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Dr Raymond Sparrow is a specialist in biophotonics and
biophysical sciences (spectroscopic techniques applied to
biological samples). He also leads the biophotonic bionanodevices
research group, a component of the synthetic biology emerging
research area at the CSIR.
Current activities and research interests
- Development of light-activated controllable bio-molecular
machines/devices
- Development of research platforms within the European
FP programmes
- Supervisor of two Master's and one PhD student
- National contact person for synchrotron radiation research
(biosciences) and Soleil (the new French synchrotron radiation
facility) in France
- Curriculum development and delivery of biophotonics
course at the University of Pretoria.
Formal education
| Qualification |
Institution |
Year |
| BSc 2.1 (Combined sciences) |
Preston Polytechnic* |
1983 |
| PhD (Photosystem II) |
Lancashire Polytechnic |
1986 |
| PT PGCE |
University of Greenwich |
1994 |
*Now the University of Central Lancashire
Experience
Dr Raymond Sparrow has more than 20 years of experience
in his research field. He has held several positions, both
in the academic arena and in industry. At the Lancashire
Polytechnic he was involved in the development of a pictosecond
laser pump-probe experiment long before the 1990s. He also
conducted ultra-fast absorption and fluorescence measurements
on photosynthetic systems at the Rutherford Appleton and
Daresbury Laboratories, among other activities. At Synchrotron
Radiation Source in the UK, where he was appointed as higher
scientific officer, he managed, maintained and saw to the
upgrading of the VUV beamline station 3.1 (Seya) including
the design, construction and commissioning of Circular Dichroic
spectrophotometer apparatus operating in the VUV-visible
spectral region. He lectured in biomedical sciences, physics,
chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology
and analytical methods at Bromley College in the UK from
1992 before joining the CSIR in 2005.
Sparrow was instrumental in establishing the synthetic biology
platform at the CSIR in 2007. His other successes include
developing a femtosecond pump-probe system. He initiated
a programme for the African Laser Centre to join LaserLab
Europe (an FP6 access programme involving 17 European laser
laboratories and part of the team to enter this programme
under FP7) He is a member of the Institute of Nanotechnology
in the United Kingdom and the South African Nanotechnology
Initiative.
Organisational details
PO Box 395
Pretoria
0001
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 12 841 3741
Fax: +27 (0) 12 841 3152
Email: rsparrow@csir.co.za
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