Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Nico's key research interest lies in the fabrication and surface modification of porous semiconductor materials for applications in biosensors, biochips, biomaterials and drug delivery.
A core research activity in his laboratory is the study of porous silicon based nanostructures and their surface chemistry. A current focus is the development of new nanostructured materials for biosensors, biochips, biomaterials and drug delivery.
He has authored over 420 peer-reviewed journal articles with over 11,000 citations, h-index 51. Nico has received fellowships from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the CSIRO, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, is a recipient of the Tall Poppy Science Award, and was a finalist for the South Australian Scientist of the Year 2015 and the Australian Innovation Challenge. He served on the College of Experts of the Australian Research Council. And he is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
After completing his BSc at the University of Saarland (1993) and his MSc at the RWTH Aachen (1995) in Germany, Nico completed a PhD thesis (1999) in polymer surface chemistry at the DWI Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials. He received postdoctoral fellowships to work in the area of bio-organic chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.
In 2001 he became a Lecturer at Flinders University in Australia, an Associate Professor in 2006 and a full Professor in 2008. From 2008-2011, he was the Associate Head of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Flinders University. Since 2012, he is a Professor in Chemistry and Materials Science at the Mawson Institute of the University of South Australia.
From 2013-2015, he was Deputy Director of the Mawson Institute at the University of South Australia and Program Leader of the Cooperate Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing. From 2014-2017, he was Node Leader in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science & Technology.
He currently is the Scientific Director of the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, Professor at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University and Science Leader at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Network
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Nanostructured Silicon-Based Wearable and Implantable Biosensors
Australian Research Council (ARC)
23/04/23 → 22/04/28
Project: Research
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High-Precision Mass Spectrometry Imaging Facility
Voelcker, N., Tuck, K., McConville, M., Li, J., Loessner, D., Pigram, P. J., van Oppen, M. J. H., Winkler, D., Hartland, E., Velkov, T., Stewart, A., Schittenhelm, R., Williamson, N. A., Rudd, D. & Baybrook, C.
Australian Research Council (ARC)
17/03/23 → 16/03/24
Project: Research
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Harnessing the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells by priming via surface microtopographies
Frith, J., Cadarso Busto, V., Voelcker, N., Martino, M. & Simpson, K. J.
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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ARC Training Centre for Next-Generation Technologies in Biomedical Analysis
Swaminatha Iyer, K. L., Voelcker, N., Tilley, R., Gooding, J. J., Carneiro, G., Geddes, D. T., Wood, F. M., Bond, C., Elnathan, R., Kennedy, B., Bauer, D., Thirkettle-Watts, D., Smith, N. M., Nowak, K. J., Jiang, H., Stubbs, K., Taylor, N. L., Saxena, A., Van der Made, P., Quick, A., Ribeiro, J., Midgley, S., Jarolimek, W., Guskich, A., Miller, J., Mitoulas, L., Nelson, M., Unger, M., Simonovic, V., Hessling, R., Seth, P. & Thissen, H.
1/11/22 → 31/10/26
Project: Research
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Using JAK inhibitors with locally delivered immunosuppression to target islet graft rejection
Thomas, H. E., Kay, T. W. H., O'Connell, P. J., Voelcker, N. & Rogers, N.
1/07/22 → 30/06/24
Project: Research
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A Multifunctional Porous Silicon Nanocarrier for Glioblastoma Treatment
Luo, M., Li, Y., Peng, B., White, J., Mäkilä, E., Tong, W. Y., Jonathan Choi, C. H., Day, B. & Voelcker, N. H., 2 Jan 2023, In: Molecular Pharmaceutics. 20, 1, p. 545-560 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Chitosan-based nanoscale systems for doxorubicin delivery: Exploring biomedical application in cancer therapy
Ashrafizadeh, M., Hushmandi, K., Mirzaei, S., Bokaie, S., Bigham, A., Makvandi, P., Rabiee, N., Thakur, V. K., Kumar, A. P., Sharifi, E., Varma, R. S., Aref, A. R., Wojnilowicz, M., Zarrabi, A., Karimi-Maleh, H., Voelcker, N. H., Mostafavi, E. & Orive, G., Jan 2023, In: Bioengineering & Translational Medicine. 8, 1, 29 p., e10325.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
Engineered anti-EGFRvIII targeted exosomes induce apoptosis in glioblastoma multiforme
Rahmani, R., Kiani, J., Tong, W. Y., Soleimani, M., Voelcker, N. H. & Arefian, E., 2023, In: Journal of Drug Targeting. 31, 3, p. 310-319 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Porous Silicon Microneedles for Enhanced Transdermal Drug Delivery
Tabassum, N., Alba, M., Yan, L. & Voelcker, N. H., Jan 2023, In: Advanced Therapeutics. 6, 1, 10 p., 2200156.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
SARS-CoV-2 Virus Detection Via a Polymeric Nanochannel-Based Electrochemical Biosensor
Shiohara, A., Wojnilowicz, M., Lyu, Q., Pei, Y., Easton, C. D., Chen, Y., White, J. F., McAuley, A., Prieto-Simon, B., Thissen, H. & Voelcker, N. H., 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Small. 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
- 1 Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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FASTtrack: Selling yourself as and early-mid career researcher
Emma van der Westhuizen (Organiser), Enyuan Cao (Organiser), Neil Owens (Organiser), Karen Gregory (Invited speaker), Simona Carbone (Invited speaker) & Nicolas Voelcker (Invited speaker)
2021 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
Press/Media
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Biomarkers for concussion
Biswadev Mitra, Stuart McDonald, Catherine Willmott, Edmond Sorich & Nicolas Voelcker
9/09/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Scientists use tumour tissue from cancer patients to enhance testing of nanomedicines
Anna Cifuentes Rius, Terence Tieu & Nicolas Voelcker
22/01/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Exploring innovative technologies to enhance breast cancer treatment
Anna Cifuentes Rius & Nicolas Voelcker
23/07/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Dual-action cancer nanomedicine therapy
Anna Cifuentes Rius & Nicolas Hans Voelcker
6/06/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research