Rate My Professor David Wilson

Professor David Wilson is Professor of Chemistry and Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University. He earned his PhD in 2003 from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and joined La Trobe University in 2005. Following an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship award in 2017, he was promoted to Associate Professor, and further advanced to full Professor in 2021. His career includes leadership roles in teaching and learning, such as Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Molecular Sciences. Professor Wilson has received recognition for teaching excellence, including national Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) Citations, university teaching awards, and Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in 2021. He has also held positions as Chair and Treasurer of the Physical Chemistry Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Professor Wilson's research centers on computational quantum chemistry, with expertise in method development and applications to fundamental problems in chemistry. His work explores electronic and molecular structure, emphasizing deep understanding of chemical bonding, the impact of electronic structure on molecular properties, and predictive insights that stimulate experimental advances in novel bonding motifs and optical molecular materials. Collaborating with international experts, he translates theoretical findings into practical applications. He has authored 145 peer-reviewed publications, garnering over 6,600 citations. Key works include 'The Dalton quantum chemistry program system' (Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Molecular Science, 2014; 1,664 citations), 'Are N-Heterocyclic Carbenes “Better” Ligands than Phosphines in Main Group Chemistry? A Theoretical Case Study of Ligand-Stabilized E2 Molecules' (Inorganic Chemistry, 2012; 164 citations), and contributions to iridium complexes for electrogenerated chemiluminescence and boron-based radicals. His research has attracted major funding, including the ARC Future Fellowship (2017) and an ARC Discovery Project grant of $535,635 (2024) for developing new chemical synthesis methods. Professor Wilson's contributions have significantly influenced computational and main group chemistry fields.