Sameer Kulkarni

Dr. Sameer Kulkarni is a Lecturer at the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, and a Senior Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS). He completed his PhD at the University of South Florida (USA) focusing on anti-cancer agents via click chemistry, followed by postdoctoral work at ITbM (Japan) developing KAHA ligation for protein synthesis. Since 2023, he has held dual roles as lecturer and researcher in Sydney.

• Academic Appointments: Lecturer (School of Chemistry, 2023–present), Senior Research Fellow (CIPPS, 2023–present)
• Education: PhD (University of South Florida, USA), Postdoctoral Fellow (ITbM, Japan)

Research Interests: Dr. Kulkarni specializes in selenium-mediated ligation methodologies for peptide/protein synthesis and semi-synthesis, enabling site-selective modifications for therapeutic applications. His work also explores late-stage photocatalytic/electrochemical modification of selenoproteins, advancing drug discovery and biochemical research.

Scientific Publications: His research focuses on chemical ligation techniques (diselenide-selenoester, KAHA), peptide functionalization, and protein engineering. Key trends include thrombin inhibition via sulfoproteins, mirror-image mRNA display for cyclic peptides, and electrochemical/redox-driven modifications at selenocysteine residues.

• Scientific Awards & Grants:
  • CIPPS Fresh Ideas Grant (2024)
  • Fungal Infection Trust Grant (2024)
  • ARC Discovery Project (2025)

Teaching & Supervision: Dr. Kulkarni teaches CHEM1112: Fundamentals of Chemistry and CHEM2523: Chemistry of Biological Molecules, and supervises third-year undergraduate labs. He mentors 3 PhD students directly and co-supervised 10 PhD/honors students in the Payne group, including 3 University Medallists.

Labs & Collaborations: Affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS) and collaborates on projects involving selenocysteine chemistry, membrane protein regulation, and antifungal therapies.