Rate My Professor Colette Boskovic

Professor Colette Boskovic is a Professor of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, at the University of Melbourne. She earned her BSc(Hons) degree in 1993 and PhD in 1998 from the University of Melbourne, both under the supervision of Tony Wedd. Her postdoctoral research included positions at Indiana University with George Christou (1999-2001), where she also served as Assistant Professor in 2001, and at the University of Berne with Hans Güdel (2001-2004). Joining the University of Melbourne in 2004 as Lecturer, she advanced to Senior Lecturer (2009-2015), Associate Professor (2016-2021), and full Professor in 2022. She held an ARC Future Fellowship from 2020 to 2024 and currently serves as Assistant Dean for Graduate Research (2024) and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs (from 2025) in the Faculty of Science. Boskovic leads the Boskovic Research Group, focusing on physical inorganic chemistry, particularly the synthesis and study of molecular materials based on paramagnetic transition and rare earth metals. Her work explores switchable, stimuli-responsive materials for applications in sensors, displays, molecular electronics, spintronics, and rare earth element separation, utilizing techniques such as diffraction, magnetic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical characterization to correlate structure with properties.

Her influential publications include 'Valence tautomerism in metal complexes: Stimulated and reversible intramolecular electron transfer between metal centers and organic ligands' (Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 2014), 'Rare earth polyoxometalates' (Accounts of Chemical Research, 2017), and several seminal papers on single-molecule magnets such as 'Single-molecule magnets: a new family of Mn12 clusters' (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2002). Boskovic has received prestigious awards including the RACI Margaret Sheil Leadership Award (2022), Fellowship of the RACI (2020), ARC Future Fellowship (2019), Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (2014), Alan Sargeson Lectureship (2013), and Selby Research Award (2004). She has held key leadership roles, including Chair of the RACI Inorganic Chemistry Division (2022-2023), member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts, and international advisory board member for conferences on molecular magnetism, coordination chemistry, and f-elements.