Rate My Professor Sonya Mros

Sonya Mros serves as a Senior Research Technician in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago, within the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Division of Health Sciences. She has held this position since November 2008, providing essential laboratory support for research in microbiology, immunology, and biomedical applications. Her technical expertise encompasses antimicrobial assays, cytotoxicity evaluations, digestibility studies, and assessments of immunomodulatory and prebiotic potentials of various natural compounds and biomaterials. Working primarily in Michelle McConnell's lab, Mros contributes to projects aimed at developing novel antibacterial agents, bioactive peptides, and therapeutic materials to address infections and promote health innovations.

Mros is a co-author on more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, with her work accumulating over 850 citations on ResearchGate. Key contributions include 'Effects of extraction methods on the digestibility, cytotoxicity, prebiotic potential and immunomodulatory activity of taro (Colocasia esculenta) and spinach fibres' (Food Hydrocolloids, 2021), where she handled conceptualization, methodology, validation, review, and editing; 'Melt-electrowriting with novel milk protein/PCL biomaterials for skin regeneration' (Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 2019); 'Purification and Characterization of a Rhamnose-Binding Lectin from Luffa aegyptiaca' (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2011); 'Production of bioactive peptide hydrolysates from deer, sheep and goat meat by-products' (Food Chemistry, 2016); 'Improving Antibacterial Activity of a HtrA Protease Inhibitor JO146 against Helicobacter pylori: A Novel Approach Using Microfluidics-Engineered PLGA Nanoparticles' (Pharmaceutics, 2022); 'Effects of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Water-Soluble Non-Starch Polysaccharide, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Their Synbiotic Mixtures on Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-8 Production' (Nutrients, 2022); and 'Stereochemical Effects on the Antimicrobial Properties of Tetrasubstituted 2,5-Diketopiperazines' (2022). These publications highlight her role in advancing research on antimicrobial compounds, bioactive natural products, and tissue engineering.