When I was graduate student of physics the question What is life? seemed to me the most important question in the world worthy to spend a lifetime of research in answering it. I am still excited about that question and grateful to opportunities my life presented in solving different life mysteries.

 

 

When we are enthusiastic about big and important questions it tends to advance our carrier in unexpected directions. I found that serendipity is closely associated with biophysics, probably due to fertile ground of interdisciplinary research.  It led me from theoretical physics to experimental biophysics, from bioenergetics to structural bioinformatics and biomedicine, and finally back to advances in irreversible thermodynamics inspired by unusual physical properties of living cells.

 

We are now on a verge of developing proper tools to model the amazing complexity of life. These novel capabilities, you will learn during PhD study of biophysics, are arriving in the nick of time, because priceless genetic richness of life is fast disappearing due to what we call the progress of civilization.

 

The PhD program in biophysics in Split offers a possibility of completing doctoral work with the highest international standards and represents a strong foundation for an independent scientific and research career in academia or industry. This program was also created in the nick of time to enable blossoming of biophysics in Croatia after long hibernation. The collaboration among biophysicists from Split and Zagreb with some new centers of exelence established in Split  (ICAST, MedILS) was  the foundation for establishing our programme.

 

Our priorities for future collaboration among PhD students and accomplished biophysicists are to strengthen the international components of the program, to develop stronger experimental foundations not only in Zagreb, but also in Split, and to develop stronger ties with structural bioinformatics and biomedicine community. Hopefully, certain weaknesses of the program like the lack of system biology training will be corrected during next several years with the help of our international partners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. Dr.  Davor Juretić, programme head