RACI President

Professor Mark Buntine

Professor Buntine has become a leading Australian chemistry education practitioner through his co-founding and on-going leadership of the APCELL/ACELL/ASELL projects. In addition, he is a member of the ALTC-funded Active Learning in University Science (ALIUS) project team and has numerous awards acknowledging his outstanding abilities as a chemistry educator.

APCELL began as a focused project designed to improve undergraduate physical chemistry laboratories by pooling the exemplar physical chemistry laboratory exercises of almost all Australian university chemistry departments to the benefit of all. Over the past decade, the ACELL project evolved from its rather simple, almost utilitarian, objective of providing a database of chemically and educationally validated experiments freely available for download and use, into a project designed to professionally develop Australian chemistry academics in their educational awareness of effective student learning in the laboratory. A strong community of practice has resulted and over 25% of all Australian chemistry academics have now participated in at least one APCELL/ACELL workshop.

Professor Buntine has also been continuously active in the RACI since returning to Australia to commence an independent academic career in 1994, serving on both the South Australian Branch (1995-2008) and Physical Chemistry Division (1995 - present) Committees. He has served as SA Branch President (2008) and Physical Chemistry Division Chair (2005 - present).