izv. prof. dr. sc. Gordana Maravić Vlahoviček

Profile

Gordana Maravić Vlahoviček, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She teaches graduate courses Molecular Biology with Genetic Engineering (course leader), Biological Chemistry and Personalized Health Care, postgraduate doctoral study courses Biotechnology in Pharmacy (course leader) and Bioinformatics (course leader) and postgraduate specialist study courses - Biological Therapeutics (course leader) and Biotechnological Drugs of Plant Origin (course leader). Her scientific interests include mechanisms of bacterial resistance to ribosomal antibiotics, functional studies of antibiotic resistance rRNA methyltransferases and antibiotic modulation of quorum sensing.

Education:

• 2002 Faculty of Science; University of Zagreb, academic title: PhD, field of science: Natural sciences - biology
• 2000 Faculty of Science; University of Zagreb, Postgraduate study of Molecular and Cell Biology, academic title: Master of Science, field of science: natural sciences - biology
• 1996 Faculty of Science; University of Zagreb, Graduate study of Molecular Biology, academic title: Bachelor of Science

Work experience:

• 2014 – today: Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; University of Zagreb
• 2007 – 2012: Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; University of Zagreb
• 2004 – 2014: Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; University of Zagreb
• 2003 – 2004: senior research assistant at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; University of Zagreb
• 2000 – 2003: assistant-scientific novice at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; University of Zagreb
• 1997 – 2000: scientific novice at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; University of Zagreb

Visiting positions:

• 2000 – 2002 International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy

Projects:

• Metabolic contribution of microbial communities to multicellular organisms, University of Zagreb 2013 (associate)
• FP7 RegPot project “Integra-Life” #315997, 2013-2016 (WP leader)
• Mechanism of antibiotic action and resistance, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, #006-0982913-1219, 2007-2013 (principal investigator)
• Computational microbial metagenomics and bioinformatics of extremophiles, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, # 119-0982913-1211, 2007-2013 (associate)
• Mechanisms of aminoglycoside resistance by ribosomal RNA methylation, ICGEB collaborative research project, CRP/CRO08-02, 2009 – 2012 (principal investigator)
• FP6 INCO project “EuroPharm”, #043682, 2007 – 2010 (one of three principal investigators)
• Structural and functional characterization of ribosome modifying methyltransferases that confer antibiotic resistance in disease causing microorganisms, Biomedical Research Council of Singapore (BMRC), A*STAR research grant (R154000362305), 2007 – 2012 (associate)
• Functional analysis of aminoglycoside resistance determinants, ICGEB CRP/CRO04-01, 2005 - 2008 (principal investigator)
• Biological role of glycosylation and other posttranslational modifications, Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatia #0006611, 2002-2006 (associate)
• Methyltransferase ErmC’, PLIVA, d.d., 1998-2000 (associate)
• Glycoproteins, lectins and patobiochemistry of stress, Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatia #0066320, 1997-2001 (associate)

Awards and Honours:

• 2004 Croatian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FEBS affiliate) award for young scientists for year 2003
• 2000 – 2002 ICGEB Fellowship award (International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy)
• 1994-1996 Scholarship of the City of Zagreb for top 50 students

Memberships:

• Croatian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – FEBS (1997 – today), Croatian Microbiological Society - FEMS (2006 – today), Croatian Biological Society (2006 – today)

Other:

• Mentor of 2 doctoral dissertations, three postgraduate specialist theses, 24 graduate theses and 5 student research works that have won 3 Rector’s awards and 2 Dean’s awards
• 17 invited lectures and over 50 posters on international and local scientific conferences; over 10 public lectures
• President of the scientific committee of 3rd, 4th and 5th Central European Symposium on Antimicrobials and Antimicrobial Resistance - CESAR2009, CESAR2012 and CESAR2015
• Antimicrobials and Antimicrobial Resistance - CESAR2009, CESAR2012 i CESAR2015
• 2009 – today Vice-president of the Committee for the contained use of genetically modified organisms, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia
• 2012 – 2014 President of the Committee for student awards of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry
• 2006 – 2012 Member of the Teaching Committee of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry