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Microbiologist

Email daniel.pletzer@otago.ac.nz
Twitter @pletzerlab
Webpage Pletzer Lab
ORCID 0000-0001-5750-7505
ResearcherID G-5737-2013

2011-2014 PhD (Jacobs University Bremen, Germany), 2009-2011 MSc (Jacobs University Bremen, Germany) 2006-2009 BSc (University of Applied Sciences Hagenberg, Austria)

Year of appointment: 2019

Previous academic positions

  • 2015-2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow (University of British Columbia, Canada)
  • 2014-2015 Postdoctoral Fellow (Jacobs University Bremen, Germany)

Teaching roles

Current research

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
  3. Develop new antimicrobial strategies

Visit the Pletzer Lab website for more information.

A photo of the Pletzer Lab Postdoctoral Fellows and Staff 2023

Pletzer Lab 2023

Postdoctoral Fellows and staff

Sam Wardell imageDr Sam Wardell
Postdoctoral Fellow


Ian Liddle imageDr Ian Liddle
Postdoctoral Fellow
(Co-supervised by Associate Professor Allan Gamble)


Anupriya Gupta imageDr Anupriya Gupta
Postdoctoral Fellow


Shilpa Nair imageDr Shilpa Nair
Assistant Research Fellow
(Co-supervised by Dr Fellner)


Postgraduate students

PhD students

Saffron Whitta imageSaffron Whitta
PhD student


Maddie Hardie Boys imageMaddie Hardie Boys
PhD student


Rory Smith imageRory Smith
PhD student


Tasbiha Gul imageTasbiha Gul
PhD student


Robiul Shanto imageRobiul Shanto
PhD student


Prasanga Madhushani imagePrasanga Madhushani
PhD student


A profile photo of Kathy SircombeKathy Sircombe
PhD student
(Co-supervised by Professor Sarah Hook, Associate Professor Allan Gamble)


Simon Su imageSimon Su
PhD student
(Co-supervised by Professor Sarah Hook, Associate Professor Allan Gamble)


Meera Kabiraz imageMeera Kabiraz
PhD student


Haziq Azlan imageHaziq Aslan
PhD student
(Co-supervised by Dr Fellner)


You Xiangyan imageYou Xiangyan
PhD student
(Co-supervised by Dr Fellner)


Prodip Baral
PhD student
(Co-supervised by Professor Das)


MSc students

Adrian Smith-Beech imageAdrian Smith-Beech
MSc student
(Co-supervised by Dr Fellner)


4th-Year students

  • Mark Lemzin-Abdrashitov – BSc(Hons)
  • Janaya Stevenson – BSc(Hons)

Recent graduates

PhD students

  • Dr Deborah Yung, PhD Microbiology – 2024
  • Dr Catherine Ross, PhD Pharmacy – 2023
  • Dr Minati Choudhury, PhD Dentistry – 2023
    Current location: International Medical University Malaysia

MSc students

  • Alana Hampson, MSc Microbiology – 2023

4th-Year students

  • 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

Postgraduate opportunities

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.

Email daniel.pletzer@otago.ac.nz
Web Pletzer 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. The scholarship is available to both domestic and international students. International students should have a look at the International Office 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.

Scholarly netwoking

PubMed publications

Pletzer Lab publicatons

Publications

Saseendran Nair, S., Kleffmann, T., Smith, B., Morris, V., Göbl, C., Pletzer, D., & Fellner, M. (2024). Comparative lipidomics profiles of planktonic and biofilms of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. Analytical Biochemistry, 698, 115746. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2024.115746 Journal - Research Article

Choudhury, M., Brunton, P., Dias, G., Schwass, D., Meledandri, C., Ratnayake, J., Pletzer, D., & Tompkins, G. (2024). Gold nanoparticles as innovative therapeutics for oral mucositis: A review of current evidence. Drug Delivery & Translational Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s13346-024-01748-x Journal - Research Other

Shein, A. M. S., Wannigama, D. L., Hurst, C., Monk, P. N., Amarasiri, M., Wongsurawat, T., … Hosseini Rad, S. M. A., … Pletzer, D., … Abe, S. (2024). Phage cocktail amikacin combination as a potential therapy for bacteremia associated with carbapenemase producing colistin resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Scientific Reports, 14, 28992. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79924-9 Journal - Research Article

Pérez de la Lastra, J. M., Wardell, S. J. T., Pal, T., de la Fuente-Nunez, C., & Pletzer, D. (2024). From data to decisions: Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning in combating antimicrobial resistance: A comprehensive review. Journal of Medical Systems, 48, 71. doi: 10.1007/s10916-024-02089-5 Journal - Research Other

Shein, A. M. S., Hongsing, P., Smith, O. K., Phattharapornjaroen, P., Miyanaga, K., Cui, L., … Pletzer, D., … Wannigama, D. L. (2024). Current and novel therapies for management of Acinetobacter baumannii-associated pneumonia [Review]. Critical Reviews in Microbiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/1040841x.2024.2369948 Journal - Research Article

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