Miss Sophie Oerlemans
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering and Information Technology
My research is devoted to advancing the physical and chemical stability of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) utilised in the delivery of RNA therapeutics, encompassing vaccines and personalised therapeutics. With a focus on elucidating the factors that affect the stability of LNPs and their encapsulated cargo including various RNA types such as mRNA and siRNA, I aim to translate these findings into practical strategies for the optimisation of LNP-RNA formulations. By enhancing the stability of LNPs for diverse applications, I strive to contribute to the creation of more dependable and efficacious mRNA delivery systems, scalable for manufacturing processes across a broad spectrum of therapeutic uses. This research will facilitate the precise tuning of RNA-LNP formulations, ultimately propelling the field of nucleic acid medicine forward, particularly in the areas of vaccines and personalised medicine.
My PhD research focuses on improving the stability of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used to deliver RNA therapeutics.
I study how formulation composition, RNA cargo and manufacturing processes affect LNP stability, RNA integrity and particle quality. This includes comparing microfluidic kinetic mixing with low-shear equilibrium-based manufacturing processes.
Using Quality by Design principles, my research aims to identify the key formulation and process factors that control LNP performance. The goal is to support more stable, scalable and reliable RNA-LNP systems for vaccines, personalised medicine and broader future applications.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | AI Trainer (Chemical Engineering) | Outlier |
| 2019 - 2023 | Scientific Writer | Joanna Briggs Institute |
| 2017 - 2017 | Research Assistant | University of Gothenburg |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Award | Images of Learning and Teaching 1st Prize Winner | University of Adelaide | Australia | $1000 |
| 2022 | Invitation | Golden Key International Honour Society | Golden Key International Honour Society | United States | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Adelaide | Australia | Masters Biopharmaceutical Engineering | |
| University of Adelaide | Australia | BSc (Biochemistry & Pharmacology) | |
| Flinders University | Australia | B.Psych |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Boutros, J., Wright, L., Oerlemans, S. K., Baali, H., & Falconer, R. J. (2026). Self-assembly of RNA lipid nanoparticles studied using isothermal titration calorimetry, dynamic light scattering and microscopy. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. |
| 2025 | Francis, J. A., Wright, L., Oerlemans, S. K., van Wegen, R., & Falconer, R. J. (2025). Idiosyncratic behaviour of pegylated lipid nanoparticles used in RNA delivery: A dynamic light scattering study.. Int J Pharm, 685, 126196. Scopus1 WoS1 |
| 2024 | Capilli, M. J. A., Oerlemans, S., Wright, L., & Falconer, R. (2024). Complexity associated with caprylate binding to bovine serum albumin: Dimerization, allostery, and variance between the change in free energy and enthalpy of binding. Protein Science, 32(12), e5224-1-e5224-11. |
| 2014 | Brown, R. G., & MacIntyre, D. A. (2014). Systematic review: Calcium channel blockers are effective as first line for tocolysis in the management of preterm labour. Evidence Based Medicine, 19(6), 214. Scopus1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2012 | Lim, S., MacIntyre, D. A., Lee, Y. S., Khanjani, S., Terzidou, V., Teoh, T. G., & Bennett, P. R. (2012). Nuclear factor kappa b activation occurs in the amnion prior to labour onset and modulates the expression of numerous labour associated genes. Plos One, 7(4), 12 pages. Scopus52 WoS49 Europe PMC48 |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | President | School of Chemical Engineering HDR Committee | Adelaide University | Australia |
| 2022 - 2023 | Representative | SSRC School of Chemical Engineering | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Member | IChemE | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | Adelaide Protein Group | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Member | Australian Bioinformatics And Computational Biology Society | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Member | Australian Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Australia |
| Date | Title | Engagement Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Representative for School of Chemical Engineering | Public Community Engagement | University of Adelaide | - |
| 2024 - ongoing | SET Ambassador | Public Community Engagement | University of Adelaide | - |
| 2017 - 2017 | Volunteer International Student Mentor | Public Community Engagement | University of Adelaide | - |
| Date | Event Name | Event Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2024 | Bioprocessing Network Conference | Conference | Bioprocess Network | - |
| 2023 - ongoing | Protein Australia | Conference | UQ Protein Expression Facility | Australia |
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