Head of EMBL Grenoble Kristina Djinovic Carugo honoured as Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia
The award recognises significant achievements in the promotion and development of Slovenian scientific and research activities abroad.
Kristina Djinovic Carugo, Head of EMBL Grenoble. Credit: Stuart Ingham/EMBL, Creative Team/EMBL
Kristina Djinovic Carugo, Head of EMBL Grenoble, has been awarded the title of ‘Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia’, one of the highest state awards in the field of scientific research and development in the country. She will receive this award during an official ceremony in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 28 November 2024.
This prize is awarded to Slovenian scientists in recognition of their significant contributions to promoting and disseminating original scientific achievements and knowledge abroad. Originally from Ljubljana, Professor Djinovic Carugo obtained her PhD in Structural Biochemistry from the University of Ljubljana and has had a long career in structural biology in Europe (Italy, Germany, Austria, France).
Her research focuses on the structural biology of a complex assembly of proteins – the Z-disc – involved for muscle contraction, and on understanding the molecular basis of muscle diseases, particularly cardiomyopathies.
She has also held several leadership positions over the course of her career. She was Head of the Structural Biology and Crystallography Unit at Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy, from 1999 to 2004. She then joined the University of Vienna as a Full Professor in 2004 and was Head of the Department of Structural and Computational Biology at Max Perutz Laboratories from 2009 to 2022. She was Director of the Laura Bassi Center for Optimised Structural Studies, Austria, from 2010 to 2016. She was appointed Director of EMBL Grenoble in 2022.
“I feel honoured to have received this distinction from my own country. It means so much to me that my research, its dissemination, and my educational work have been recognised and highly valued at home, which provided me with the education and the initial opportunities to grow and contribute to the international scientific arena,” said Kristina Djinovic Carugo.
