Infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, host-pathogen interaction, microbial pathogens, nanomedicines
Our research is focused on recalcitrant ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) pathogens; especially hard-to-treat clinical isolates involved in multidrug resistance, biofilm infections and persistence. We are especially interested in bacteria that have been categorized as "critical" priority pathogens by the World Health Organization. This includes multidrug resistant organisms that cause severe and often deadly infections and therefore pose an enormous threat in hospitals.
To address this issue, our research focuses on fighting infectious diseases and tackling antimicrobial resistance using innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.
Our lab seeks to 1) understand how microbes cause disease, 2) fight antimicrobial resistance with novel nanomedicines, and 3) develop new antimicrobial strategies.
Dr. Sam Wardell |
Dr. Ian Liddle |
Dr. Anupriya Gupta |
Dr. Shilpa Nair |
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Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Research Fellow |
PhD students
Deborah Yung | Saffron Whitta | Rory Smith | Maddie Hardie Boys |
Robiul Shanto |
Prasanga Madhushani |
Kathy Sircombe |
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Simon Su
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MSc students
Adrian Smith-Beech |
4th Year students
Mark Lemzin-Abdrashitov BSc(Hons) |
Janaya Stevenson BSc(Hons) |
- Dr. Catherine Ross (PhD Pharmacy; co-supervised - PI: Prof. Hook); 2023
- Dr. Minati Choudhury (PhD Dentistry; co-supervised - PI: Prof. Tompkins); 2023 - (Current location: International Medical University Malaysia)
- Alana Hampson (MSc Microbiology); 2023
- Maddie Hardie Boys; BBiomedSc(Hons); 2023
- Rory Smith; BMedSc(Hons) Medicine; 2023
- Stella Zhang; PGDip Microbiology; 2023
- Meg Vallabh; BBiomedSc(Hons); 2023
- Shuying Wee; BBiomedSc(Hons); 2022
- Jess Henricks; BSc(Hons) Microbiology; 2022
- Tiu Cullen; BSc(Hons) Microbiology; 2022
- Bianca Tawatao; BSc(Hons) Microbiology; 2022
- Claude Vincent; BSc(Hons) Microbiology; 2021
- Finn Dusterwald; DipSci Genetics; 2021
- Deborah Yung; BSc(Hons) Microbiology; 2020
- Alana Hampson; BSc(Hons) Microbiology; 2020
- Sophie Qiu; BBiomedSc(Hons); 2020
Did you just finish your BSc degree and are you interested in a Honours or Masters project? We always have a lot of ongoing exciting projects - just reach out to hear more about what is available: daniel.pletzer@otago.ac.nz or contact members of the lab.
Interested in a PhD? Candidates with a BSc(Hons) or MSc degree are highly encouraged to apply if their research interest and experience matches any of the following themes: Microbiology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Genetics, or Bioinformatics.
All PhD candidates must be eligible for admission to the University of Otago and apply for a PhD scholarship (https://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/scholarships/index.html). The scholarship is available to both domestic and international students. International students should have a look at the International Office (https://www.otago.ac.nz/international/index.html) for entry requirements and contact the lab beforehand.
If you are interested in joining our lab, please send a cover letter including current research interests, a CV including all published work, a summary of previous research (if applicable), full academic transcripts, and contact information for two-three references.
A few relevant publications are listed below
(for a full publication list, please visit our profile on PubMed or our website):
Wolfmeier H, Wardell SJT, Liu LT, Falsafi R, Draeger A, Babiychuk EB, Pletzer D, Hancock REW
Front Microbiol. 10.3389/fmicb.2022.867449
Nielsen J*, Alford MA*, Yung DBY*, Molchanova N, Fortkort J, Lin J, Diamond G, Hancock REW, Jenssen H, Pletzer D, Lund R, Barron A.
ACS Infect Dis. 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00536
Harfoot R, Yung DBY, Anderson WA, Wild CEK, Coetzee N, Hernández LC, Lawley B, Pletzer D, Derraik JGB, Anderson YC, Quiñones-Mateu ME.
Pathogens. 10.3390/pathogens11010083
Yung DBY, Sircombe KJ, Pletzer D.
Mol Microbiol. 10.1111/mmi.14699
Pletzer D, Mansour SC, Hancock REW.
PLoS Pathog. 14(6):e1007084
*authors contributed equally as first author; italic = corresponding author; underline = lab members