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).

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.

Peter Szeles

Full-stack software developer of scientific data review and processing application called FATRA, and technical coordinator at the MHz Tomoscopy project. He received an engineer’s degree in 2021 at Technical University of Košice, Department of computers and informatics (study of Informatics).

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

RNDr. 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: prof. RNDr. Erik Sedlák, DrSc. (CIB, TIP-UPJŠ v Košiciach)

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

RNDr. Matúš Gális

From 2024 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Light robotics
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Gregor Bánó, PhD. (KBF ÚFV PF UPJŠ v Košiciach)

MSc. (2024) in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Study of the micro- and nano-plastics effects in healthy and damaged neuronal cells

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. Terézia Gulyásová

From 2024 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Thermodynamic Properties of the Catalytic Center of Respiratory Heme–Copper Oxidases
Supervisor: prof. Mgr. Daniel Jancura, PhD. (KBF ÚFV PF UPJŠ v Košiciach)

MSc. (2024) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Modulation of colloidal stability of pathological IgG light chains

Ing. Juraj Jurčišin

From 2026 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Generative Modeling of Nanobody Conformational Ensembles
Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Erik Sedlák, DrSc. (CIB, TIP-UPJŠ v Košiciach)

Ing. (2026) in Informatics, Faculty of electrotechnical engineering and informatics, Technical university of Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Optimization of the Routing Process by Finding Paths in Graph Structures, using Machine Learning

RNDr. Alexandra Poliaková

From 2024 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Development of efficient genetically encoded photosensitizers based on selected flavoproteins
Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Erik Sedlák, DrSc. (CIB, TIP-UPJŠ v Košiciach)

MSc. (2024) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Isolation and characterization of mutant form of flavodoxin Desulfovibrio desulfuricans

MSc. Grigorii Rakhalskii

From 2025 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Development of transport systems for drug targeted delivery into 3D model of cancer cells
Supervisor: RNDr. Veronika Huntošová, PhD. (CIB, TIP-P. J. Šafárik University in Košice)

MSc. (2024) in Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Master's Thesis Title: The effect of circadian rhythm disruption on the expression of modulatory clock genes in testicular cells

MSc. Eva Timková

From 2025 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Development of methods for determining the proteolytic activity of industrially used bacterial toxins
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Gabriel Žoldák, DrSc. (PF UPJŠ in Košice)

MSc. (2018) in Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Study and synthesis of 3,6-disubstituted acridine and anthracene derivatives

MSc. Zuzana Voskárová

From 2026 to present – PhD Student in Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Thesis Title: Directed Evolution of Haloalkane Dehalogenases
Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Erik Sedlák, DrSc. (CIB, TIP-UPJŠ v Košiciach)

MSc. (2026) in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Master's Thesis Title: Biochemical characterization of NanoLuc luciferase and development of a NanoLuc-DARPin conjugate for targeted labeling of HER2-positive cells