ASEF Fellows Špela Knez and Meta Kodrič on their Joint Research Visit at The University of Queensland

In September, Špela Knez and Meta Kodrič, 2021 and 2022 ASEF fellows, completed their research visit at the University of Queensland’s Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences under the mentorship of ASEF mentor and professor dr. Boštjan Kobe.

During the 10-week research visit, Špela and Meta worked on the functional and structural characterization of Toll-like receptor 10 (TLR10), which is involved in the signaling pathways of innate immunity.

In their free time, they explored the beauty of Brisbane and the surrounding beaches and islands. After the research visit, they took a month-long trip along the east coast of Australia. The girls snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, surfed in Noosa, admired the Sydney Opera House, climbed the Glass House Mountains, petted kangaroos and koalas at the Steve Irwin Zoo, watched for whales on Moreton Island, and so on and on.

Špela and Meta are extremely grateful to ASEF and mentor Boštjan for the opportunity to conduct a research visit in Australia. They plan to publish their work as an article in a scientific journal, but it will also be part of Špela’s PhD thesis. They would also like to thank mentor Prof. Dr. Boštjan Kobe for his hospitality during their stay in Australia and for introducing them to the Slovenian community in Brisbane and Slovenian professors at the University of Queensland.