Personal Details

Full name:                    Mary Jean GARSON

Date of birth:               6 November 1953

Citizenship:                  Dual Australian/British nationality

Contact details:            +61-7-3365-3605 (office); +61-402-715-893 (mobile)

Academic Record and Qualifications

• PhD, University of Cambridge UK, 1977, The biosynthesis of polyketides(with Prof J Staunton).
• MA (1978) and BA (Hons) University of Cambridge UK (1974, natural science tripos, part II chemistry).

Professional Experience

• Professor of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB), The University of Queensland, 2006- present.
• Deputy Head of School (SCMB), The University of Queensland, 2005-2009.
• Past positions at The University of Queensland: Associate Professor (1998-2005)/Senior Lecturer (1992-1997)/Lecturer (190-1991).
• Past positions at The University of Wollongong: Senior Lecturer (1990)/Lecturer in chemistry (1986-1989).
• Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow, James Cook University of North Queensland, 1983-1986.
• Medicinal chemist, Smith Kline and French Research Ltd., Welwyn UK, 1981-1983.

Awards and Fellowships

• Named as one of the “ 175 Faces of Chemistry” by the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 2014.
• Distinguished Woman in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering award of IUPAC, 2013.
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) elected 2013.
• Leighton Memorial Medal of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, 2011, awarded for distinguished service to the Institute in the broadest sense.
• Inducted into Everyday Women, Extraordinary Livestribute gallery, QLD government initiative, 2011; finalist, Smart State Smart Womenawards (QLD state government) 2009.
• National citation for contributions to Royal Australian Chemical Institute (2001)
• Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), elected 1993.
• Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellowship (James Cook University of North Queensland), 1983-1986.
• College Research Fellowship, Murray Edwards College (New Hall) Cambridge UK, 1978-1981.
• Overseas Research Fellowship, Royal Society of London (Rome), 1977-1978.
• UK postgraduate scholarship (Science Research Council; 1974-1977) & Bathurst scholarship (Newnham College, 1976-1977) held at the University of Cambridge.

Professional Service (professional societies/NGOs)

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)

• Elected to membership of the IUPAC Bureau for 2018-2021.
• Chair, IUPAC100 Management Committee reporting to the IUPAC Bureau (2016-).
• Member, Australian delegation to the Council meetings of the IUPAC General Assembly, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.
• President of Division III (organic and biomolecular), and member of IUPAC Bureau, 2014-2015.
• Titular Member (Division III), 2006-2017 (including as Secretary (2008-2011), Division Vice-President (2012-2013), Division President (2014-2015) and Past President (2016-2017); evaluation of project proposals; currently task group leader of project critical review of reporting and storage of NMR data for spin-half nuclei in small molecules; Associate member of Committee for Chemical Education (CCE).
• Creator and international convenor Women sharing a chemical moment in time, global networking activity held in 44 countries in January 2011 and involving ~5000 women chemists worldwide; video presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Chemistry (2011) at UNESCO Paris.
• Executive Secretaryorganizing the IUPAC General Assembly, Brisbane, 2001; member of Organising Committee, IUPAC World Chemistry Congress, Brisbane, 2001.
• Co-chair, Organising Committee, 27 ^thInternational Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products/7 ^thInternational Conference on Biodiversity, 2011.

Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI)

• Chair, International Relations Committee of RACI ; Member National Committee for Chemistry, 1996-2004;
• President, Queensland branch and member of Full Council of RACI, 1996-1997; committee member (1991-1999) and secretary (1994-1995) of Queensland-RACI; committee member (1991-1997), Chemical Education Group of Queensland-RACI; committee member, Wollongong section, NSW-RACI, 1987-1989; organiser, RACI titration competition, Wollongong section, NSW-RACI, 1987-1989.

Australian Science Innovations (= Australian Science Olympiads)

• Chair of Board, Australian Science Innovations/Rio Tinto Australian Science Olympiads, 2002-2005; member of Board, Rio Tinto Australian Science Olympiads, 2000-2002; accompanied competition teams to 4th Asian Physics Olympiad (2003) and 14 ^thInternational Biology Olympiad (Belarus, 2003); hosted official visits involving industry partnership dinners and public lectures.
• Chair, Organising Committee 15 ^thInternational Biology Olympiad (Brisbane, July 2004).

UNESCO regional network for the Chemistry of Natural Products in SE Asia

• National point of contact representative (NPCR) for Australia (1996-2003); member, Australian delegation to the World Conference on Science (UNESCO), Budapest, 1999.

Other Professional Contributions

• Co-chair, CHEMBIOTEC symposium (World Chemistry Congress, Italy, August 2007; with Professor F. Nicotra); member, organizing committees, 13 ^thConference on Metabolomics (2017); Australia-New Zealand Magnetic Resonance meeting (2017); 17 ^thInt. Biotechnology Symposium (2016); Australian Coral Reef Society meeting (1997); 15 ^thdivisional meeting in organic chemistry, RACI (1991).
• Membership of International Advisory Boards: 17 ^thIBS (2016), ICOS (2014, 2016); World Chemistry Congresses (2013, 2015);ISCNP/ICOB (2002-2016);MaNaPro (2004, 2007);ASOMPS (2003, 2006).
• Member, panel reviewing the teaching of chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington, NZ (2016).
• Advocacy and mentoring for Women in Science includes: presentation toMinisterial Advisory Committee for Queensland Women (1998); discussion leader, RACI Heads of Department of Chemistry meetings (1997, 1995) and at career advancement workshops (2009, 1996, 1995); invited speaker, Conference on Status of Women in Universities, (1995); opinion articles, radio interviews, talks (1994-present).
• Advocacy on biodiversity issues includes: Plenary speaker, Biobusiness conference (1998); delegate, UNESCO-funded workshop, Kuala Lumpur (1996); presenter, media forum on biodiversity, Sydney (1995), and at Round Table sessions in Asian Symposia on Medicinal Plants, Spices & Other Natural Products (1994, 1998, 2003); expert witness to Commonwealth-State working group on Access to Biodiversity(1994).

Research Contributions

• >175 research publications in international quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Plenary (12) and invited (35) lecture presentations at international meetings in chemistry or marine science; invitations to Gordon research conferences include short talks (2); main lectures (2); discussion leader (2); Bert Halpin lecture (UoW, 2012); Monash Chemical Society lecture (1998, 2009); invited speaker at regional or national meetings in marine science, biodiversity and biobusiness.
• Research funding (Australia Research Council etc.) totaling >$5m (AUD).
• Member, editorial boards ACS Omega(2016-), Nat. Prod.(2014-2019), Phytochemistry(2008 onwards), Comp. Biochem. Physiol.(1994-1995); reviewer for>20 journals and for various grant agencies.

 Teaching and Mentoring

• Research supervision of 30 PhD or MSc candidates, 19Honours students; mentoring of 6 postdoctoral fellows and of of 22 international visiting scholars; undergraduate lecturing in organic chemistry (UQ: 1990-present; UoW 1986-1990) and in field-based marine chemical ecology (UQ).
• Overseas course delivery: regional workshops on marine natural products (Thailand 2007, 1999, Malaysia 2001, Brazil (1999).