The University of Western Australia

Dr Paul Greenwood

Senior Research Fellow
West Australian Biogeochemistry Centre

Contact details

Address

West Australian Biogeochemistry Centre
The University of Western Australia (M090)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 2520

Fax

6488 1001

Email

paul.greenwood@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BSc Melb., PhD NSW

Key research

Most research interests relate to the development and use of organic analytical methods for characterisation studies of naturally occurring organics e.g. sedimentary OM, soil OM, DOC. I also have broader organic analytical interests, e.g., forensic analysis.

Publications

Selected:

N. A. Lengkeek, P. F. Greenwood, B. P. T. H. Ngyuen, G.A. Koutsantonis, M.J. Piggott (2010). Rapid preparation of families of C3n (n = 4 - 7) highly branched alkanes for structural identification of putative hydrocarbon biomarkers. Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry 12, 141-150.
L. Berwick, P. F. Greenwood, W. I. Meredith, C. Snape, H. M. Talbot (2010). Comparison of MSSV pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis to facilitate the thermal release of bound hydrocarbon biomarkers from extant and sedimentary organic matter. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 87, 108-116.
L. Berwick, P. Greenwood, R. Smernik (2010) Structural characterisation of N. Pine (Qld) NOM by innovative MSSVpy and Complimentary Spectroscopic Techniques. Water Research. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2010.02.023
P. F. Greenwood, S. Wibrow, S. J. George, M. Tibbett (2009). The Priming of a Soil Microbial Community with a Hydrocarbon Substrate to Accelerate the Bioremediation of Oil Contaminated Soil. Organic Geochemistry 40, 293-300.
H. Lu, T. Chen, K. Grice, P. F. Greenwood, P. Peng, G. Sheng (2009). The distribution and significance of novel low-molecular-weight sterenes in immature evaporitic sediments from the Jinxian Sag, North China. Organic Geochemistry 40, 902-911.
M. Mallick, S. Dutta, P. F. Greenwood, N. Bertram (2009). Pyrolytic and Spectroscopic Studies of Eocene Resin from Vastan Lignite Mine, Cambay Basin, Western India. Journal Geological Society of India 74, 16-22.
S. Dutta, M. Mallick, N. Bertram, P. F. Greenwood, R. P. Mathew (2009). Terpenoid composition and class of Tertiary resins from India. International Journal of Coal Geology 80, 44-50.
S. R. Gray, C. B. Ritchie, T. Tran, B. A. Bolto, P. F. Greenwood, F. Busetti (2008), The effect of membrane type and solution chemistry on microfiltration performance. Water Research 42, 743-753.
P.F. Greenwood, S. Wibrow, S. J. George, M. Tibbett (2008). Sequential Hydrocarbon Biodegradation of an oil spiked soil from arid coastal Australia under laboratory controlled conditions. Organic Geochemistry 39, 1336-1346.
N. Aziz, P. F. Greenwood, K. Grice, J. Watling, W. van Bronswick (2008). Molecular fingerprinting of the oil base component of adhesive tapes. Journal of Forensic Science 53, 1130-1137.
K Grice, H Lu, P Atahan, C. Hallmann, M. Asif, P. F. Greenwood, S. Tulipani, E. Maslen, K. H. Williford, J. Dodson (2009). New insights into the origin of perlyene in geological samples Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 73, 6531–6543.
L. Berwick, P. F. Greenwood, R. Kagi, J-P Croué (2007). The thermal release of nitro-organics from natural organic matter (NOM) by micro-scale sealed vessel (MSSV) pyrolysis. Organic Geochemistry 38, 1073-1090.
Greenwood, P.F., 2006a. GC-MS correlation of C3n series of naturally occurring highly branched alkanes and polypropylene oligomers. Organic Geochemistry, 37, 755-771.
Greenwood, P.F. Leenheer, J.A., McIntyre, C., Berwick, L, Franzmann 2006b. Detection of bacterial markers thermally released from Dissolved Organic Matter. Organic Geochemistry, 37, 597-609.
Dutta, S., Greenwood, P.F., Brocke, R., Schaefer, R.G., Mann. U., 2006c New insights into the relationship between Tasmanites and tricyclic terpenoids. Organic Geochemistry, 37, 117-127 ()

