This June, University of Twente postdoc Anamarija Knežević will attend the 70th edition of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. A huge honour as only around 660 young scientists from around the world are invited to join the meeting with around 70 Nobel Prize Winners.
Knežević was invited thanks to a nomination by the European Commission that also awarded her with an individual Marie Curie Fellowship last year. She is honoured and looking forward to the meeting with some of the world’s greatest scientists. “The meeting is going to be very inspiring since it’s multi-disciplinary with Nobel Prize winners and other young scientists from the fields of chemistry, physics and medicine”, says Knežević.
Cytoskeleton
In August 2018, Knežević started working as a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Dr. Tibor Kudernac (Faculty of S&T). She researches, designs and synthesises organic molecules that – under the influence of a certain stimulus – will self-assemble into bigger structures that mimic the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton is an active system that supports the shape and the mechanical resistance to deformation of the cell. It is made up of microtubules, tube-shaped protein structures that can grow as long as 50 micrometres.
Knežević is developing a minimalistic artificial model of cytoskeleton based on dynamic organic molecules. This artificial cytoskeleton will act as mechanical support for vesicles, the most common artificial cell membrane models, and at the same time control their shape-transformation. The goal is to make a leap from passive vesicles to active shape-changing soft material.
Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
The prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is a five-day event that is being held for the 70th time this June. Each year, the meeting is has a multidisciplinary approach as Nobel Prize Winners in e.g. chemistry, physics and health will attend. Only around 660 young scientists are invited.
Currently, Knežević lives in Enschede with her husband, who is also a researcher at the University of Twente, and three kids. In 2018, she came here from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia, where she obtained her PhD and worked as a postdoctoral scientist in the field of organic synthesis and stereochemistry.
