Metka Filipič
Award-winning Slovenian toxicologist and geneticist. Metka Filipič received her undergraduate degree and doctorate from the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana before embarking on post-doctoral work at Columbia University in New York. She lives and works in Ljubljana.
Prof Metka Filipič is head of the Department of Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology at the National Institute of Biology and full professor of Toxicological Chemistry at the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy. In 2014 she received the Miroslav Zei Award for outstanding achievements in the NIB’s field of activity; this was followed, in 2016, by a Zois Award, the highest national award, for her scientific research and development achievements. She has also received an award for her outstanding research into environmental pollutants and their harmful effects on the environment and human health, and for successfully heading and completing a project as part of the EU’s CYTOTHREAT programme (on environmental cytostatic drug residues). She has introduced innovative experimental approaches that enable better assessment of the danger of cytostatic residues to the environment and human health. Her research is important for the development of new guidelines for preventive environmental protection legislation.
After graduating, Prof Filipič was employed as a researcher at Lek, subsequently heading up the Institute of Public Health’s Genetic Toxicology Laboratory. She has been employed by the National Institute of Biology since 1996.