co-leader and involved in the planning of the experiments and their implementation while at the ALS.

Collaboration

I am part of a successful collaboration with groups at the University of Nebraska and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the USA. We do work on fundamental molecular physics at the Advanced Light Source in Califormia.

Fields of Research

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Newcastle representative - NSW branch of Australian Institute of Physics

Administrative

Administrative expertise

I am currently Head of the Physics Discipline

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• physics

Teaching expertise

My teaching spans disciplines:

• I teach extensively in all areas of first year physics.
• I have also taught extensively in a first year course involving the ways in which computers are used in Science.
• I have taught in a Marine Science course, Underwater Research Methods and diving
• I teach a specialist course in atomic and molecular physics at third year level and Special Relativity and Atomic Physics at Second Year level.