Professor Debra Bernhardt

Professor Debra Bernhardt is a Professor in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at The University of Queensland. Her research interests include computational energy materials, nanotechnology, and the physical chemistry of materials. She is affiliated with the Nanotechnology & Materials Chemistry group and contributes to the study of nonequilibrium systems, molecular dynamics simulation, and statistical mechanics. Her work focuses on the theory and design of materials, with an emphasis on their applications in energy and nanotechnology.

Debra Bernhardt (Searles) is a researcher at The University of Queensland, focusing on Nonequilibrium systems, Molecular level modelling, Energy materials, and Fluctuation phenomena. Her work explores the dynamics of small systems and short time scales, particularly in relation to violations of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. She investigates fluctuation theorems and their experimental validation, such as in colloidal particles held in optical traps. Her research also addresses energy materials, including sodium and lithium storage in graphdiyne and carbon nitride, as well as CO2 capture and hydrogen production from biomass. Bernhardt's studies contribute to understanding irreversibility, steady states, and response theory in confined systems.