Our people
Biography
Laura Domigan completed her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Canterbury. Her postdoctoral research was at Tufts University, Boston, in a lab where they studied silk materials, renowned for their strength. She returned to New Zealand in 2015 to join the University of Auckland.
Laura was an Associate Investigator with the MacDiarmid Institute until the end of 2020, moving to the role of Principal Investigator in January 2021. In January 2025 she moved to a new full-time role as Chief Scientist at her start-up company Opo Bio, but will continue to be affiliated with the Institute as an Emeritus Investigator.
Research interests
Laura’s research is broadly focused on the use of fundamental knowledge underlying protein structure and function, and the application of this to create new materials and devices for bio-nanotechnology and biomedical engineering. Her current research is focused on bio-mimetic materials fabrication, and creating protein biomaterials derived from natural products.
The dream is to construct and repair what nature has taken billions of years to design.
Dr Laura Domigan
In the news
Annual Report
KiwiNet Awards - Annual Report 2023
April 14, 2024
Congratulations to Kevin Sheehy, who won the 2023 KiwiNet Simpson Grierson Commercialisation Professional Award.
Annual Report
2023 Funding successes - Annual Report 2023
April 13, 2024
Funding successes for our Investigators and their research programmes during 2023.
News Article
MacDiarmid Institute Commercialisation Manager one of five MacDiarmid Institute KiwiNet Award finalists
August 31, 2023
Kevin Sheehy has been shortlisted for the KiwiNet Simpson Grierson Commercialisation Professional Award.
Annual Report
Spin-outs formed in 2022
April 20, 2023
Matthew Cowan – University of Canterbury
Permeance Limited
Laura Domigan – University of Auckland
Opo Bio Limited
Franck Natali - Victoria University of Wellington
Liquium
Shane…
Annual Report
Funding successes - Annual Report 2022
April 19, 2023
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2022. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
Annual Report
Funding successes - Annual Report 2021
May 9, 2022
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2021. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
Annual Report
Awards - Annual Report 2021
May 9, 2022
This provides information about the range of awards received by MacDiarmid Institute Investigators in 2021.
Annual Report
Funding successes - Annual Report 2020
March 24, 2021
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2020. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
News Article
Unexpected directions make new maps
October 22, 2020
Becoming CEO of a startup is never straightforward, but Dr Kyle Webster has taken the ‘long road’ to an extreme
Annual Report
How can materials science offer a greener future for our planet? - Annual Report 2019
May 28, 2020
In 2019, we focused our annual regional showcase on 'NZ Innovation for Sustainability.'
Annual Report
Patents and Spinouts 2019 - Annual Report 2019
May 27, 2020
This article from our 2019 Annual Report provides information about the MacDiarmid Institute's latest inventions, patents and spinouts.
Read more about Patents and Spinouts 2019 - Annual Report 2019
Annual Report
Funding successes - Annual Report 2019
May 26, 2020
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2019. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
Annual Report
When physics meets biochemistry - Annual Report 2018
April 8, 2019
Could bio-inspired self-assembled magnetic structures make computers more efficient?
Read more about When physics meets biochemistry - Annual Report 2018
Annual Report
Biomaterials as surgical tools - Annual Report 2018
April 8, 2019
More than 250 corneal transplants are performed each year but the number is limited to donor numbers and there are not enough. Synthetic or naturally derived surgical substrates offer a solution.
Read more about Biomaterials as surgical tools - Annual Report 2018
Annual Report
Awards - Annual Report 2018
April 8, 2019
This article from our 2018 Annual Report provides information about the range of awards received by MacDiarmid Institute Investigators over the past year.
Annual Report
Patents and spinouts 2018 - Annual Report 2018
April 8, 2019
This article from our 2018 Annual Report provides information about the MacDiarmid Institute's latest inventions, patents and spinouts.
Read more about Patents and spinouts 2018 - Annual Report 2018
Events
NZ Innovation for Sustainability - Tauranga (14 October)
September 11, 2019
Come and hear MacDiarmid Institute scientists talk about how materials science is offering a greener future for our planet.
Read more NZ Innovation for Sustainability - Tauranga (14 October)
To Industry and Beyond - Hawkes Bay (28 November)
September 28, 2022
Associate Professor Aaron Marshall and Dr Laura Domigan focus on pathways from science to industry as part of "To Industry and Beyond".
Podcasts
Laura Domigan on growing bio-materials for eye surgery
October 23, 2019
Dr Laura Domigan discusses her work creating biomaterials to replace or repair corneal tissue on RNZ's Nine to Noon.
Read more about Laura Domigan on growing bio-materials for eye surgery
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