The Team

Annie Colebatch

Annie moved to the Australian National University in 2019 as a Rita Cornforth Fellow at the Research School of Chemistry. In 2020 she was awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA). Prior to this, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge with Prof Dominic Wright, the University of Oxford with Prof Andrew Weller, and the University of Bath with Prof Michael Hill. Annie completed her PhD at the Australian National University with Prof Anthony Hill.

Rosie Avery (Goodwin)

Rosie completed her PhD in supramolecular chemistry in the White group at ANU. She is now a postdoc working jointly with the White and Colebatch groups working on hydrazone cages for metal binding and catalysis. When she is not in the lab, Rosie enjoys all things outdoors (hiking, bike riding, canoeing, swimming, sailing) as well as doing things with textiles and playing her clarinet.

Peter Hall

Peter joined the group for Honours in 2020 after completing a BSc at the University of Melbourne in 2015. He continued with a PhD from November 2021 researching bimetallic cooperativity in CO₂ electroreduction and breaking condensers. When not in the lab he likes calligraphy, reading books, disc golf and bouldering.

Madeleine Stewart

Madeleine completed her Honours in 2022 at the ANU with Prof Tony Hill and Dr Jamie Hicks and started her PhD with the group in 2024 as a Westpac Scholar. She is interested in potential electrochemical and photochemical applications of bimetallic complexes, while daydreaming about better spectroscopic handles. Outside the lab, Madeleine enjoys climbing and being outdoors (walking, mountain biking, slacklining, swimming).

Chenfei Xie

Chenfei graduated with an MSc in Chemistry from Nanjing University in China and joined the group in June 2024 as a joint student with Prof Yun Liu’s group as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence on Carbon Science and Innovation. Her project focuses on designing and synthesising MOFs for catalytic and functional materials applications. In her free time, she enjoys watching stand-up comedy, jogging and playing with her cute dog, Budiu.

Riley Withycombe

Riley is completing his Honours year in the Colebatch and Hill groups. He is looking at designing bimetallic catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ having previously completed an undergraduate research project in the group. When he is not doing chemistry, Riley, will either lock himself inside with a good video game or book, or go outside to go on walks and touch grass. 

Lachlan Hoffman

Lachlan joined the group in July 2025 for Honours after completing his degree at the University of Newcastle. Lachlan is jointly supervised for Honours between the Colebatch group and Hicks group working on unsymmetrical ligands for bimetallics, small molecule activation, and catalysis. When not in the lab, Lachlan enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the beach, and watching movies.