We are the Rizzuto Group at UNSW.
We develop Biomolecular Nanotechnology.
The Rizzuto labs take the building blocks of life - DNA, peptides, lipids, and small molecules - to engineer functional nanotechnologies. We design nanoscale architectures that perform tasks for soft robotics, synthetic biology and human health.
Our
work
DNA self-assembly
DNA is a programmable code that we can use to make complex, multidimensional structures. We are expanding the toolbox of DNA interactions using small molecules, nucleobase modifications and supramolecular chemistry.
Polymer nanostructures
New methods that allow us to control polymer self-assembly provide access to programmable functions. Our lab explores the development and synthesis of new supramolecular polymers by hybridising natural and artificial monomers.
Non-equilibrium chemistry
We are interested in developing new molecular systems - competitive enzymes, fuels and photoacids - that can push nanomaterials away from their equilibrium positions.
Our team
Growing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches, I was always interested in what makes things work, drawing me towards supramolecular chemistry.
Fresh off finishing my MedChem honours at UNSW in 2022, I jumped straight into a PhD in chemistry, being supervised by Dr Felix Rizzuto and Prof. Pall Thordarson.
My research aims to focus on how the development and changes in nucleic acid secondary structures impact supramolecular interactions.
Rapt by all things science and history, I completed a joint BSc(Hons)/BA at the University of Sydney, Australia in 2014.
Leaving the sunny shores of the southern hemisphere, I undertook a PhD in supramolecular chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Nitschke at the University of Cambridge, finishing in 2018.
I then moved to Montreal, where I held a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship in Prof. Hanadi Sleiman's group at McGill University. As of 2022, I moved to UNSW as an ARC DECRA Felllow, where my group is developing out-of-equilibrium nanotechnologies for polymer and materials synthesis.
Click here to download Felix’s CV
Previous students
Dallas Moreno
Senior Financial Analyst
Sofia Pazari
Junior Financial Analyst
Originally from the sunny island called Singapore, I moved to Australia to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Advanced Science, with a major in Chemistry, at UNSW.
I am currently doing my Honours year and my research focuses on creating light-activated, dissipative DNA origami systems. In my free time, I enjoy looking for the best coffee spots around Sydney.
A Sydney local, I am doing my Honours at UNSW as part of a Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry supervised by Dr Felix Rizzuto and Prof. Pall Thordarson.
My research focuses on peptide-DNA backbone conjugates. Outside of study I enjoy hiking, read history, and play field hockey.
Willi Berg
Masters (ERASMUS)
Monet Goode
Senior Financial Analyst
Felix Rizzuto
Group Leader
Contact
email@example.com
(555) 555-5555
123 Demo Street
New York, NY 12345
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