Rate My Professor Van Altena

Dr. Ian Van Altena serves as an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Public Health, specialising in Chemistry, at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He also holds a position as a Casual Academic in the School of Science. His academic journey began with a BSc in Chemistry from James Cook University in 1972, followed by a BSc (Hons) in 1975 under Prof. John Coll. He obtained his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Alberta, Canada, in 1976, researching secondary metabolites from fungi with Prof. William Ayer. Subsequently, he was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia from 1982 to 1984, working on siderophores from dinoflagellates under Prof. Raymond Andersen. From 1985 to 1991, he was Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Adelaide, and from 1991 to 1992, Assistant Lecturer there, managing laboratory coordination and lecturing. He joined the University of Newcastle as Lecturer in 1992, focusing on natural products chemistry and chemical ecology.

Dr. Van Altena's primary research interests lie in marine natural products chemistry and chemical ecology, including compound identification by spectrometry, environmental chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and organic chemistry. His investigations cover bioactive compounds from marine sources such as brown algae (Cystophora species), sponges, and fungi, with applications in anticancer treatments and antioxidants. Key publications include "Steroids of chemophenetic significance from the Australasian brown alga Cystophora xiphocarpa" (Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 2022), "Bioactive α,β-conjugated 3-keto-steroids from the Australian brown alga Cystophora xiphocarpa" (Phytochemistry, 2021), "Tetraprenyltoluquinols from the brown alga Cystophora fibrosa" (Phytochemistry, 2006), and "Tolerance of marine invertebrate herbivores to brown algal phlorotannins in temperate Australasia" (Ecological Monographs, 1992). With over 60 peer-reviewed articles, he has supervised 13 PhD students (11 completed) and secured grants totaling $202,778, including for high-field NMR facilities. He has taught extensively in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and spectroscopy within the Faculty of Science and Information Technology.