Professor Boštjan Kobe elected Fellow of The Royal Society
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The University of Ljubljana (UL) would like to pass on its sincere congratulations to Professor Boštjan Kobe on being elected fellow of The Royal Society, one of the most prestigious scientific institutions in the world. An alumnus of UL’s Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Dr Kobe is one of the world’s leading structural biologists. His research in the field of molecular and structural biology has made a significant contribution to our understanding of fundamental biological processes and to the development of modern science.
Dr Kobe’s main area of study as a structural biologist is the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules such as proteins and protein complexes. As he explained, he already became interested in structural biology when studying chemistry at UL, and particularly towards the end of his studies, when he was writing his undergraduate dissertation under Professor Vane Leban at UL and undertaking research work under Dr Tom Solmajer at the National Institute of Chemistry. Since there was no sufficient structural biology expertise or equipment in Slovenia at that time, he continued his doctoral studies in the United States. Although his scientific career later took him to Australia, where he worked for 30 years, Dr Kobe points out that the knowledge he acquired at UL was essential to his subsequent work, and that he has remained professionally connected with the university and Slovenia, in recent years mainly by helping organisations such as SMUL and ASEF, and through the Slovenian Ambassador of Science awards. As he also pointed out, he is looking forward to continuing his cooperation with the university and other Slovenian institutions.
In recent years, Dr Kobe has also bolstered these links with UL and the Slovenian academic sphere through the University of Ljubljana Global Alumni and Associates Network (SMUL), which brings together UL alumni, researchers and professionals from around the world, and aims to provide a further boost to the university’s international cooperation efforts. During his term as vice-president of SMUL, which came to an end last year, Dr Kobe made significant contributions to the strengthening of links between UL and its international partners.
Founded in 1660, the Royal Society is the national British academy of science, and one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of its kind in the world. Membership is recognition of exceptional achievements in scientific research, and is reserved for individuals whose work has made an important contribution to the development of science. The election of Dr Boštjan Kobe as a Fellow of The Royal Society is tremendous recognition of his research work and represents an important achievement for Slovenian science and academia more broadly. The University of Ljubljana extends its sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Professor Kobe, and wishes him every success in his future endeavours.