Dr. Chris Cott

Process Engineer

Email: chris.cott@nanomelbourne.com
Phone: 03 9905 1562

Dr. Chris Cott joined MCN as an intern in the Thin Film and Packaging team before graduating to a full-time Process Engineer position at the beginning of 2025.

Chris initially completed a PhD in psychology at Deakin University, before spending several years running a small business overseas. On returning to Australia, he retrained in physics at Monash University.

In his free time, Chris enjoys playing guitar and making electronic music.

Dr. Siqi Deng

Process Engineer

Email: siqi.deng@nanomelbourne.com
Phone: 03 9905 5093

Dr. Siqi Deng joined the MCN in April 2024 as a Process Engineer within the Etch/Litho team. Siqi earned both his Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Materials Science and Engineering and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Monash University. His doctoral research centred on the fabrication of back-contact electrodes for perovskite solar cells.

Siqi possesses a wide range of experience in photolithography, thin-film deposition, etching, and characterisation techniques, including SEM and AFM. He is also skilled in LEAN operations, resource optimisation, and supply chain management.

Outside of work, Siqi is a keen photographer and enjoys hiking.

Mr. Michael Imsic

Infrastructure and OHS Manager

Email: michael.imsic@nanomelbourne.com
Phone: 03 9902 9653

Michael was appointed as the Infrastructure and OHS Manager for the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication in June 2020. He was previously the Laboratory Services Manager for the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences (LIMS) and La Trobe University School of Molecular Sciences.

Michael’s primary role involves the management of the MCN’s core laboratory operations, facility infrastructure and OHS practice, as well the planning, installation and commissioning of new equipment, capital works, refurbishments, and upgrades.

In his free time, Michael likes to enjoy outdoor activities with his family.

Dr. Michael Stuiber

Process Engineer

Email: michael.stuiber@nanomelbourne.com
Phone: 03 9902 9658

Dr. Michael Stuiber joined the MCN as the new team member of the nanolithography and characterisation team in November 2019 with a primary focus on supporting the electron beam lithography capability.

Prior to joining the MCN, Michael worked as a research assistant and teaching support fellow in the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne. During his PhD research he was part of the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) where he worked on the fabrication and characterisation of future building blocks for quantum computation applications. He has extensive experience in HSQ processing, nanowire etching as well as low temperature quantum transport measurements.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys reading books, playing football (the real one) and playing the guitar.

Professor Nico Voelcker

Scientific Director

Email: nicolas.voelcker@monash.edu

Phone: 03 9902 9097

Professor Nicolas Voelcker is the Director of the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) and Professor at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University.  The core research activity in his laboratory is the study of silicon-based nanostructures at biointerfaces. Following from this more fundamental research, his focus is on the application of silicon-based nanostructured materials in biosensors, biochips, drug delivery and regenerative medicine.

He has authored over 550 peer-reviewed journal articles with over 30,000 citations, h-index 83, and has filed over 50 patents many of which have led to licensing deals and start-ups. He has received fellowships from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the CSIRO and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He has served on the College of Experts of the Australian Research Council, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, a winner of a Humboldt Research Award and a current Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow. IP generated from his research has led to five start-up companies in the areas of cell therapy, drug delivery and diagnostics.

As Director of the MCN, he is overseeing the largest joint venture in the Australian university system, and is supporting over 30 companies in their commercialisation endeavours.

Dr Ash Dyer

Senior Process Engineer – Deputy Facility Manager

Email: ash.dyer@nanomelbourne.com
Phone: 03 9902 9080

Dr Ashley Dyer joined the MCN as a Process Engineer in October 2018, becoming part of Yang Lim’s team focusing on thin-films support and thermal processing.

Ash comes to MCN from the UK following the completion of a PhD at Swansea University’s Institute of Structural Materials, where he also completed a Master’s of Physics.

His research was mainly focused on thermomechanical effects in proprietary alloys for Rolls-Royce plc with an emphasis on mechanical test development and understanding micro/nanomechanical failure modes.

Dr. Hazem Abdelmaksoud

Process Engineer

Hazem is MCN process Engineer whose key research interest are at the intersection of material science, biomedicine and analytical chemistry, focusing on semiconductor materials nanostructures fabrication, surface modification, and application as an analytical substrate biomaterials, and biosensing platforms.

Hazem is responsible for wet etching benches in the cleanroom and the biochemistry lab induction.

Dr. Tatiana Pinedo Rivera

Tatiana is an artistic and creative person. She enjoys drawing, painting, photography, cooking and baking and does all sorts of crafts in her free time. Fun fact, she may be the last adult person in the modern world who does not own a mobile or smart phone.

Mr. John Paul Teodosio

Dr. Vahid R. Adineh