Tina Logonder Finished Her Research Visit at The University of Queensland

Tina Logonder, ASEF Junior Fellow 2023 from Slovenia, has completed her research visit at the University of Queensland, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (Brisbane, Australia) under the supervision of Professor Boštjan Kobe, whose research group works in the field of structural biology.

During her time there, Tina began research for her PhD studies, which she started at the University of Ljubljana after returning home. In Australia, she worked on the signaling complex of two proteins (FHL2 and beta-catenin) involved in the development and progression of certain cancers. To better understand the mechanism, the goal is to resolve the structure of this complex using cryo-electron microscopy. Given the complexity of the problem, she will continue to collaborate with Kobe’s lab in the future. She gained valuable insights during the weekly lab meetings and numerous lectures she attended. She also went to a student conference on North Stradbroke Island, where she presented her Master’s thesis.

During her time outside of the lab, she was exploring Australia, which captivated her at every turn – walking on endless sandy beaches, swimming in lakes of various colors, enjoying spectacular views, encountering a wide diversity of animals, tasting food and meeting people from all over the world. She even had the opportunity to visit three other Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns.

These three months in Australia have been an invaluable experience that has significantly impacted her both professionally and personally. She would like to thank ASEF for providing her with this opportunity and express her gratitude to Professor Boštjan Kobe and his entire research team.