Fourth Dr Ana Mayer Kansky Awards presented for the most outstanding doctoral theses

This year, the University of Ljubljana presented the awards to the authors of four doctoral theses which, according to the expert committee’s assessment, met the criteria for exceptional impact in their respective disciplines, representing peak achievements and breakthroughs in science or the arts. The categories covered the natural sciences, engineering, biomedicine and biotechnology, humanities and education, social sciences, and the arts. On this occasion, UL Rector Prof. Dr Gregor Majdič said: “While a doctorate is proof of your perseverance, curiosity and academic excellence, it is also a reminder that the true journey is only just beginning. The world you are entering needs your thirst for knowledge, your critical thought, and your ability to ask the right questions – even when the answers are not straightforward. Science is not merely a body of knowledge, but a way of thinking and a form of responsibility towards the world. It is you who will carry this science forward into the future we are co-creating. May courage and curiosity accompany you on this journey: the courage to remain faithful to the truth, even when it is unpopular, and the curiosity that will lead you time and again beyond the known. I believe that you have the power not only to explain the world through science, but also to help improve it in a thoughtful, responsible and humane way.”

The audience was also addressed by Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia and honorary patron of the ceremony: “In Slovene, the word science is a feminine noun. Much like women, it has endured various trials, some of them severe. Yet it has survived and continues to evolve. Let us all ensure it remains so, and that the university maintains its role: to continue to be a centre of academic excellence, to advocate for and protect human dignity, and to encourage the freedom to express critical thought. In doing so, the university will remain a firm bulwark of the fundamental values upon which our society is built and for which we are recognised abroad."

Dr Katarina Petra van Midden of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology received the award for her doctoral thesis entitled Molecular Mechanisms of Stress-Related Cysteine Proteases in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (in the field of biomedicine and biotechnology). Her mentor was Assoc. Prof. Dr Marina Klemenčič. The thesis stems from the fact that cells can trigger their own death upon injury or infection, a process vital for an organism's development and defence. The researcher studied how this process occurs in the unicellular alga C. reinhardtii, where the death of an individual cell equals the death of the entire organism. Proteases – molecular scissors that cleave specific proteins and thereby affect their activity – play a key role in this process. She discovered that certain proteases do not only degrade proteins but can also link them into new combinations, suggesting they may have a broader role than previously assumed.

Dr Amadeja Lamovšek of the University of Ljubljana School of Economics and Business received the award for her doctoral thesis entitled A Configurational Approach to Work Design for Different Work Arrangements (in the field of social sciences). Her mentor was Prof. Dr Matej Černe. The doctoral thesis explores how different work arrangements – on-site, hybrid, and remote – affect task performance, employee motivation and engagement, burnout and, ultimately, work–life balance. The research demonstrates that there is no single ideal solution for everyone. The key lies in the correct configuration of work, tailored to the specific form of work, the tasks and needs of the employees, and the method of collaboration, with the aim of fostering the well-being of both employees and organisations and shaping a more humane and sustainable future of work.

Assist. Prof. Dr Jaka Dernovšek of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy received the award for his doctoral thesis entitled Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitors with Antitumour Activity (in the field of the natural sciences). His mentor was Prof. Dr Tihomir Tomašič, and his co-mentor was Prof. Dr Nace Zidar. The thesis is based on the finding that heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is crucial for the folding and maturation of numerous oncoproteins. It is thus significantly involved in cancer pathophysiology, although the clinical validation of classic N-terminal Hsp90 inhibitors is hindered by the simultaneous triggering of a cytoprotective heat shock response (HSR). The doctoral research explored alternative approaches to inhibiting Hsp90 without simultaneously inducing the HSR. The Hsp90 inhibitors discovered in this manner exhibit inhibitory activity in various cancer cell lines, bypass the HSR, and represent important foundations for further development.

Dr Vitjan Zavrtanik of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Computer and Information Science received the award for his doctoral thesis entitled Unsupervised Reconstruction-Based and Discriminative Methods for Surface Anomaly Detection and Localisation (in the field of engineering). His mentor was Prof. Dr Danijel Skočaj. The doctoral thesis focuses on developing artificial intelligence methods for the automatic detection of surface anomalies. From an applied perspective, such methods are particularly important in industry, where they are used to detect product defects and assist in quality control on production lines. The thesis presents three approaches that enable a computer to learn the normal appearance of a product and detect deviations without having previously been shown examples of defects. The methods developed are highly accurate in detecting anomalies in images and can also be adapted to other types of data, such as sound or depth images.