Hegne Pupart

Hegne Pupart is an Engineer at Tallinn University of Technology's School of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology since September 1, 2024. Previously, she served as a Junior Research Fellow (40% position) at the same institution from September 2019 to August 2024. She recently completed her Doctoral Degree in 2024 with her dissertation titled "Characterization of Bacterial Dye-Decolorizing Peroxidases," supervised by Tiit Lukk, Priit Eek, and Priit Väljamäe. She also holds a Master's Degree from 2019 with her thesis on "Expression and Purification of Human Superoxide Dismutase 1."

Dr. Pupart's research focuses on protein biochemistry, particularly:

• Biochemistry and enzymology of peroxidases
• Lignin degradation and remodeling
• Protein structure-function relationships
• Metalloprotein characterization

Her recent publications demonstrate expertise in bacterial dye-decolorizing peroxidases, particularly from Streptomyces coelicolor and Thermobifida species. Her work examines enzyme kinetics, oligomerization states, and applications in lignin degradation. She has also contributed to research on superoxide dismutase and Alzheimer's-related protein aggregation, showing a diverse research portfolio spanning fundamental enzymology to biomedical applications.

Dr. Pupart is currently involved in the "Structural determinants of protein techno-functional properties" project (2024-2028), funded by the Estonian Research Council with 1,088,843 EUR, where she works under Principal Investigator Priit Eek. This project represents a continuation of her doctoral work on protein structure-function relationships.