Professor Leonie Barner
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Biography
Professor Leonie Barner is the inaugural director of the Centre for a Waste-Free World at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and a Principal Research Fellow at the School of Chemistry and Physics. She leads the Centre for a Waste-Free World and works closely with fellow academics to develop and implement new waste technologies and processes, while using social science knowledge to catalyse change towards a sustainable future and reduce barriers to participation and adoption of sustainability. She is a strong advocate for environmental, social, and economic sustainability focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Change), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). Professor Barner is a member of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) and co-lead of the Circular Chemistry group at QUT.Professor Barner has a PhD (dr. rer. nat.) in Physical Chemistry from the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany (1998), specialising in reaction kinetics. She combines her knowledge of polymer chemistry and materials science with her ability to work across disciplines and sectors. Professor Barner's research focus includes circular chemistry and economy as well as life cycle assessments.
- Since 04/2020 Inaugural Director Centre for a Waste-Free World at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- 09/2017 – 12/2019 Platform Leader, Enabling Platform ‘Manufacturing with Advanced Materials’, Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- 05/2017 – 01/2021 Principal Research Fellow, Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF), Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- Since 05/2017 Associate and Full Professor, School of Chemistry and Physics, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- 06/2013 – 04/2017 Adjunct Professor, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- 11/2015-12/2019 Founding Board Member of the Centre of Excellence (Sonderforschungsbereich) (SFB 1176) ‘Molecular Structure of Soft Matter’ at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany and Equal Opportunity Officer (developed the 'Development Program for High Potentials in Chemistry')
- 10/2011 – 03/2017 Head of the Soft Matter Synthesis Laboratory at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Biological Interfaces, and Deputy Department Head at the Institute of Functional Interfaces, KIT, Germany
- 10/2008 – 09/2011 Senior Research Scientist at the ‘Fraunhofer Institut für Chemische Technologie’ (ICT) in Pfinztal, Germany
- 02/2001 – 06/2008 Research Associate, Senior Research Associate, Research Fellow and Research Manager Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- 10/1998 – 01/2001 Research Chemist, Research and Development, Separation Technology, Sartorius AG, Göttingen, Germany
Personal details
Positions
- Principal Research Fellow
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Keywords
Polymer Chemistry, Circular Economy and Circular Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals, Life Cycle Assessment, Surface Chemistry, Co-design, Behavioral change
Research field
Macromolecular and materials chemistry, Other chemical sciences, Physical chemistry
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Dr. rer. Nat (PhD) (University of Gottingen (Universitat zu Gottin)
Publications
- Toth-Peter, A., Torres de Oliveira, R., Mathews, S., Barner, L. & Figueira, S. (2023). Industry 4.0 as an enabler in transitioning to circular business models: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 393. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/238055
- Johnson, H., Nay, Z., Maguire, R., Barner, L., Payne, A. & Taboada, M. (2022). Conceptualizing the Transnational Regulation of Plastics: Moving Towards a Preventative and Just Agenda for Plastics. Transnational Environmental Law, 11(2), 325–355. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/213177
- Venkatachalam, V., Pohler, M., Spierling, S., Nickel, L., Barner, L. & Endres, H. (2022). Design for Recycling Strategies Based on the Life Cycle Assessment and End of Life Options of Plastics in a Circular Economy. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 223(13). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/231115
- Mutlu, H. & Barner, L. (2022). Getting the Terms Right: Green, Sustainable, or Circular Chemistry? Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 223(13). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/233729
- De Keer, L., Cavalli, F., Estupinan, D., Kruger, A., Rocha, S., Van Steenberge, P., Reyniers, M., De Laporte, L., Hofkens, J., Barner, L. & D'Hooge, D. (2021). Synergy of Advanced Experimental and Modeling Tools to Underpin the Synthesis of Static Step-Growth-Based Networks Involving Polymeric Precursor Building Blocks. Macromolecules, 54(20), 9280–9298. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/229126
- Wurm, F., Spierling, S., Endres, H. & Barner, L. (2020). Plastics and the Environment-Current Status and Challenges in Germany and Australia. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 41(18). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207459
- Cavalli, F., De Keer, L., Huber, B., Van Steenberge, P., D'hooge, D. & Barner, L. (2019). A kinetic study on the para -fluoro-thiol reaction in view of its use in materials design. Polymer Chemistry, 10(22), 2781–2791.
- Delaittre, G. & Barner, L. (2018). The para-fluoro-thiol reaction as an efficient tool in polymer chemistry. Polymer Chemistry, 9(20), 2679–2684. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223989
- Cavalli, F., Mutlu, H., Steinmueller, S. & Barner, L. (2017). The para-fluoro-thiol reaction as a powerful tool for precision network synthesis. Polymer Chemistry, 8(25), 3778–3782. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/109227
- Barner, L., (2009). Synthesis of microspheres as versatile functional scaffolds for materials science applications. Advanced Materials, 21(24), 2547–2553. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/97488
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Leonie, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Recipient of an Australia Council Grant or Australia Council Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Chief Investigator on ARC Linkage Project 'Nanoparticle driven templating of microspheres as chromatographic materials'
- Type
- Recipient of an Australia Council Grant or Australia Council Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- Chief Investigator on ARC Discovery Project 'Nitroxide-containing scaffolds for controlling biofilm-related infections'
Selected research projects
- Title
- Nanoparticle driven templating of microspheres as chromatographic materials
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP160101362
- Start year
- 2017
- Keywords
- Title
- Nitroxide-containing scaffolds for controlling biofilm-related infections
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP150100234
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- nitroxide; microparticle; surface coating
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Designing the Future of an Australian Circular Plastics Economy: Exploring the role of design and systems thinking in the transition of a linear plastics economy to a circular plastics economy in Australia
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Marcus Foth, Dr Manuela Taboada - Production of sustainable polyurethane foams from sugarcane fibres
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Lalehvash Moghaddam, Associate Professor Zhanying Zhang - Developing bioactive polymers derived from brown algae
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Lalehvash Moghaddam, Professor Ian O'Hara, Professor Prashant Sonar - Co-liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass with plastics to liquid energy carrier
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Lalehvash Moghaddam, Professor Azharul Karim, Dr Mahboobeh Shahbazi - Characterisation and Immobilisation of Tannic Acid-Based Coatings on Three-Dimensional-Printed Scaffolds for Antibacterial Activity in Breast Tissue Engineering
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Flavia Medeiros Savi, Distinguished Professor Dietmar W Hutmacher, Dr Lalehvash Moghaddam
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Advanced photochemical systems with bathochromic shift for precision soft materials design (2022)
- Around the Globe: New Concepts for Polymer Microsphere Design (2021)
- From Precision Photochemistry to Advanced Microsphere Design (2021)
- In-Depth Kinetic Understanding and Design of [4+4] Anthracene Photocycloadditions (2021)
- In-Depth Understanding of the Folding Behavior of Single-Chain Polymer Nanoparticles (2021)
- Photocycloadditions as Tools for Particle Synthesis (2021)
- Quantifying Macromolecular Growth and Hierarchical Structuring on Interfaces (2020)