Roles, responsibilities and expertise

Paul Greenwood is an environmental and organic geochemist. He studies the molecular distributions and compound specific stable isotopic values of organic matter in geological sediments, soils and water. Paul joined the WABC through a JdL fellowship in 2008. Prior to this, he held research positions at UWA (School of Soils and Environment), Curtin University and also enjoyed over 11 years in Government research (CSIRO-Petroleum and Geoscience Australia). He received his PhD from UNSW, where he studied coal characterisation and fullerene generation using laser mass spectrometry.

Funding received

2010 Grice, Greenwood (PI’s: Summons, Snape) ARC Discovery – DP1096729 ($450K) Linking Biolipids and Pigments to Ancient Biomolecules using Innovative Laser and Hydro Pyrolysis and Compound Specific Stable Isotope Techniques

2010 Grice, Murphy, Greenwood, Heitz, Grierson, Busetti, Wacey, Gleeson, ARC Infrastructure/Equipment - LE100100127 ($300K) High resolution LC-MSn for analyses of functionalised biolipids, alternative petroleum reserves and organic contaminants in reclaimed water

2009 (09-12) Bush, Sullivan, Grice, Burton, Appleyard, Greenwood, Fischer. ARC Linkage - LP0991658. ($624K) Sulfidic-rich black ooze in eutrophic estuarine environments: Its formation and environmental hazard.

2008 Grice, Grierson, Greenwood, Brocks, Zhang, Heitz. ARC Infrastructure/Equipment - LE0882836. ($160K) A novel isotope facility to characterise high molecular weight fractions of natural organic matter.

2008 Greenwood. John De Laeter Fellowship Scheme ($175K) Laser micropyrolysis: molecular and stable isotopic organic analysis at the microscopic level

2007 Greenwood, Watling, Grice, Tibbett, Grierson, Kagi, van Aarssen, Heitz. (Boreham) – ARC LIEFP - LE0775650. ($170K) Advanced multi-purpose analytical pyrolysis facility

2006 Grice, Greenwood, (PI’s: Summons, Franzmann) ARC Discovery Large Grant - DP0662839 ($338K) New molecular and isotopic biomarker approaches to establishing source, palaeoclimate, facies and thermal history of sedimentary organic matter.

2006 Kagi, Alexander, Grice, Brocks, Ghisalberti, Trengove, Vernon, Heitz, Greenwood, Joll, Warton, Busetti. ARC LIEFP - LE0668452 ($290K) A research grade liquid chromatograph - mass spectrometer for quantitative analysis of trace organic analytes in complex matrices.

2005 Greenwood Curtin Strategic Grant ($10K) The composition of unique highly branched C3n alkanes in Cretaceous sediments (Qld) and surface and ground water of the Clare valley (SA).

2005 Greenwood, Joll, Grice, Kagi, Chow, Eaglesham, Wade, Gray, Walker. CRC-WQT Project ($673K) Advanced characterisation of natural organic matter (NOM) in Australian water supplies.
2005 Grice, Dodson, Greenwood. ARC LIEFP LE0560734 ($110K) Accelerated solvent extractor and evaporator for molecular and stable isotope analyses of sedimentary organic matter. 7. 2004.

2005 Kagi, Weinstein, Grice, Heitz, Joll, Greenwood, Trengove, Hinz, McKinley ARC LIEFP LE0561166 ($194K) Facility for analysis of organic micropollutants in natural, recreational, and potable water systems.

Memberships

Australian Water Association
Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry
European Association of Organic Geochemists.

Previous positions

2003-2006 CRCWQT/Curtin
2000-2003 Geoscience Australia
1992-2000 CSIRO-Petroleum

Teaching

EART2235 - Introduction to Organic Geochemistry
Short course - Petroleum Geochemistry

Research profile

Research profile and publications