Super-resolution.org.au
The Bell Single Molecule and Fluorescence Lab
People
Toby Bell
Lab Head
Toby is currently Lecturer in Physical Chemistry at Monash University where he heads a group interested in applying fluorescence and laser based spectroscopy and microscopy to study a wide range of materials and biological samples. A particular interest has been studying single molecules, for example, individual molecules undergoing reactions such as single fluorescence sensing events and understanding how energy is transported around in multi-chromophoric dye molecules, in polymer chains and nanoparticle based systems. Recently, he has applied his expertise in single molecule fluorescence detection to establish super-resolution localisation microscopy to study cellular structures such as microtubules, actin filaments, mitochondria and receptor clusters.
Dr Bell obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2002 in the Ghiggino group where he studied energy and electron transfer in porphyrin based donor-acceptor compounds. He then spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Radiation Chemistry (Germany), and followed this with a second post-doc stay of 2 years at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), in the De Schryver – Van der Auweraer Hofkens group studying photophysical phenomena in single molecules. Dr Bell returned to the University of Melbourne in 2006 as a Centenary Research Fellow and was appointed to the Science Faculty at Monash University in 2009.
Ashley Rozario
PhD Student
Ash obtained his Diploma in Biotechnology from Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore in 2012 before completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology with First Class Honours in 2016. He is now a PhD student in the Bell group developing and utilising single molecule fluorescence localisation microscopy methods to visualise biological structures such as microtubules, chromosomes and nucleoli in 3D dual-coloured super-resolution, while also working with Dr Gregory Moseley to image fixed cells expressing viral proteins from the rabies and hendra viruses. Ash is currently exploring newer methods including expansion microscopy to improve imaging resolution, spectral de-mixing for multi-coloured microscopy, and novel biological protocols to allow live-cell super-resolution fluorescence imaging.
Riley Hargreaves
PhD Student (Co-sup with Alison Funston)
Riley completed his Bachelor’s in science, double majoring in Chemistry in 2015 before joining us for his Honours year in 2016 under the joint supervision of Dr Toby Bell and Dr Alison Funston, working on developing super-resolution imaging of silver nanoparticles. He then moved on to become a PhD student in the Bell group in mid 2017, working with biological samples to develop correlative techniques for imaging target structures within cells along with their surroundings through the combination of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Riley enjoys playing racquetball against Toby and hopes to have beaten him at least once by the time he completes his PhD.
Josh Marlow
PhD student (co-sup with Rico Tabor)
Josh completed his 'Bachelor of Advanced Science (with Honours)' in 2015, having completed his honours project under the joint supervision of Drs Rico Tabor and Brendan Wilkinson. After spending several months working in industry, Josh returned to begin his PhD in the second half of 2016, this time under the supervision of Drs Rico Tabor and Toby Bell. His research is focused around the application of fluorescence imaging techniques to lyotropic liquid crystal systems, and the effects of the structure of these systems on the diffusion of particles inside them. Click here to visit the Tabor lab website!
Michael “Keith” Beards
PhD candidate (co-sup with David Turner)
Michael completed the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) - Research in 2017, with a double major in chemistry and major in mathematical statistics. Michael’s journey in the Bell group started in 2016 with an undergraduate research project, and then an honours project in 2017, based on perylene and naphthalene diimides and controlling their aggregation properties. In mid-2018, Michael started his PhD with Dr Toby Bell and Dr David Turner, working again with these same molecules. This time, however, he’s focused on using their aggregation properties to make light controlled molecular machines.
Michael is also known by many names, in particular as “Keith”. However, he’s also been called “Pablo”, “Boris”, “Alex”, “Vladimir”, and longs for the day when people finally pick just one to call him.
Esther Miriklis
Honours Student (co-sup with Donna Whelan)
Our most recent Honours student, Esther graduated from her Monash Bachelors degree with majors in Chemistry & Genetics and a minor in Molecular Biology. Wanting to combine these interests, her Honours research focuses on visualizing DNA damage responses within cell nuclei using super resolution microscopy.
Connor O'Brien
Honours Student (co-sup with San Thang)
Connor OBrien is currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Advanced Science: Research at Monash University. Having completed an Applied Mathematics/Chemistry double major, he has now commenced his Honours year, working within both the Thang and Bell research groups. During his research project, Connor aims to develop multi functional polymeric micelles for nanoscale targeted drug delivery. His interests include travel, writing, mountaineering, and playing the guitar badly
Rosalind P. Cox (PhD alumna)
Postdoc
Rosalind received her Bachelor of Forensic Science with Honours from Deakin University in 2008. She came to Monash University in 2010 where she completed her PhD in 2016 under the supervision of Dr Toby Bell and Professor Steven J. Langford. Her project involved looking at novel naphthalene diimide based chemosensors and using state of the art spectroscopy methods to study the photophysical properties and mechanisms involved in the sensing activity. Currently, she is working in the Bell labs part time.
Heather Higginbotham (PhD alumna)
Postdoc
Heather completed her PHD at Monash University under the supervision of Dr Toby Bell and Prof. Steven Langford in 2015, researching the synthesis and spectroscopy of novel fluorophores for chemical applications. She continued her research in the group of Prof. A.P Monkman at Durham University, researching the characterisation and fabrication organic light-emitting diode materials and other optoelectronic materials.
