History

Starting in 1978 a group of young scientists working in the field of biophysics has been formed at the Department of Nuclear Physics. The group consisted of two experimental (Pavol Jasem – physical electronics and Pavol Miškovský – biophysics) and two theoretical (Ladislav Andrej and Vladimír Lisý) physicists.

The group was set out to prepare research plan and study program in Biophysics. As a result of their efforts the Department of Nuclear Physics was transformed into the Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics in 1979. In the same year, a new study programme in Biophysics was introduced at the Faculty of Sciences.

At that time, research in biophysics at the Department was devoted mostly to the research of the nucleic acids structure and stability. After “Velvet Revolution” in 1989, the formation and development of complex and ambitious scientific program closely related to biomedicine (Targeted Cancer Therapy) was enabled by new and far-reaching possibilities in international collaboration.

This new scientific focus of the “Biophysics group” was defined by Prof. Pavol Miškovský, and served as a basis for a foundation of the Department of Biophysics in 1998 at the Faculty of Sciences. From this year, a modern interdisciplinary team at the Department has been developed.

In 1998, the group of computational biophysicists was formed under supervision of Assoc. Prof. Jozef Uličný. Few years later (2002), the group led by Assoc. Prof. Daniel Jancura started to work in the field of cell thermodynamics and bioenergetics. The interdisciplinary orientation of the Department was completed by dr. Zuzana Naďová (expert in cell biology) in 2005, by dr. Gregor Bánó (expert in laser spectroscopy) in 2005, and by dr. Katarína Štroffeková (expert in physiology) in 2009.

Orientation of the Department towards applied research is expressed by the formation of groups led by dr. Gabriela Fabríciová (application of Raman spectroscopy in environmental problems) formed at 2003, and dr. Zuzana Jurašeková (application of Raman spectroscopy in analysis of cultural heritage) formed in 2011.