Getting to know New Branch Committee Members
Dr Vipul Agarwal
Vipul Agarwal graduated with a BSc (Honours) in Chemistry from the University of Delhi, India in 2005, an MApplSc in Chemistry from University of Tasmania in 2010, and a PhD in Nanobiotechnology and Bioengineering from The University of Western Australia in 2015. After a considerable career break, he joined the Indian Institute of Science, India, in 2016 on the Science & Engineering Research Board – Department of Science and Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship.
He returned to Australia in 2018 on an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship and joined the Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design within the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW Sydney. Vipul has extensive training and ongoing research interest in conducting multidisciplinary research, working at the interface of materials science, (polymer) chemistry, nanotechnology, biomedical engineering and stem cell biology. He has recently developed a technology to fabricate electrically conducting 3D nanocomposite foams with ultrahigh porosity (>90%) using an ‘inverse emulsion templating’ method. He is also working towards the development of stimuli-responsive implants for tissue regeneration.
He is an emerging leader in the field where he currently serves in the Board of Science and Technology Australia. He is also an UNSW representative to The Australian Academy of Science Early-Mid Career Researcher Forum. Vipul has been a member of RACI since 2019 and is particularly excited to be newly elected as a committee member of the NSW Branch. Vipul very much looks forward to serving the community in the next 12 months.
Mr William Li
William Li is also excited to be elected to serve in the NSW Branch Committee for 2021.
William has spent the majority of his short career so far in the pharmaceutical industry. He is currently employed as a Quality Control Chemist in the Health business at ANSTO, Lucas Heights. The work includes testing of materials and components for the production of radiopharmaceuticals, as well as the finished products. Prior to the current role, William was in similar role with a manufacturing company, which provided him a solid basis for a career in the pharmaceuticals industry.
William has been an RACI Member since late 2016, but his first RACI event of any kind was "Speed Dating RACI Style" back in mid-2014. He heard about RACI back in high school, and thought it was an exclusive club for nerdy, mad scientists (like Professor Frink) ...
William is a UNSW alumni, studying two Bachelor degrees, an Engineering (Honours) degree in chemical engineering, and a Science degree in chemistry and mathematics. Notably, William did 3 majors, but has so far only used chemistry in his career. During his time at UNSW, he participated in many student societies, student-led projects and volunteering programs, all of which has added to his very enjoyable student life and also cultivated his interest to be part of similar organisations and activities. Through these, William has made many good friends that are still in contact these days and more importantly, the event management skills gained.
Those event-organising experiences have been handy during William’s involvement in the NSW Early Career Chemists' Group (ECCG). During his 3 years as the Chair of NSW ECCG, William led a committee to organise careers-related events to (a) provide networking opportunities for interested chemistry students and graduates, (b) help people understand the career possibilities of a degree in chemistry, (c) promote RACI. A total of 22 events was organised under William’s leadership, with varying degrees of success. ECCG managed to reach out to many members within and beyond NSW through online events organised in 2020. William always regarded ECCG as an extension to his university life and wanted to organise similar events to those he participated at UNSW. In William’s view, a bonus of participating in ECCG is developing a broad network of chemistry professionals from a wide range of industries, as well as many of the attendees.
As a NSW Branch Committee member, William hopes to continue making valuable contributions to RACI as a whole to keep RACI great, through the newsletters, as well as some of the Branch-wide events, where applicable.
Outside of his profession and community involvement, William enjoys bat-and-ball sports, bushwalking, golf and piano.