Regan Anderson

Dr. Regan Anderson is a Senior Scientist at the Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington. He specializes in the development of new bioconjugation methods and the design of novel vaccines for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, including influenza and malaria. His work involves ongoing partnerships with immunologists at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington and collaborations with research groups in Australia, UK, and USA.

Dr. Anderson earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of Canterbury and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Université Joseph Fourier in France. He joined the Ferrier Research Institute in 2005, where he has established himself as a leading researcher in chemical immunology and vaccine development.

Dr. Anderson's research focuses on the intersection of organic synthesis and immunology, with particular expertise in developing new methodologies for natural product synthesis and creating biologically important chemicals such as phosphatidyl inositol phosphates, α-galactosyl ceramide analogues, and nucleoside derivatives. His current work combines commercial projects with government-funded research, using both established and cutting-edge chemistry to synthesize novel targets for therapeutic applications.

Analysis of Dr. Anderson's recent publications reveals a strong focus on glycolipid-peptide conjugate vaccines that stimulate immune responses against cancer and infectious diseases. His research has made significant contributions to understanding how these vaccines can induce liver-resident memory T cells for protection against malaria and how NKT cell agonists can enhance T-cell responses for cancer immunotherapy. The trends in his work show increasing sophistication in vaccine design, with recent publications exploring modifications to adjuvants and peptide components to improve efficacy.

Dr. Anderson has successfully supervised multiple doctoral students, including Hsu, Hsin-Chuan (completed 2025), Preux, Yoan (completed 2022), and Mathew, Juby (completed 2021). He has also secured significant research funding, including the external grant 'Sterilization of Pests for Conservation of Native Species Using a Cell-targeting Approach' (2021-2025) from the University of Otago.

As an educator, Dr. Anderson teaches advanced chemistry courses at the 400-level, including 'Advanced Aspects of Chemistry A' (CHEM424) and 'Advanced Aspects of Chemistry B' (CHEM425), with upcoming courses scheduled through 2025. His teaching interests include organocatalysis, reflecting his research expertise in synthetic chemistry.