Peter Wich leads the UNSW Research Lab for Functional Biopolymers. His primary research interests are in the fields of macromolecular chemistry at the interface between nanotechnology and bioorganic chemistry. His lab focuses on the chemical modification of natural biopolymers with the aim to engineer new multifunctional and biocompatible materials for applications in drug delivery, nanomedicine and bio-catalysis.

Peter has been awarded more than 20 prizes and scholarships for his research, including the Innovation Prize in Medicinal/Pharmaceutical Chemistry for his work on bioinspired nanomaterials (jointly awarded by the German Chemical and the German Pharmaceutical Society) and the Galenus Technology Prize, for his innovative achievements in the field of Pharmaceutical Technology. In 2016, he was selected as “Young Member” of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz, Germany. In recognition of his achievements, he was selected in 2019 to represent the element Roentgenium in the IUPAC Periodic Table of Younger Chemists. In 2020, Peter was named as Polymer Chemistry Emerging Investigator, a biennial selection of polymer scientists in the early stages of their independent careers.
Peter has been an independent group leader for the last 9 years, graduated 7 PhD students, and overall has successfully attracted more than €2 million (AUD $3 million) in support packages and competitive funding as lead- and co-investigator in his research career.