Associate Professor Graeme Allinson

Over the past 30 years, Dr Allinson has worked in universities, the chemical industry and national/state government research organisations, and in doing so has developed wide ranging expertise in environmental chemistry, water quality, ecotoxicology, and constructed wetlands for waste and storm water management. He is involved in water quality projects ranging from site-specific investigations of specific pollutants to large catchment scale assessments, including assessments in surface and groundwater environment

Current Research Interests

Trace Organic Chemicals (TROCs) in the environment

• Development and application of multi-residue methods for the measurement of TROCs in natural and waste waters, soils and sediments
• Measurement of TROCs on microplastics and passive samplers

Ecotoxicology

• Screening waters for chemicals of similar mode off action using recombinant receptor-reporter gene assays
• Effects of environmental contaminants on aquatic organisms

Constructed wetlands for pollution control

• Exploring the performance of constructed wetlands for dairy parlour and dairy processing water quality improvement
• Use of the giant reed (Arundo donax) in constructed wetlands for industrial and landfill leachate water quality improvement
• Exploring the performance of constructed storm water wetlands

Biomass Bioenergy

• Use of the giant reed (Arundo donax) as a biomass bioenergy source

• Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry), The University of Leeds, UK (1992)
• Bachelor of Chemical Sciences (Honours), The University of Leeds, UK (1984)

Career summary

• 2014 – present: Associate Professor in Environmental Chemistry, RMIT University
• 2013 – 2014: Senior Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
• 2005 – 2013: Principal Research Scientist, Department of Primary Industries Victoria, Queenscliff
• 1996 – 2005: Senior Lecturer, School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin University (Warrnambool)
• 2004- 2005: Royal Society Research Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
• 2002 – 2004: Japan Science & Technology Agency Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan
• 1984 – 1988: R&D Chemist, Hickson & Welch Ltd, Castleford, UK

Research Fellowships

• 2013: Use of novel rapid assessment tools for efficient monitoring of chemicals. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Short-term Invitation Fellowship (Host Institution: University of Kitkakyushu, Wakamatsu, Japan)
• 2004: Measurement of chemical contamination of North-South migratory sea birds. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Short-term Invitation Fellowship (Host institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan)
• 2002: Effect of clay amelioration on heavy metal contamination in non-wetting soil. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Short-term Invitation Fellowship (Host institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan)
• 2001: Monitoring and modeling the transport of chemicals in soils: Effect of water repellency.  Australian Academy of Science Visiting Fellowship Europe (Host Institutions: University of Wales Swansea, UK; Alterra, Wageningen, The Netherlands)
• 1999: Transport of heavy metals in soil. Japanese Government Research Award for Foreign Specialist (Host institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan)
• 1999: Monitoring the transport of chemicals in soils: effect of water repellency. Australian Academy of Science Visiting Fellowship Europe (Host Institutions: University of Wales Swansea, UK; Alterra, Wageningen, The Netherlands)
• 1997: Application of Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry to Uranium Series Disequilibrium Dating of Quaternary Marine Sediments in Southern Australia. Japanese Science and Technology Agency Short-Term Visiting Fellowship (Host institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan)
• 1994-95: New methods for the determination of tear gases. Royal Society Visiting Research Fellow (Host Institution: Sheffield Hallam University, UK)
• 1992-94: Ecotoxicology of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. Japanese Science and Technology Agency Visiting Research Fellow (Host institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan)