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Susie Carnachan
Dr Susie Carnachan's interests include isolating, purifying and analysing the structure of complex carbohydrates from plant materials and on the surfaces of gut bacteria.
Susie Carnachan
Senior scientist Dr Susie Carnachan came to IRL on a three-month contract in 2001 but her skills proved so useful she stayed on and eventually joined the team full time.
Dr Carnachan gained her qualifications – BSc, MSc (First Class Honours) and PhD - from the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Auckland.
Her research interests are in the isolation, purification and structural analysis of complex carbohydrates, including polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, from plant materials. She has worked on government-funded research projects during her years at IRL including one that isolated and identified bioactive polysaccharides from New Zealand seaweeds to develop commercial opportunities. Another was focused on synthesising nanoparticles for drug delivery.
Dr Carnachan is also a member of a small group within the Carbohydrate Chemistry team that provides analytical services to customers in New Zealand and overseas.
Current research is focusing on how human gut bacteria use specific polysaccharides and oligosaccharides (prebiotics) as carbon sources and how the chemical composition of prebiotics change as they pass through the gut. She is also investigating the structures of complex carbohydrates on the surfaces of gut bacteria to determine how they alter the host immune system.
Dr Carnachan lives close to IRL but spends her weekends with family in the Wairarapa, developing a lifestyle block and enjoying rural living.