Ivana Vukšinić is a Master’s student of biochemistry at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Her research interests span cell biology, immunology, and the molecular mechanisms underlying disease, with a long-term goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies. She completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry at the University of Ljubljana and conducted her Bachelor’s thesis at the Jožef Stefan Institute, investigating aberrant protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders. Over the course of her Master’s studies, she joined multiple research groups at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zürich, where she explored potential host factors involved in Influenza A virus infection and contributed to the development of enzyme-based, next-generation permeation enhancers designed to improve the oral bioavailability of peptide therapeutics. Alongside her academic work, she gained valuable industry experience in the pharmaceutical sector, working on the development and genetic characterization of cell lines used in biologics production.

As an ASEF Junior Fellow, she will visit Prof. Jernej Ule’s research group at King’s College London to expand her expertise in protein homeostasis and RNA regulatory networks in the context of neurodegeneration. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and engaging in sports, including cycling, swimming, and badminton.