Researchers from across the globe came together on Heron Island for the Summer School in Peptide Science 2026, an immersive seven-day program crafted by scientist for scientist, to allow peptide researchers to explore beyond their current capabilities with leading international experts and industry partners.
Initiated by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS), the summer school brought graduate students and early-career researchers together with internationally recognised experts for lectures, workshops, and networking opportunities spanning peptide discovery, green chemistry, computational design and translation.
Set against the backdrop of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, the program’s highlights were the immersive hands-on scientific training.
This included drawing curly-arrow reaction pathways for non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis (hosted by Professor Greg Challis), deciphering protein structures by assigning 2D NMRs (hosted by Professor Norelle Daly), and interpreting how computers build models and simulations for cyclic peptides (hosted by Professor Yu-Shan Lin).
Beyond the science, Summer School delegates also enjoyed themselves throughout the week with activities such as reef walks, star gazing, snorkelling, scuba diving, and much more!
The Summer School has proven Australia's role as a hub for international collaboration and innovation in peptide research. We will strive to equip enthusiastic peptide scientists with the best opportunities available.
We hope to see you on Heron Island in 2027.
Prof Fernando Albericio,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – Green peptide chemistry.
Prof Philip Dawson,
Scripps Research, USA – Synthetic protein chemistry.
Pro Beatriz Garcia de la Torre,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – Chemistry of peptides and nucleic acids.
Prof Norelle Daly,
James Cook University, Australia – Structural biology of peptide toxins.
Prof Wilfred can der Donk,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA – Peptide natural products.
Prof Yu-Shan Lin,
Tufts University, USA – Computational biophysical chemistry.
Prof Greg Challis,
University of Warwick, UK & Monash University, Australia; ErebaGen )Co Founder and CSO) – Biosynthetic pathways.
Prof Ratmir Derda,
University of Alberta, Canada; 48 hour Discovery (Founder and CSO) – Lead discovery and translation.
Prof Lara Malins,
Australian National University, Australia – Late-stage peptide modification.
Dr Tongil (Tom) Ko,
University of Tokyo, Japan - Chemistry.
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Participating Institutions
The University of Queensland
The University of Sydney
Australian National University
Monash University
Queensland University of Technology
Edith Cowan University
CSIRO
International Partners
Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Rosalind Franklin Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Southampton
University of Tokyo
University of Washington
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CIPPS acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which we work and live across Australia. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society, and acknowledge the contributions and sophistication of First Nations knowledges.
© 2026 - ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science