Lecturer in Pharmacological Science
BSc BSc(Hons) MRes PhD
| Contact Campus | Sandy Bay Campus |
| Building | Pharmacy Building |
| Room Reference | 4007 |
| Telephone | +61 3 6226 1003 |
| Fax | +61 3 6226 2870 |
| Nikolaos.Dietis@utas.edu.au |
Dr Dietis teaches Pharmacology in three undergraduate courses (Pharmacy, Paramedic Practice and Biotechnology/Medical Research) and in two postgraduate programs of Pharmaceutical Science (Graduate Diploma & Masters). He is also the Program Coordinator for Introduction to Pharmacology in the Medicines Australia's Continuing Education Program (CEP), actively involved in the program's development and online teaching.
Key publications since 2009
Nikolas has graduated from the University of Portsmouth (UK) with a BSc in Pharmacology and later from Nottingham Trent University (UK) with a BSc(Hons) in Pharmacology & Neuroscience. After working for a number of years in the Pharmaceutical Industry sector in Greece, he graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a Masters by Research in Applied Biosciences (Neuroscience), working on opioid biology with Prof M. Darlison at the Natural Sciences Research Centre (NSRC). In parallel, Nikolas was also involved in UK's Secondary Education, teaching Biology and Chemistry A-levels. After receiving a doctorate scholarship by the HOPE Foundation for Cancer Research (UK) he completed his PhD at the University of Leicester (UK), working with Prof D. Lambert on the pharmacological characterization of bifunctional opioids and their potential application as agents with reduced analgesic tolerance in cancer patients. Nikolas has served as a member of the Young Pharmacologists Committee at the British Pharmacological Society and as a Chair at the East Midlands Universities Association Postgraduate Research Conference.
Dr Dietis has been awarded the iQube Award by the University of Leicester for his doctorate work, as well as the Bain Memorial Bursary Fund and the Schachter Award by the British Pharmacological Society.
Today he serves as a Guest Reviewer for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET) and has been an active member of various Pharmacological and Neuroscience societies since 2001 (BF, BPS, SfN, GPS, BNA, APS), including the International Society for the Study of Pain (IASP), contributing to a number of research activities & projects.
In 2012 he joined the University of Tasmania as a Lecturer of Pharmaceutical & Pharmacological Sciences at the School of Pharmacy. Dr Dietis also serves as an Associate Head at the Faculty of Health Sciences Learning & Teaching Committee.
Dr Dietis' research revolves around the molecular pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and the pharmacological properties of bifunctional GPCR-ligands in vitro and in vivo. His interests have a strong emphasis on: the role of GPCR dimerization in disease and its effect on pharmacodynamics; the identification of molecular mechanisms that are implicated in the manifestation of drug tolerance & dependence; and the identification of novel compounds that manifest diminished side-effects.
Dr Dietis' current work is focused on opioid pharmacology, the role of opioid receptor biology in opioid tolerance and the identification of novel opioid compounds for potential use in a number of diseases such as cancer pain and neuropathic pain.
Listed below are the projects that Dr Dietis and his PhD students are currently involved with:
Research Project/s