Rate My Professor Matthias Fellner

Dr. Matthias Fellner is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, where he leads the Fellner Research Group. His research focuses on the structure and function of enzymes and proteins important in diseases, with his main project targeting serine hydrolases in Staphylococcus aureus as diagnostic probes and drug targets. He is involved in multiple collaborative projects across diverse topics, leveraging expertise in protein crystallography to characterize bacterial enzymes and develop therapeutic strategies. Fellner has over 1,250 citations on Google Scholar, reflecting his impact in the field of structural enzymology.

Fellner completed his PhD at the University of Otago in 2015, with a thesis entitled Enzymology and Structure of the Thiol Dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He has secured major funding as a mid-career researcher, including the Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi, a four-year award supporting his work on enzyme structures to create new antibiotics against drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae through international collaborations and advanced synchrotron techniques. Additional grants include Marsden Fund Fast-Start awards, such as one in 2022 for Staphylococcus aureus biofilms and another in 2025 investigating protein-based pigments in sea stars. Key publications include Carbamoyl fluorides as serine hydrolase inhibitors: A case study on FphI from Staphylococcus aureus (Bioorganic Chemistry, 2026), Unique structural and ligand-binding properties of the Staphylococcus aureus serine hydrolase FphE (PNAS, 2026), Identification of covalent inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus serine hydrolases important for virulence and biofilm formation (Nature Communications, 2025), Dual mechanisms of digestion-resistant proteins in food systems (Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition, 2025), and Engineering an antimicrobial chimeric endolysin that targets Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2025). He supervises postgraduate students and postdocs while fostering engagement with industry, Māori, and Pacific communities.