Marija Zanic

Marija Zanic is a Professor at Vanderbilt University with joint appointments in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Department of Biochemistry. She is based in the School of Medicine and leads an interdisciplinary research lab focused on the biophysics of the cytoskeleton, particularly microtubule dynamics.

Her research integrates biochemical reconstitution, single-molecule imaging, quantitative analysis, and theoretical modeling to understand how microtubule-associated proteins regulate dynamic instability. The lab investigates emergent behaviors in protein systems, with implications for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Key areas include microtubule treadmilling, GTP-cap dynamics, CLASP function, and microtubule-actin crosstalk.

The recent publications reflect a strong trend in quantitative, mechanistic cell biology, emphasizing in vitro reconstitution and predictive modeling. Topics span TOG-domain proteins, XMAP215, SSNA1, and HSET, with publications in top journals like JCB, PNAS, eLife, and Nature Communications.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Searle Scholar (2016)
• HFSP Career Development Award (2015)
• Dean’s Faculty Fellow (2020)
• Chancellor Faculty Fellow (2022)
• Early Career Award, Biophysical Society (2021)

Marija Zanic mentors numerous graduate students and postdocs, including Claire Strothman, Veronica Farmer, Nikki Rodgers, and Beth Lawrence. Her lab has secured significant funding, including an NIH MIRA grant and NSF research grants. She co-directs the Vanderbilt Center on Mechanobiology and actively participates in national and international conferences.

The Zanic Lab is deeply involved in the mechanobiology community, participates in annual retreats with the Lang lab, and contributes to training programs such as the Molecular Biophysics Training Program (MBTP). Lab members regularly attend specialized courses at MBL and Cold Spring Harbor.