Staff

Assoc. prof. Gregor Bánó, PhD.

Head of Department

Gregor Bánó received an M.S. degree in 1997 at Charles Univ. in Prague, Czech Rep. (physical electronics and plasma physics) and a PhD in 2003 at Univ. of Szeged, Hungary (optics and opto-electronics). He held research position at the Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics in Budapest (Hungary) from 2001–2006, and joined the Department of Biophysics at P.J.Šafárik Univ. in Košice in 2007. His present research interest is focused on the experimental investigation of drug transport phenomena by means of different laser spectroscopic techniques.

RNDr. Branislav Brutovský, PhD

Branislav Brutovský received PhD degree in Condensed Matter Physics in 1998 at Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Science in Kosice. Presently, his research focuses on the applications of evolutionary optimization, simulation and prediction techniques to solve broad range of problems at the interface of physics, biology and medicine.

RNDr. Gabriela Fabriciová, PhD.

Assistant professor at the Department of Biophysics. Specialist in Raman spectroscopy. M.S. degree in Biophysics in 1994 at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (Slovakia). Ph.D. in Biophysics in 1998 at Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia). Postdoctoral studies at Institute for the Structure of Matter, CSIC in Madrid (Spain).

Assoc. Prof. Daniel Jancura, PhD.

Guarantee of undergraduate and doctoral study in Biophysics

Associate professor at Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Safarik University in Kosice (UPJS), PhD. degree in Biophysics (1999), Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia), associate professor in Biophysics at UPJS from 2009. Specialist in molecular biophysics and molecular bioenergetics, recent research interests: structure and stability of biomacromolecules and their complexes with low molecular ligands, construction and characterization of lipoprotein based drug delivery systems, catalytical mechanism of cytochrome c oxidase.

RNDr. Zuzana Jurašeková, PhD.

Vice Head of Department

Senior researcher at the Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice
Specialist in Raman and SERS spectroscopy; Recent research interest: material characterization, cultural heritage analysis, detection of environmental pollutants, drug-biomacromolecule interaction, molecular paleontology, Raman imaging

RNDr. Zuzana Naďová, PhD.

Specialist in molecular biology, protein chemistry and metabolic pathways, senior researcher at the Dpt. of Biophysics, UPJS. PhD degree in general biology/microbiology (2001) UPJS, Slovakia. Research training: Inst. of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic (3 years – postdoctoral stay), several short term fellowships at ANBioPhy, Univ. Paris VI, France. Research expertise: mol. biology, cell metabolic pathways, cell biophysics, fluorescent imaging

Assoc. Prof. Katarína Stroffekova, Ph.D.

Associate Professor at Dept. of Biophysics, UPJS, Košice
RNDr degree in Biophysics Magna cum laude (1986) Comenium University, Bratislava
PhD degree in Biophysics (1997), Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, SAS Bratislava.
International research expertise: Postdoct. Assistant, Dept Mol & Cell Physiol, College of Medicine, Univ of Cincinnati, OH (USA) (3 yrs); Postdoct.Assistant, Dept Biomed Sciences, College of Vet. Medicine and Biomed. Sciences, Colorado State University, CO (USA) (5 yrs). Research expertise: Cell biophysics, Ca2+ homeostasis in cell physiology, cell metabolism, cell signalling in apoptosis and proliferation, role of ion channels in cell physiology, electrophysiology of ion channels, confocal fluorescent microscopy, molecular biology.

Assoc. prof. Jozef Uličný, PhD.

Graduated in 1985, in Biophysics and chemical physics, Safarik University Kosice. PhD in the Physics of condensed matter and acoustics 1996. Habilitation in 2003 (Assoc. Prof.). Using computers to solve biomedicinal problems:
• molecular modeling and simulations
• molecular quantum mechanics
• quantitative modeling of reaction networks (systems biology)
• less traditional optimization techniques

Doctoral students

MSc. Kristína Felčíková

From 2021 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Development of efficient genetically encoded photosensitizers
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Erik Sedlák, PhD. (CIB, TIP-P. J. Šafárik University in Košice)

MSc. (2021) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Application of absorption spectrophotometry in monitoring cytochrome c cleavage by trypsin

MSc. Bianka Gizela Varchol

From 2023 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

Thesis Title: Raman and SERS spectroscopy and imaging of (living) cells: developing Raman microscopy as a routine technique for structural and morphology characterization
Supervisor: RNDr. Zuzana Jurašeková, PhD. (P. J. Safarik University in Kosice)

MSc. (2023) in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Raman and Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies and their use for studying interaction of biomacromolecules and selected molecules important for human health and environmental protection

MSc. Soňa Olejárová

From 2022 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Investigation of the signaling pathways active in a photobiomodulation and photodynamic therapy
Supervisor: RNDr. Veronika Huntošová, PhD. (CIB, TIP-P. J. Šafárik University in Košice)

MSc. (2021) in Animal Physiology and Ethology, Faculty of Science, Comenius University in Bratislava
Master's Thesis Title: Effect of selected miRNAs and 17β-estradiol on migration and metabolism regulation and expression of clock in cell line of colorectal cancer DLD1

MSc. Monika Štulajterová

From 2022 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Purification and characterization of selected variants of staphylokinase
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Erik Sedlák, PhD. (CIB, TIP-P. J. Šafárik University in Košice)

MSc. (2021) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Stereoselective synthesis of the novel analogues of natural broussonetines

MSc. Tereza Sztachová

From 2020 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Thermodynamic characteristics of the catalytic center and intermediates of respiratory cytochrome c oxidases
Supervisor: RNDr. Marián Fabián, CSc. (CIB, TIP-P. J. Šafárik University in Košice)

MSc. (2020) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Participation of protons in the redox reactions of cytochrome c oxidases

MSc. Ľudmila Timuľáková

From 2023 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Development of a nano-transport system for drug delivery and bioimaging
Supervisor: RNDr. Veronika Huntošová, PhD. (CIB, TIP-P. J. Šafárik University in Košice)

MSc. (2023) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Interaction of biomolecules with new- synthetized galium complexes

MSc. Adriána Tomková

From 2021 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Mechanism of electron-proton coupling in cytochrome c oxidase
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Daniel Jancura, PhD.

MSc. (2021) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Development and characterization of polyoxazoline polymeric micelles for transport of hydrophobic drugs