Rate My Professor Peter Lay

Peter Lay is an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, at the University of Sydney. He obtained his BSc (Hons I) from the University of Melbourne in 1977 and PhD from the Australian National University in 1981. After postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University (1981-1983), CSIRO Division of Applied Organic Chemistry (1983-1984), and roles as Queen Elizabeth II Fellow at Deakin University (1984-1985) and Visiting Fellow at ANU (1983-1985), he joined the University of Sydney in 1985 as Lecturer in the Department of Inorganic Chemistry. He advanced to Senior Lecturer (1989-1993), Reader (1994-1996), Professor of Inorganic Chemistry (1997-2016), and Professor of Chemistry (2016-2021), becoming Emeritus Professor in 2021. Significant appointments include Head of the School of Chemistry (2001-2002), Academic Director of the Foundation for Inorganic Chemistry (2005-present), Director of the Vibrational Spectroscopy Core Facility (2014-2017), Academic Director of Sydney Analytical (2018-2021), Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Sydney Cancer Institute (2005-present), and Director of the Centre for Heavy Metals Research (2006-present).

Lay's research centers on bioinorganic chemistry, elucidating the mechanisms, efficacy, and toxicities of metal-based drugs including ruthenium and gallium anti-cancer agents, vanadium and chromium(III) anti-diabetic compounds, copper anti-inflammatory drugs, and carcinogens like chromium(VI) and nickel. He pioneered biospectroscopic applications of synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy, and imaging to investigate biochemical changes in cardiovascular diseases, cerebral malaria, meningitis, and cancers. His scholarship has garnered over 19,430 citations. Key publications encompass 'The decamethylferrocenium/decamethylferrocene redox couple: a superior redox standard...' (Noviandri et al., 1999, Journal of Physical Chemistry B), 'Copper complexes of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: an opportunity yet to be realized' (Weder et al., 2002, Coordination Chemistry Reviews), 'Mechanistic studies of relevance to the biological activities of chromium' (Levina & Lay, 2005, Coordination Chemistry Reviews), and 'Speciation of metal drugs, supplements and toxins in media and bodily fluids controls in vitro activities' (Levina et al., 2017, Coordination Chemistry Reviews). Honors include the Rennie Memorial Medal (1987), Edgeworth David Medal (1988), Burrows Award (2001), H.G. Smith Memorial Medal (2005), Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science (2007), David Craig Medal (2013), Fellowship of the Royal Society of NSW (2016), and ANSTO Australian Synchrotron Lifetime Contribution Award (2020). He advanced commercialization of metal anti-inflammatory drugs for veterinary applications via Medical Therapies, floated on the Australian Stock Exchange.