Professor Hans G. L. Coster

Director Biophysics and Bioengineering
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
The University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW, 2006, Austrlia

Tel :+61 2 9351 2256
Fax :+61 2 9351 2854
Email:

Education

MSc, PhD (Univ. Sydney)

Professional Activities/ Membership of Societies

FAIP, MIP (UK), CPhys (UK), CSci (UK), FTSE
Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
Australian Society for Biophysics (Past President)
Institute of Physics (London): CPhys, CSci., MIP.
Australian Institute of Physics: FAIP.
Bioelectrochemical Society (International) -Foundation member.
National Committee for Biophysics, Australian Academy of Science (1976-1979, 985-2002).
President (2002-2004) Australian Institute for Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE), Immediate-past president Executive member.
Editorial Board Biophysics Reviews and Letters

Honours

UNESCO Medal for outstanding contributions to Science (1998)
Sir Rutherford Robertson (inaugural) medal for Biophysics (2002)

Research Interests: Biophysics and Bioengineering

Fundamental Studies

Electro-mechanics of living cells and particles in electric fields, electrical properties of cell membranes and the electrical breakdown of cell membranes.
Self-assembled organic molecular films covalently linked to solid (inorganic) substrates.
Functional electrical stimulation for bionic applications
Particle and cell dielectrophoresis (motion of particles in non-uniform AC electric fields)
Electro-diffusion

Applied research

New types of biosensor based on the electrical properties of molecular films, covalently linked to solid substrates such as silicon or gold.
Novel electro-disinfection systems for water supplies and medical instruments.
Improved industrial (polymer) membranes for molecular separations.
Drug screening using electrical impedance spectroscopy.
The use of radio frequency electric fields manipulate and fuse individual living cells to create new hybrid cells and as a tool for genetic engineering of cells.
Dielectrophoretic (AC electric field) methods to recover organic and other particles from reactors and waste streams.
Development of an implantable bio-artificial pancreas to reverse diabetes

Experimental techniques

Electrical impedance spectroscopy:
My group has developed unique ultra low frequency impedance spectrometers of unprecedented precision which are used for the study of the assembly of molecular films and bimolecular lipid membranes to sub-nano scale resolution.
X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy, X-ray and neutron reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy.

Selected Publications

Coster, H. G. L. (2004) "The Physics of Cell Membranes" J. Biol. Physics 29: 363-399.
Coster, H. G. L. and Chilcott, T. C. (2002) "Electrical field effects in proteins in membranes" Bioelectrochem. 56:141-146.
Coster, H. G. L. and T. C. Chilcott (1999). "The characterisation of membranes and membrane processes using impedance spectroscopy." Electrochemistry of membranes : T.S. Sorensen : ,Marcel Dekker, New York 749-792
Karolis, C., H. G. L. Coster, T. C. Chilcott and K. D. Barrow (1998). "Differential effects of cholesterol and oxidised cholesterol in egg lecithin bilayers." Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1368: 247-255.
Mahaworasilpa, T. L., H. G. L. Coster and E. P. George (1996). "Forces on biological cells due to applied alternating (AC) electric fields. II. Electro-rotation." Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1281: 5-14.
Coster, H. G. L., T. C. Chilcott and A. C. F. Coster (1996). "Impedance spectroscopy of interfaces, membranes and ultrastructures." Bioelectrochem. Bioenerg. 40: 79-98
Ashcroft, R. G., H. G. L. Coster and J. R. Smith (1977). "Local anaesthetic benzyl alcohol increases membrane thickness." Nature 269: 819-820.
Coster, H. G. L. and U. Zimmermann (1975). "Direct demonstration of dielectric breakdown in the membranes of Valonia utricularis." Z. Naturforsch. 30: 77-79.
Coster, H.G.L. and Laver, D.R. "The Effect of Benzyl Alcohol & Cholesterol on the Acyl Chain Order & Alkane Solubility of Bimolecular Phosphatidylcholine Membranes.", Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 861, 406-412 (1986).
Böcking, T., James, M., Coster, H. G. L., Barrow, K. D., Chilcott, T. C. (2004) "Structural Characterization of Organic Multilayers on Silicon (111) Formed by Immobilization of Molecular Films on Functionalized Si-C Linked Monolayers" Langmuir 20: 9227-9235.
Park, J.-S., Chilcott, T. C., Coster, H. G. L. and Moon, S.-H. (2005) "Characterization of BSA-fouling of ion-exchange membrane systems using a subtraction technique for lumped admittance data" J. Memb. Sci. 246:137-144.

Philosophophical interests
The nature of physical reality

I have a strong interest in the philosophy of rational thought and the development of the notion of physical reality. In particular, I am drawn to the insightful and well articulated metaphysics of Emmanual Kant and its consistency with the views of more modern scientists and philosophers such as Albert Einstein. The maxim of independent existence that was central to the Einsteinian view, has been challenged by modern quantum-mechanical experiments and stimulates a fresh debate on the old philosophical question posed by Einstein: "Is the moon there when no one is looking?"

Evolution and the Next species

Another interest is in the process of evolution. Not so much in the details of speciation as in the nature of the global processes encompassed by Darwinianism through to the concept of exosomatic evolution introduced by Lotka and the contemporary work of Prigogine on the evolution of dissipative structures. These evolutionary processes have particular relevance in the light of the rapid progress being made in bionics, genetic engineering and cloning. It raises important questions on the future of Human kind; what are the ethical, moral and legal implications associated with the progression to the "Next" species?

Career Highlights