Associate ProfessorAhmad Jabbarzadeh Khoei

Everything around us is made of atoms and molecules, whose characteristics ultimately give rise to the properties and behaviours of the materials they comprise. Associate Professor Ahmad Jabbarzadeh studies materials at this scale, leading to improvements in technologies as varied as mechanical lubricants, polymeric materials, suspension liquids, joint replacements and drug-delivery implants.

"While the behaviours of some materials are predictable by more conventional methods, others are more complex. My research involves studying such complex materials at micro and nano scales, in order to better understand their properties and behaviours in various applications.

"An example of such an application is in biomedical systems, where our understanding of a material to be implanted into the human body - such as for a joint replacement or a drug-delivery device - is crucial.

"If I were to choose a single scientific milestone in the past 100 years that has led to astonishing technological acceleration, I would say our understanding of the atomic nature of matter. This has led us to the invention of new materials, processes and applications, and will continue to do so in coming years.

"I joined the University of Sydney as a postgraduate student in the mid-1990s, and have held academic and research positions here for the past 14 years. During this time I have been fortunate to liaise with world-class researchers who have inspired me to excel and look beyond the normal routines of research, and to attain a vision that may one day change the way we tackle complex problems.

"I have also learnt to focus on the quality of our research achievements and to build foundations that will take us one step higher in what we see on the horizon - a step that will be part of a lasting foundation for the next generation of researchers for years to come in our unending quest for knowledge."