Professor Paul Bernhardt

Primary research interest
Inorganic chemistry - coordination chemistry
About me
After completing my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Newcastle, I held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Basel (Switzerland) from 1990-2. I returned to Australia in 1993 to take up an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Australian National University (Canberra) from 1993-4. I joined The University of Queensland in 1994.
Research focus and collaborations
Protein electrochemistry
This research involves incorporating redox active enzymes with electrochemical systems such that the enzyme functions natively whilst in communication with an electrode (rather than with a natural electron transfer partner). We are currently investigating a number of systems, most from the molybdenum enzyme family that catalyse oxygen transfer reactions of both organic and inorganic substrates.
Copper complexes at ATRP catalysts
Atom trabsfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) is one of the most widely used 'controlled' radical polymerisation techniques and has resulted in polymers with well defined molecular weights and architectures. Our work is focuseed on complexes that catalayse this process by generating organic radicals from the simple reaction between a Cu(I) complex and an alkyl halide initiator. We can probe this atom transfer reaction with cyclic voltammetry and we have gained new insight to this interesting and fundamentally important reaction (collaboration with Prof. M.J. Monteiro, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, UQ).
Funded projects
- Australian Research Council Discovery Project 2015-2017
Enzyme Electrochemical Communication
Total value of grant: $319,812 - Australian Research Council Discovery Project 2015-2017
The fate of copper in atom transfer radical reactions 2015-2017
Total value of grant: $308,412 - Australian Research Council Discovery Project 2008-2010
Electrochemically driven molybdoenzyme catalysis
Total value of grant: $367,000 - Australian Research Council Discovery Project 2010-2012
Spotlighting biologically active Fe chelators within cells
Total value of grant: $330,000 - Australian Research Council Discovery Project 2012-2014
Short circuiting redox enzymes
Total value of grant: $298,000 - National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant with the University of Sydney 2009-2011
- Pharmacology of potential anti-tumour agents: iron chelators of the BpT class
P Bernhardt, D Richardson, D Kalinoqski, D Lovejoy
Total value of grant: $563,500
Teaching interests
Transition metal chemistry, coordination chemistry, electrochemistry, crystallography
Awards and achievements
- Associate Editor, Australian Journal of Chemistry 2008-present
- Australian Research Council College of Experts (Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, 2011-2013)
- Chair RACI Inorganic Chemistry Division 2007-2010
- RACI President 2014-2016
Featured publications
- Kalimuthu, Palraj, Wojtkiewicz, Agnieszka, Szaleniec, Maciej and Bernhardt, Paul V. (2018) Electrocatalytic hydroxylation of sterols by steroid C25 dehydrogenase from Sterolibacterium denitrificans. Chemistry: A European Journal, 24 30: 7710-7717. doi:10.1002/chem.201800616
- Bilyj, Jessica K., Riley, Mark J. and Bernhardt, Paul V. (2018) Isomerism and reactivity of nickel(ii) acetylacetonate bis(thiosemicarbazone) complexes. Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003), 47 6: 2018-2030. doi:10.1039/c7dt04337f
- Zerk, Timothy J., Moore, Peter W., Harbort, Joshua S., Chow, Sharon, Byrne, Lindsay, Koutsantonis, George A., Harmer, Jeffrey R., Martinez, Manuel, Williams, Craig M. and Bernhardt, Paul V. (2017) Elucidating the mechanism of the Ley-Griffith (TPAP) alcohol oxidation. Chemical Science, 8 12: 8435-8442. doi:10.1039/c7sc04260d
- Kalimuthu, Palraj, Havemeyer, Antje, Clement, Bernd, Kubitza, Christian, Scheidig, Axel J. and Bernhardt, Paul V. (2017) Human mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component (mARC): An electrochemical method for identifying new substrates and inhibitors. Electrochemistry Communications, 84 90-93. doi:10.1016/j.elecom.2017.10.003
- Kalimuthu, Palraj, Ringel, Phillip, Kruse, Tobias and Bernhardt, Paul V. (2016) Direct electrochemistry of nitrate reductase from the fungus Neurospora crassa. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Bioenergetics, 1857 9: 1506-1513. doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2016.04.001
Researcher biography
After completing my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Newcastle, I held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Basel (Switzerland) from 1990-2. I returned to Australia in 1993 to take up an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Australian National University (Canberra) from 1993-4. I joined The University of Queensland in 1994.