Dr Luis Toronjo-Urquiza
Program Director
School of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering and Information Technology
Eligible to supervise Not eligible, but is currently at capacity - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I attained my degree in Biochemistry at the University of Seville (Spain). As part of this, I spent my final 2 academic years abroad. First at the Department of Agriculture at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), studying Food Process Engineering, and second, at Hawaii Pacific University in the United States, studying Physical Chemistry and Molecular Biology.Following this, I completed my Master of Biological and Bioprocess Engineering at The University of Sheffield, focusing my research on the study of microalgae biomass production and disruption by alternative technologies.I then completed my PhD in biopharmaceutical production, specialising in production, purification and analytical characterisation of recombinant monoclonal antibodies in mammalian cells. Subsequently, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Sheffield Hallam University in a collaborative program, studying the effect of food polyphenols on inflammatory pathways of 3D human cartilage tissue cultures.Most recently, I am honoured to have been offered a position as a lecturer at the University of Adelaide School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials.My experience across Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy the USA and Spain has enabled me to work in the interface of Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Bioprocessing and Analytical Biochemistry. Some of my areas of interest are: - The development of new processes for the extraction of natural-origin pharmaceutical products- The transformation of industrial waste into secondary high-value food and pharmaceutical products- The study of stability and formulation of pharmaceuticals- The advance and optimisation of current processes such as beer and wine fermentation.
I am a bioprocess and biopharmaceutical engineer working at the interface of engineering, biotechnology and pharmaceutical science. My research focuses on translating biological and pharmaceutical discoveries into processes that can manufacture products reliably, efficiently and at scale.
My research interests include biopharmaceutical process development, cell culture and recombinant protein production, purification and downstream processing, pharmaceutical formulation and stability, natural-product extraction and valorisation, advanced filtration, predictive modelling and sustainable biomanufacturing.
My current projects include the development and scale-up of plant-derived pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, a Defence Innovation Partnership project developing a pharmaceutical radiation protectant and mitigant, and the predictive modelling and scale-up of filtration processes for the food and beverage industry. My research is interdisciplinary and frequently involves industry and international collaborators, including DSTG, Plantworx Organics, BioCina, TU Delft and the University of Nottingham.
I welcome enquiries from students interested in combining laboratory research with process design, scale-up, data analysis and real-world industrial challenges. Relevant backgrounds include chemical and bioprocess engineering, biotechnology, biochemistry, pharmaceutical science, food science and related disciplines. Although I am currently at principal-supervision capacity, I welcome enquiries about future projects, co-supervision and research collaboration.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2019 | Postdoctoral fellow | Sheffield Hallam university |
| 2014 - 2014 | Research assistant | The University of Sheffield |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Italian | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Spanish; Castilian | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2018 | The University of Sheffield | United Kingdom | PhD in Optimisation of biopharmaceutical antibody production and stability |
| 2013 - 2014 | The University of Sheffield | United Kingdom | MEng Biological and Bioprocess Engineering |
| 2006 - 2013 | University of Seville | Spain | BSc Biochemistry |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sandhu, G. S., Liu, J., Shams, H., Nine, M. J., Sabir, R., Kidd, S. P., . . . Losic, D. (2026). Synergistic effect of surface charge and Zn2+ release on ZnO based antibiofouling coatings. Surfaces and Interfaces, 98, 11 pages. |
| 2026 | Sandhu, G. S., Liu, J., Danushika, G., Nine, M. J., Purasinhala, K., Kidd, S. P., . . . Losic, D. (2026). Multifunctional epoxy/ZnO/GO superhydrophobic coatings for integrated marine protection and hydrodynamic drag reduction. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 1-15. |
| 2025 | Wang, Y., Kalyvas, J. T., Evans, J. D., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Horsley, J. R., & Abell, A. D. (2025). Expanding the therapeutic window of gramicidin S towards a safe and effective systemic treatment of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 283, 117128-1-117128-9. Scopus11 WoS10 Europe PMC5 |
| 2025 | Karami, A., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Kidd, S., Sumby, C. J., & Bi, J. (2025). UCNP@ZnO:Co/Ag Composites: A Dual-Action Platform for Antibacterial Photodynamic Therapy via Synergistic Silver Ion and Reactive Oxygen Species Release. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 17(33), 46850-46860. Scopus8 WoS6 Europe PMC3 |
| 2024 | Klose, J. W., Begbie, A. J., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., & Pukala, T. L. (2024). Native Mass Spectrometric Insights into the Formation and Stability of DNA Triplexes. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 35(3), 613-621. Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC3 |
| 2024 | Kalyvas, J. T., Wang, Y., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Stachura, D. L., Yu, J., Horsley, J. R., & Abell, A. D. (2024). A New Gramicidin S Analogue with Potent Antibacterial Activity and Negligible Hemolytic Toxicity. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 67(13), 10774-10782. Scopus21 WoS20 Europe PMC15 |
| 2024 | Beckett, L. J., Williams, P. M., Toh, L. S., Hessel, V., Gerstweiler, L., Fisk, I., . . . Chauhan, V. M. (2024). Advancing insights into microgravity induced muscle changes using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.. NPJ Microgravity, 10(1), 79. Scopus9 WoS11 Europe PMC5 |
| 2024 | Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Besford, Q. A., & Falconer, R. J. (2024). Interactions between small organic molecules and water measured using pressure perturbation calorimetry. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 149(17), 9223-9231. Scopus2 WoS1 |
