Research interests
• Glycobiology, biotechnology
• Molecular mechanisms at the level of protein-protein and protein-glycan interactions
• Biologically active proteins from higher fungi
• Bacterial biofilms
• Biopesticides

Research experience and education

I am a microbiologist with extensive expertise in biotechnology, biochemistry and cell biology and work at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia. My research focuses on molecular interactions, especially on protein-protein and protein-glycan interactions. In the developing research field of microbial glycobiology, we utilise unique fungal proteins for mechanistic studies on (i) bacterial adhesion and biofilm interactions, (ii) interactions with cancer and immune cells, and (iii) their biopesticidal potential against invasive insect pests. Our goal is to apply these findings in human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

2015 – to date Researcher (Scientific Associate) at the Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana
2010 – to date Biosafety officer at Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2011 Visiting researcher at Institute of Microbiology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
2008 – 2014 Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2007 Ph.D., Biotechnology, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
2006 – 2007 Visiting researcher at School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
2003 – 2007 Young researcher at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2002 B.Sc., Microbiology, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
2001 Visiting researcher at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Awards and fellowships
• 2022: EMBO Scientific Exchange Grant to visit Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• 2021: Golden award for mentoring at the 55th Meeting of young researchers of Slovenia
• 2021: 3rd place in the University of Ljubljana Rector’s Award for the best innovation in 2021
• 2014: Golden award for mentoring at the 48th Meeting of young researchers of Slovenia
• 2014: Prometheus for excellence in scientific communication awarded by The Slovenian Science Foundation
• 2013: Exceptional scientific achievement in the field of biotechnology awarded by Slovenian Research Agency
• 2012: Lapanje prize awarded by the Slovenian biochemical society
• 2010: EMBO short term fellowship to visit ETH Zürich
• 2008: Krka Pharmaceutical Company’s Award for the Ph.D. thesis
• 2006: Scholarship of the Slovene Human Resources and Scholarship Fund Ad Futura
• 2003 – 2007: Scholarship of the Ministry of Science and Technology for PhD studies
• 2002: University of Ljubljana Prešeren Award for the Diploma thesis
• 1995 – 2002: Zois scholarship of the Slovenian government foundation for talented students