Ezio Rizzardo
Biography
Ezio Rizzardo was born in Onigo, Province of Treviso, Italy on 26 December 1943.
He graduated with First-Class Honours in Applied Organic Chemistry from the University of NSW in 1966 and was awarded a PhD in Organic Chemistry by the University of Sydney in 1969 for his studies on the photochemistry of organic nitro compounds with John Pinhey.
He joined David Solomon‘s group at CSIRO in 1976 after postdoctoral work on the synthesis of biologically active compounds with Richard Turner (Rice University, Houston, Texas), Sir Derek Barton (Research Institute for Medicine and Chemistry, Boston, Massachusetts) and Arthur Birch (Australian National University in Canberra).
At CSIRO he turned his attention to polymer science and has led research teams in the fields of Free Radical Polymerisation, Polymeric Biomaterials and Engineering Polymers, and was the inaugural Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Polymer Blends. His principal research interests are in the development of methods for understanding and controlling polymerisation processes so as to produce polymers of better-defined structure and properties.
Research highlights from the teams he has led include radical trapping with nitroxides, nitroxide mediated polymerisation, chain transfer and ring opening polymerisation by addition-fragmentation, and the RAFT process.
From 1992 to 1994, he served as Inaugural/Interim Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Polymer Blends and in 2000 was promoted to the position of CSIRO Fellow, the highest scientific position in the organisation.
Research interests
- Kinetics and mechanisms of radical polymerization
- Development of new methods for polymer synthesis: co-inventor of Nitroxide Mediated Polymerization (NMP) and Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT)
- Use of RAFT for the synthesis of polymers for commercial applications including: biomedical, electrochemical, agricultural, personal care, lubricants and coatings
Honours and awards
In 2005, he was honoured by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute who named their Applied Research Award the Ezio Rizzardo Medal. Each year the Applied Research Award is named after a distinguished RACI senior applied research chemist, who most usually has been aN RACI medal winner. The name, which has to be approved by the Board, is chosen by the Adjudicating Panel of the Award.
He has received several honours and awards for his outstanding contributions to polymer chemistry the most outstanding being his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2010.
Fellowships
| 2010 | Fellow of the Royal Society |
| 2002 | Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) |
| 2000 | Fellow of CSIRO |
| 1994 | Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |
| 1981 | Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) |
Awards
| 2018 | Companion of the Order of Australia (for eminent service to scientific technological research, and as an author and mentor) |
| 2018 | CRC for polymers and ATSE establish the Rizzardo Polymer PhD Scholarship |
| 2015 | Named in Thomson Reuters’ list of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” |
| 2015 | Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher |
| 2014 | ATSE Clunies Ross Award for technological innovation and commercialisation |
| 2014 | Royal Society of Chemistry: Macro Group UK Medal for Outstanding Achievement |
| 2014 | Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate (with Graeme Moad and San Thang) |
| 2011 | Ranked 18th in the world’s top 100 chemists by the US information and analysis company Thompson Reuters. Published to mark the International Year of Chemistry, it is based on citation impact scores for papers published in the period 2000-2010. |
| 2011 | Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (with David Solomon) |
| 2011 | Named a luminary of Australian Chemistry by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) |
| 2009 | CSIRO Award – ‘Most Highly Cited Paper’ |
| 2009 | CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement |
| 2007 | CSIRO Strategic Excellence Award – ‘Go for Growth’ (Team member) |
| 2004 | CRC for Polymers Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Commercialisation |
| 2004 | Named in the Bulletin magazine’s Australia’s Smart 100 |
| 2003 | Victor Chang Medal and Barbara Ell Lecture |
| 2003 | RACI HG Smith Memorial Medal |
| 2003 | CSIRO Molecular Science Award for Innovation |
| 2003 | CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement (team leader) for innovation in polymer science |
| 2003 | CRC for Polymers Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Commercialisation |
| 2003 | Named in the Bulletin magazine’s Australia’s Smart 100 |
| 2001 | CSIRO Most Prolific Inventor Award |
| 2003 | Centenary Medal for Service to Australian Society and Polymer Science |
| 1996 | RACI Applied Research Medal for innovation through applied research |
| 1992 | CSIRO Chairman’s Medal for outstanding contributions to polymer science and technology |
| 1992 | RACI Australian Polymer Medal for outstanding achievements in polymer science |
| 1991 | Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Polymer Division Citation for leadership and world ranking research |
| 1990 | CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement (team leader) for innovative methods of preparing polymeric materials |
Invitation to present named lectures
| 2009 | Richard B Turner Memorial Lecture, Rice University (Houston, USA) – to be delivered |
| 2005 | G Stafford Whitby Memorial Lecture, the University of Akron (Akron, USA) |
| 2004 | Pedersen Lecture, DuPont Central Research (Wilmington, USA) |
| 2004 | HG Smith Memorial Lecture, (Melbourne) |
| 2003 | Barbara Ell Lecture, Victor Chang Research Institute (Sydney) |
| 2002 | The Rauscher Lecture, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York, USA) |
| 2000 | The Melville Lecturer, Cambridge University (UK), Durham University (UK), Imperial College (London, UK) |
Membership of Organisations and Committees
| 2015 | Member of panel that reviewed Melbourne University’s School of Chemistry |
| 2014 | Member of selection panel for the Victorian Government Postdoctoral Fellowships |
| 2014-15 | Chair of the Australian Academy of Science Chemistry Awards Committee |
| 2013 | Member of the Australian Academy of Science Chemistry Awards Committee |
| 2011-14 | Member of the Sectional Committee 3 of the Royal Society (London) |
| 2010- | Member of the IUPAC Nominating Committee |
| 2009- | Member of the Science and Industry Endowment Fund Advisory Council |
| 2009- | Member of the Science and Industry Endowment Fund Expert Panel |
| 2009- | Editorial Board, Polymer Bulletin |
| 2005-06 | International Advisory Committee/Co-organiser SML’06 International Symposium |
| 2005 | Australian Research Council Federation Fellowships Selection Committee |
| 2004-06 | Australian Research Council College of Experts |
| 2004 | Review Committee of Swinburne University Centre for Molecular Simulation (Nov 2004) |
| 2004-05 | International Advisory Board of Chemical Society Reviews |
| 2003-05 | Australian Academy of Science Fellowship Committee |
| 2000-05 | RACI Fellowship Committee |
| 2000- | Editorial Board, European Polymer Journal |
| 1998-2002 | Advisory Committee, ANU Centre for Science and Engineering of Materials |
| 1995-2000 | Council Member of the Pacific Polymer Federation |
| 1995-2000 | RACI Polymer Division International Affairs Committee |
| 1994- | Member of Technical Committee of CRC for Polymers |
| 1994- | Member of Management Committee of CRC for Polymers |
| 1994 | Editorial Board, Progress in Polymer Science |
| 1990 – 95 | Advisory Committee, Australian Journal of Chemistry |
| 1990 | Chairman Organizing Committee, 18th Australian Polymer Symposium |
| 1989 – 90 | Chairman, RACI Polymer Division |
| 1988 | Chair, Advisory Committee, Applied Chemistry, Swinburne University of Technology |
| 1984 – 85 | Chairman, RACI Victorian Polymer Group |
Source
- Rizzardo E, 2009, Personal communication.