Professor Robert Short 

Personal Assistant:   Ms Andrea Clare andrea.clare@unisa.edu.au  : 8302 3763

Instititute Manager:  Ms Amanda Taylor amanda.taylor@unisa.edu.au: 8302 3190

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry Chartered Chemist

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)

BSc,PhD The University of Durham (UK)

• Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Plasma, Plasma Polymerisation

• Rob has a 20 year track record of research and commercialisation in the fields of thin film coatings, biomaterial science and life science tools research. He studied Chemistry (BSc) and Physical Chemistry (PhD) at the University of Durham (UK) and joined the University of Sheffield in 1988, where he held the Chair of Material and Biomaterial Chemistry from 2001. During this period, he was a founder Director of two University spin-out companies. He was appointed Director of the Mawson Institute, University of South Australia in 2006, and in 2008 he joined the ARC College of Experts (2008-10). He has held positions on several Boards and on Scientific Advisory Groups.
  Rob’s principal research field is plasma polymerization. He hopes that his work in this field has contributed to a better understanding the multi-facetted processes that lead to thin film growth from low temperature plasma. Studies have involved the application of mass spectrometry and novel electrostatic probes. In 1992 he was awarded the CR Burch Prize for outstanding work in Physical Chemistry for Thin Films or Vacuum.
  Relevant contributions in biomaterial science, in the areas of protein adsorption, cellular attachment and wound-healing, have led to the development of a bandage that attaches and releases cells into non-healing wounds. This technology was commercialised in 2000 by the University of Sheffield. The resulting product, myskin™, and its allogenic variant cryoskin™, are used clinically to treat burns, scalds and chronic ulcers.
  In 2003 Rob founded Plasso Technology, an advanced surface engineering company for developing tailored coatings for use in diagnostics and life sciences. The company’s first product EpranEx™ (now known as the BD™ Heparin Binding Plate) is used to immobilise heparin without modification, thereby retaining its natural ability to interact with other biomolecules. In May 2007 the company was sold to BD Biosciences, a leading global medical technology company. Based upon the acquired technology BD Biosciences have developed a range of surfaces for a number of applications in life science research.

• Rob is kept busy with a major building project (M2 Development) and the Wound Management Innovation CRC (Web Site)

• In 2004 Rob was awarded the UK Society for Biomaterials' second highest prize, the Biocompatibles Endowed Lecture (for mid-career achievement)

A J Beck, R M France, A M Leeson, R D Short, A Goodyear and N. Braithwaite “Ion Flux and Deposition Rate Measurements in the R.F. Continuous Wave Plasma Polymerisation of Acrylic Acid”, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., (11) 1998, 1221-1222

R M France and R D Short, “Plasma Treatment of Polymers: The Effects of Energy Transfer from an Argon Plasma on the Surface Chemistry of Polystyrene and Polypropylene: A High-Energy Resolution XPS Study”, Langmuir, 1998, 14 (17) 4827-4835

R Daw, A J Beck, R D Short, A J Devlin and I M Brook, “Plasma Copolymer Surfaces of Acrylic Acid/1,7 Octadiene: Surface Characterisation and Attachment of ROS 17/2.8 Osteddast-like Cells”, Biomaterials 1998, 19, 1717-1725

R Daw, I M Brook, A J Devlin, R D Short and E Cooper and G J Leggett, “A Comparative Study of Cell Attachment to Self Assembled Monolayers and Plasma Polymers” J. Mater. Chem. 1998, 8(12) 2583-2584

S Candan, A J Beck, L O’Toole, R D Short, A Goodyear, N St John Braithwaite, “The Role of Ions in Continuous Wave Plasma Polymersiation of Acrylic Acid”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 1999, 1, 3117-3121

D Barton, J W Bradley, D A Steele, R D Short, “Investigating Radio Frequency Plasmas used for Modification of Polymer Surfaces”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 1999, 103, 4423-4430

D B Haddow, R M France, R D Short, J W Bradley and D Barton, “A Mass Spectrometric and Ion Energy Study of the CW Plasma Polymerization of Acrylic Acid”. Langmuir, 2000, 16(13), 5654-5660

A J Beck, S Candan, R D Short, A Goodyear, N St John Braithwaite “The Role of Ions in the Plasma Polymerization of Allylamine”, J. Phys. Chem B., 2001, 105, 5730-5736

S Fraser, R D Short, D Barton and J W Bradley, “A Multi-Technique Investigation of the Pulsed Plasma and Plasma Polymers of Acrylic Acid: Millisecond Pulse Regime”, J Phys Chem B. 106(22), 5596-5603 (2002)

J D Whittle, N A Bullett, R D Short, C W Douglas, A P Hollander and J Davies, “Adsorption of Vitronectin, Collagen and Immunoglobulin-G to Plasma Polymer Surfaces by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), J Mater Chem, 2002, 12, 2726-2732

D Barton, R D Short, S Fraser, J W Bradley, “The Effect of Ion Energy Upon Plasma Polymerization Deposition Rate for Acrylic Acid”, Chem Com. (3), 348-349 (2003)

N A Bullett, J D Whittle, R D Short, C W I Douglas, “Adsorption of Immunoglobulin G to Plasma-co-polymer Surfaces of Acrylic Acid and 1,7-octadiene, J Mater Chem 13(7), 1546-1553 (2003)