| 2022 | Schini, M., Peel, N., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Thomas, E., Salam, S., Khwaja, A., . . . Walsh, J. S. (2022). Evaluation of estimated glomerular function (eGFR) versus creatinine clearance (CrCl) to predict acute kidney injury when using zoledronate for the treatment of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis International, 33(3), 737-744. Scopus14 WoS16 Europe PMC11 |
| 2020 | Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Acosta-Martin, A. E., James, D. C., Nagy, T., & Falconer, R. J. (2020). Resveratrol addition to CHO cell culture media: The effect on cell growth, monoclonal antibody synthesis and its chemical modification.. Biotechnology progress, 36(3), 1-9. Scopus13 WoS13 Europe PMC10 |
| 2020 | Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Acosta-Martin, A. E., James, D. C., Nagy, T., & Falconer, R. J. (2020). The use of catechins in Chinese hamster ovary cell media for the improvement of monoclonal antibody yields and a reduction of acidic species.. Biotechnology progress, 36(4), 1-10. Scopus17 WoS19 Europe PMC14 |
| 2019 | Toronjo Urquiza, L., James, D. C., Nagy, T., & Falconer, R. J. (2019). Screening Naturally Occurring Phenolic Antioxidants for Their Suitability as Additives to CHO Cell Culture Media Used to Produce Monoclonal Antibodies.. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 8(6), 1-18. Scopus18 WoS19 Europe PMC14 |
| 2019 | Delcastillo-Andrés, Ó., Toronjo-Hornillo, L., & Toronjo-Urquiza, L. (2019). Effects of fall training program on automatization of safe motor responses during backwards falls in school-age children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(21), 1-11. Scopus11 WoS9 Europe PMC5 |
| - | Sandhu, G. S., Liu, J., Shams, H., Nine, M. J., Danushika, G., Kidd, S. P., . . . Losic, D. (2026). Surface charge-driven WPU/hPDMS antibiofouling coatings. Discover Materials. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Schini, M., Peel, N., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Thomas, E., Salam, S., Khwaja, A., . . . Walsh, J. (2022). Renal Safety Of Zoledronic Acid In Patients With Borderline Kidney Function At A Metabolic Bone Centre In The United Kingdom. In JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH Vol. 37 (pp. 271). CA, San Diego: WILEY. |
| 2021 | Schini, M., Peel, N., Toronjo-Urquiza, L., Thomas, E., Salam, S., Khwaja, A., . . . Walsh, J. (2021). RENAL SAFETY OF ZOLEDRONIC ACID IN PATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE KIDNEY FUNCTION AT A METABOLIC BONE CENTRE IN THE UK. In OSTEOPOROSIS INTERNATIONAL Vol. 32 (pp. S194-S195). SPRINGER LONDON LTD. |
2026: Adelaide University Signature Research Theme PhD Scholarship, Principal Supervisor. Predictive Modelling and Scale-Up of Advanced Filtration for Food and Beverage Processing. Competitive internal research-training award supporting an interdisciplinary project with industry engagement and a confirmed research exchange at TU Delft.
2024: Defence Innovation Partnership Collaborative Research Fund, Chief Investigator. First-in-Class Pharmaceutical Radiation Protectant and Mitigant. Total project value of $437,301, including a $150,000 contribution from the Defence Innovation Partnership.
I teach biopharmaceutical engineering, bioprocessing and pharmaceutical manufacturing, with a strong emphasis on connecting scientific principles with industrial practice. My teaching covers upstream bioprocessing, cell culture, purification, formulation, process scale-up, pharmaceutical production and biomanufacturing.
I use laboratory activities, industrial case studies, research-based learning and complete bioprocess workflows to help students understand how products progress from scientific discovery to reliable manufacturing. I also support students in identifying skills gaps, preparing professional applications and interviews, and connecting with internships, research projects and employment opportunities.
As Program Director of the Master of Biopharmaceutical Engineering, I work closely with students from engineering, biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, biochemistry, biomedical science and related backgrounds. My teaching and mentoring have been recognised through student-led and faculty teaching awards, a University Commendation for work-integrated learning, and selection as a finalist for the 2026 SA STEMM Educator of the Year.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Co-Supervisor | Olive Meets Starch: Encapsulating Oleuropein in Resistant Starch Oleogel Emulsions | Master of Research | Master | Full Time | Mr Oscar Maxwell Brown |
| 2026 | Principal Supervisor | Engineering a Phosphate-Free Medium for Industrial Biomanufacturing Applications | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Hoang Duong Quang Mai |
| 2026 | Co-Supervisor | Disentangling the Complexity of mRNA Lipid Nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP) Assembly in Microfluidic Reactors | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Jessica Boutros |
| 2026 | Co-Supervisor | Building Stability into RNA Lipid Nanoparticle Therapeutics and Vaccines | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ziyue Li |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Optimization and scale-up of the pharmaceutical processes for the production of parthenolide | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Jonah Lennox |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Feasibility study and process engineering insights into parthenolide stability and formulation for development of industrial production informed by physicochemical profiling | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Yaxin Wang |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Engineering Process development for filtration and finishing steps in Parthenolide Industrial Production | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Anh Duy Nguyen |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Physical Stability and Solubility of mRNA Lipid Nanoparticles for use in Vaccines and Therapeutic Products - The Role of Organic Excipients | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Sophie Kate Oerlemans |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Investigation into the physical stability of the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) used for RNA delivery | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Franz Wagner Laurett Veras |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Development of Analyte sensitive Fluorescent Aerogels for Space Applications. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Alexandra Nia Thomas |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Whole Organism Analytics using Free-Living Nematodes - Astropharmacy | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Laura Jasmine Beckett |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - 2026 | Co-Supervisor | A dynamic light scattering investigation of the colloidal stability of lipid nanoparticles in aqueous formulations for RNA delivery | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Jaslene Anne Francis |
Available For Media Comment.