Chalker Research Lab

Dr Justin M. Chalker

 

Matthew Flinders Professor of Chemistry, Flinders University

 

Justin M. Chalker is currently an ARC Future Fellow and Matthews Flinders Professor of Chemistry at Flinders University. Justin earned a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in the History and Philosophy of Science at The University of Pittsburgh in 2006. At Pittsburgh, he contributed to the total synthesis of several natural products under the direction of Theodore Cohen. Supported by a Rhodes Scholarship and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Justin then completed his D.Phil. thesis at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Benjamin Davis where he developed several tools for the site-selective modification of proteins. In 2012, Justin started his independent career as an assistant professor at The University of Tulsa where he established a diverse research program in organic chemistry, biochemistry and material science. In 2015, Justin moved to Flinders University as a Lecturer in Synthetic Chemistry and recipient of an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award and rose in rank to full Professor in 2021. Justin has earned >$10M AUD in competitive funding for his scholarly activities and he has been recognised with several awards for his efforts in teaching and research. These include the SA Science Excellence Awards STEM Educator of the Year (2018) and Innovator of the Year (2021). Justin was also awarded the 2020 Prime Minister’s Prize for New Innovators, one of the top science prizes in Australia.