diff --git a/backend/cmd/start.sh b/backend/cmd/start.sh
index e14e860..3066fcb 100755
--- a/backend/cmd/start.sh
+++ b/backend/cmd/start.sh
@@ -96,6 +96,8 @@ else
 fi
 
 if [ -n "${TUDUDI_USER_EMAIL:-}" ] && [ -n "${TUDUDI_USER_PASSWORD:-}" ]; then
+  # Trim whitespace/carriage returns that may come from docker-compose env vars
+  TUDUDI_USER_EMAIL=$(printf '%s' "$TUDUDI_USER_EMAIL" | tr -d '[:space:]')
   node scripts/user-create.js "$TUDUDI_USER_EMAIL" "$TUDUDI_USER_PASSWORD" true || exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/backend/models/user.js b/backend/models/user.js
index b269e6e..d311a5d 100644
--- a/backend/models/user.js
+++ b/backend/models/user.js
@@ -237,6 +237,9 @@ module.exports = (sequelize) => {
             tableName: 'users',
             hooks: {
                 beforeValidate: async (user) => {
+                    if (user.email) {
+                        user.email = user.email.trim().toLowerCase();
+                    }
                     if (user.password) {
                         user.password_digest = await bcrypt.hash(
                             user.password,
diff --git a/backend/modules/users/userService.js b/backend/modules/users/userService.js
index 2c1b44b..3640b0e 100644
--- a/backend/modules/users/userService.js
+++ b/backend/modules/users/userService.js
@@ -11,12 +11,13 @@ const _ = require('lodash');
  * @returns {Promise<{user: User, created: boolean}>} User object and creation status
  */
 async function createOrUpdateUser(email, password) {
+    const normalizedEmail = email.trim().toLowerCase();
     const hashedPassword = await bcrypt.hash(password, 10);
 
     const [user, created] = await User.findOrCreate({
-        where: { email },
+        where: { email: normalizedEmail },
         defaults: {
-            email,
+            email: normalizedEmail,
             password_digest: hashedPassword,
         },
     });