Maša is a first-year Master’s student of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana. She completed her bachelor’s degree as a chemist and developed a passion for biochemistry. She is fascinated that our body is made up of 2 * 10^25 molecules, which must bind properly to function as a whole. She would like to understand the processes within us better. During her studies, she gained practical experience at the Jožef Stefan Institute in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology. She studied the impact of the point mutation Y283C in human cathepsin K. This mutation is one of those that lead to the disease pycnodysostosis. She also spent 10 weeks in Switzerland as a summer intern at NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials Science Foundation. She worked at the Adolphe Merkle Institute in the Biophysics group.

She was part of a project that aimed to use transient amyloid binding to distinguish between various protein aggregates responsible for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, etc. This year she will do her research under the supervision of Prof. Boštjan Kobe at the University of Queensland, Australia. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places, their history, and culture. She also loves nature, hiking, climbing, and dancing.