J D Whittle, D Barton, M R Alexander, R D Short, “A Method for the Deposition of Controllable Chemical Gradients”, Chem Comm., (14), 1766-1767 (2003)

D Barton, R D Short, J W Bradley, “The Effect of Positive Ion Energy on Plasma Polymerization: A Comparison Between Acrylic and Propanoic Acids”, J Phys Chem 109 (8), 3207 – 3211 (2005)

M Dhayl, K L Parry, R D Short, J W Bradley, “Investigating the Plasma Surface Modification of Polystyrene at Low Ion Power Densities”, “Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 108, (37): 14000-14004 Sep 16 (2004)

K L Parry, A G Shard, R D Short, R G White, J D Whittle, A Wright, “ARXPS Characterisation of Plasma Polymerised Surface Chemical Gradients”, Surf. Interf. Anal., 38 (11): 1497-1504 Nov (2006)

D B Haddow, S McNeil, R D Short, “A Cell Therapy for Chronic Wounds Based upon a Plasma Polymer Delivery Surface”, Plasma Process, Polym. 3, 419-430 (2006)

D E Robinson, A Marson, R Short, D Buttle, A Day, K L Parry, M Wiles, P Highfield, A Mistry, J D Whittle, “Surface Gradient of Functional Heparin” Advanced Materials, 2008, 20, 1166 – 1169

N Wells, M A Baxter, J E Turnbull, P Murray, D Edgar, K L Parry, D A Steele, R D Short, “The geometric control of E14 and R1 mouse embryonic stem cell pluripotency by plasma polymer surface chemical gradients”, Biomaterials 2009; 30(6):1066-70

C A Mayhew and R D Short, “Selected ion flow tube studies to investigate the formation of acrylic and propionic acid protonated clusters in low power, low pressure RF plasmas” Chem. Commun., 2009,6, 659-661

R Walker, V T Cunliffe, J D Whittle, D A Steele and R D Short, “Micron-Scale Surface Gradients of Immobilized Protein Ligands”, Langmuir 2009 Source: LANGMUIR Volume: 25 Issue: 8 Pages: 4243-4246 Published: 2009

C Priest, P J Gruner, E J Szili, S A Al-Bataineh, J W Bradley, J Ralston, D A Steele and R D Short, “Microplasma patterning of bonded microchannels using high-precision ‘injected’ electrodes“, Lab on a Chip, Volume:11, Issue: 3, Pages: 541-544, Published: 2011

Szili EJ, Al-Bataineh SA, Bryant PM, Short RD, Bradley JW, Steele DA, ‘Controlling the Spatial Distribution of Polymer Surface Treatment Using Atmospheric-Pressure Microplasma Jets, Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2011, 8, 38-50

Goreham RV, Short RD, Vasilev K, ‘Method for the Generation of Surface-Bound Nanoparticle Density Gradients’ Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2011, 115, 3429-3433

Fabretto M, Jariego-Moncunill C, Autere JP, Michelmore A, Short RD, Murphy P, ‘High conductivity PEDOT resulting from glycol/oxidant complex and glycol/polymer intercalation during vacuum vapour phase polymerisation,’ Polymer, 2011, 52, 1725-1730

Steele DA, Short RD, Brown P, Mayhew CA, ‘On the Use of SIFT-MS and PTR-MS Experiments to Explore Reaction Mechanisms in Plasmas of Volatile Organics: Siloxanes’ Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2011, 8, 287-294

Michelmore A, Martinek P, Sah V, Short RD, Vasilev K, ‘Surface Morphology in the Early Stages of Plasma Polymer Film Growth from Amine-Containing Monomers’ Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2011, 8, 367-372

Al-Bataineh SA, Szili EJ, Mishra A, Park SJ, Eden JG, Griesser HJ, Voelcker NH, Short RD, Steele DA, ‘Design of a Microplasma Device for Spatially Localised Plasma Polymerisation’ Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2011, 8, 695-700

Whittle JD, Short RD, Steele DA, ‘Plasma Processes and Polymers’ Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2011, 8, 687-688

Michelmore a, Bryant PM, Steele DA, Vasilev K, Bradley JW, Short RD, ‘Role of Positive Ions in Determining the Deposition Rate and Film Chemistry of Continuous Wave Hexamethyl Disiloxane Plasmas’ Langmuir, 2011, 27, 11943-11950

Michelmore A, Mierczynska A, Poh Z, Goreham RV, Losic D, Short RD, Vasilev K, ‘Versatile gradients of chemistry bound ligands and nanoparticles on alumina’ Nanotechnology, 2011, 22

Robinson DE, Buttle DJ, Short RD, McArthur SL, Steele DA, Whittle JD, ‘Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) binding surfaces for characterizing GAG-protein interactions’ Biomaterials, 2012, 33, 1007-1016

Coad BR, Vasilev K, Diener KR, Hayball JD, Short RD and Griesser HJ, ‘ Immobilised Streptavidin Gradients as Bioconjugation Platforms’ Langmuir, 2012, 28, 2710-2717

Fabretto MV, Evans DR, Mueller M, Zuber K, Hojati-Talemi P, Short RD, Wallace GG and Murphy PJ, ‘Polymeric material with metal-like conductivity for next generation organic electronic devices’, Chemistry of Materials, accepted in press 2012

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Physical Chemistry

• Tissue Engineering