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About Me

My areas of expertise include cancer and stem cell biology, cellular and molecular neurobiology, cytotoxicity, tissue engineered 2D and 3D in vitro biological models, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, proteomics, flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, high-throughput and high-content screening, and image analysis. Over my academic career, I have developed in vitro stem cell-based methods for toxicology screening, pre- clinical drug development, and for elucidating mechanisms of developmental neurotoxicity. I have unique expertise in developing techniques that allow the study of complex cellular crosstalk and its role in neurodegenerative diseases to find new targets for treatment. Additionally, I have an extensive mentoring and supervision experience, and I pride myself in the multidisciplinary nature of my research where I work alongside engineers, physicists, medical experts, and biologists and have fine-tuned collaborative skills, in building bridges across disciplines which is a hallmark of my success as a stem cell biologist.

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Education &
Employment

2007 - 2012

GRADUATE EDUCATION (PH.D): University of Szeged, Hungary

Ph.D. in Theoretical Medical Sciences

Thesis: “Development of alternative methods to animal testing: Human pluripotent stem cell lines as a tool for the detection of prenatal toxicity”

Graduated with Summa Cum Laude

2007 - 2012

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION (B.SC and M.SC): University of Szeged, Hungary

Biophysics Diploma

Recipient of a thesis award at National Scientific Conference of Students

2021

Research Associate
School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UBC Canada

2020 - 2022

Research Advisor, remote
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, ON Canada

2018 - 2020

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University
, ON Canada

2012 - 2016

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, TX USA

2007 - 2012

​​Researcher
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Italy

2005 - 2007

Junior Scientist

Solvo Biotechnology, Hungary

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Recognitions &
Funding

2022

MITACS accelerate grant: The effect of indoor light spectrum and intensity on viability and infectivity of indoor pathogens on different surface materials

2021

MITACS accelerate grant: In vitro evaluation of fabric interaction with skin cells and dominant skin microbiome

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) grant: Modular Personal Protective Ensembles utilizing omniphobic and antimicrobial coatings for enhanced protection

2015

Top read article award: Scientific Reports

Best presentation award: Regenerative Medicine at the Texas Medical Center, TX USA

UT Brain seed grant: Novel neuromuscular junction model to study mechanisms of muscle atrophy

2014

Travel award: American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair, Tampa, FL USA 

2010

Travel award: Leadership Course in Novartis International Biocamp, Basel, Switzerland

2009

Travel award: Quantitative Proteomics Course, Tallinn, Estonia

Presentation award: Embryonic Stem cell-based Novel Alternative Testing Strategies (ESNATS) 1st Annual Meeting, Zermatt, Switzerland

2007

Thesis award: National Scientific Conference of Students, Hungary

Contact
Information

University of British Columbia

School of Engineering

1137 Alumni Avenue

 Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada

+x-xxx-xxx-xxxx

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