Djinovic Carugo Kristina

Kristina Djinovic Carugo is a Full Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Vienna, affiliated with the Department of Structural and Computational Biology at Max F. Perutz Laboratories. Her career spans leadership roles including Head of Department (since 2009), Director of the Laura Bassi Center for Optimized Structural Studies (2010-2016), and Head of Structural Biology and Crystallography Unit at Sincrotrone Trieste (1999-2004).

• Education: PhD in Chemistry (1992, University of Ljubljana); Master's (1989, University of Ljubljana); Diploma in Chemistry (1986, University of Ljubljana)

Her research focuses on structure-function analysis of metallo-enzymes involved in cellular protection, structural biology of actin-based cytoskeleton with emphasis on muscle Z-disk assembly, and X-ray induced radiation damage in protein crystals. Key techniques include X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and integrative structural approaches.

Recent work explores liquid-liquid phase separation in sarcomeric Z-disc formation, Filamin C regulation by HSPB7, and automated structural analysis tools like chalcogen bond detection in AlphaFold models. She has contributed to understanding protein interactions in hemidesmosomes, sarcomere mechanics, and redox-sensitive structural dynamics.

• Scientific Recognition:
  • EMBO long-term postdoctoral fellowship (1995)
  • Laura Bassi Center of Expertise (2010)
  • EMBO member (2016)

Her institutional roles include appointment committee memberships for tenure-track and professorship positions at Austrian universities and leadership in the Protein Technology Facilities user committee. Publications span high-impact journals including Science Advances, Cell, and PNAS, with over 145 peer-reviewed papers and an H-index of 44.