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August 2006
Croatian alumna talks about science in newest member state
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| Sanja enjoys a
paddle near
Susak, one of
Croatia's islands |
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Croatian alumni returning to their home
country now find themselves taking
their skills back to the newest EMBL
Member State. We caught up with one of
them, Sanja Tomic, to ask about her experiences
at EMBL and the situation in general
for scientists coming from Croatia. Sanja,
formerly a postdoc in Rebecca Wade's group,
is now a higher research associate at the
Ruder Boskovic Institute in Zagreb, in particular
looking at the development of new
algorithms to study protein-protein docking.
Is it easy to get into science in Croatia? Is
science taught well in school?
Education is constantly improving. There's
little access to materials, though, so it mostly
relies on teachers' skills. But after school, it's
not easy to continue a career in science.
There are a very small number of positions
available.
How did you find out about EMBL before
you came here?
I already had a collaboration with Rebecca,
who was a group leader at EMBL. Until now,
EMBL hasn't been so well known in Croatia,
but that's changing. It's great that Croatia
has become a Member State because more
scientists will have a chance to come here,
and Croatia will be able to become more
involved in European science as a whole.
How easy was it to get funding?
I was lucky - I came with a fellowship from
the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation,
which allows post-doctoral foreign scientists
under 40 to spend a long-term stay doing
research in Germany.
What was your area of study?
I was working on 3D QSAR [quantitative
structure activity relationships], classifying
small auxin [plant hormone] related molecules
according to the similarity of their
molecular interaction fields. I used force
field-based methods and simulated conformational
changes in molecules, studying the
specificity of binding between transcription
factors and DNA.
How has your career benefited from your
time at EMBL?
It has benefited significantly. I learned so
many new things, and what's perhaps even
more important, I was introduced to another
working system and environment.
What advantages did you have here that
you might not have had in Croatia?
It was great to be able to use the advanced
techniques and up-to-date equipment available
at EMBL, and I had access to almost all
the scientific journals I needed. You have to
be very established in your scientific career
in Croatia in order to have access to the latest
in technology and materials.
What would be your advice to other
Croatian pre- or postdocs wanting to apply
to come to EMBL?
Any helpful tips?
EMBL is certainly an excellent place for
working in science and I can recommend it
to all young scientists. Voluntary work at an
institute like the one I'm at now, the Ruder
Boskovic Institute, or in a university
might help provide useful lab experience
first.
Finally, what do you miss about EMBL?
Our group – it was really international, with
scientists from France, Germany, Italy, India,
Russia, Belgium and the UK, and we all were
really good friends. I am still in contact with
most of them and am continuing to collaborate
with Rebecca, who has also left now.
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