We are seeking a motivated summer scholar to join a protein engineering project developing an oral biotherapeutic for coeliac disease. Affecting 1-3% of the global population, coeliac disease currently lacks therapeutic options, leaving patients reliant on a strict, costly, and burdensome gluten-free diet.
Our research group has identified a novel gluten-degrading enzyme from a commensal gut bacterium with strong in vitro activity. To enable in vivo efficacy, this project aims to enhance the enzyme’s catalytic activity and structural stability across acidic gastric pH ranges.
The student will gain multidisciplinary experience combining computational protein modeling with benchtop protein expression, purification, and functional assays to design improved variants and evaluate novel formulation strategies. Beyond addressing coeliac disease, this project contributes to a broader computational-to-benchtop engineering pipeline with direct applications in medical biotechnology and biotherapeutics.
The ideal candidate is a student with an undergraduate with a foundation in biochemistry, molecular biology, or computational biology, or related applied discipline and a strong interest in protein expression, purification, and rational (and irrational) protein design
Supervisors
Primary Supervisor: Olivia Ogilvie
Other Supervisor(s): Ren Dobson, Andrew Day (University of Otago)
Application and funding
This is a UC Commitments Summer Scholarship research project. Emailed applications will not be considered. Find out more here: University of Canterbury Scholarship Portal - UC Commitments Summer Scholarship
Final date for receiving applications
25 September 2026
