Iva Marija Tolić (born 24 June 1974) is a Croatian biophysicist, known for her work on the

microtubule Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 11 an ...

cytoskeleton and associated motor proteins. She is currently Senior Research Group Leader and professor of Biology at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Croatia.

Education

Tolić completed her Diploma in Molecular Biology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia in 1996 and her Graduate Studies in Molecular Biology in the group of Nenad Trinajstić, Ruđer Bošković Institute and University of Zagreb, Croatia in 1999. Between 1999 and 2001, she completed part of her PhD work with Ning Wang, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, United States and was awarded her doctorate in Biology in 2002 by the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

Career

Upon obtaining her doctorate, Tolić did her first Post-doctoral training between 2001 and 2002 at the

Niels Bohr Institute The Niels Bohr Institute (Danish: ''Niels Bohr Institutet'') is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics. ...

, Copenhagen, Denmark working with Lene Oddershede and Kirstine Berg-Sorensen on the microrheology of cells. She then joined the European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, Florence, Italy for post-doctoral research with Prof. Francesco Pavone, working on lymphocyte movement and laser microsurgery on the mitotic spindle. Following her Post-doctoral training, Tolić was appointed as Research Group Leader (W1, equivalent to assistant professor) at the

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics __NOTOC__ The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) is a biology research institute located in Dresden, Germany. It was founded in 1998 and was fully operational in 2001. More than twenty research groups work in m ...

, Dresden, Germany in 2005 and was promoted to Senior Research Group Leader (W2, equivalent to

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

) in 2010. In 2014, she moved to the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia, being appointed as Senior Research Group Leader and professor of Biology.

Research

As independent investigator, Tolić has carried out pioneering research in the field of

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

pertaining to the

cytoskeleton and associated motor proteins, discovering: (i) a novel mechanism of kinetochore capture during

mitosis In cell biology, mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is mainta ...

by pivoting of

astral microtubules An aster is a cellular structure shaped like a star, consisting of a centrosome and its associated microtubules during the early stages of mitosis in an animal cell. Asters do not form during mitosis in plants. Astral rays, composed of microtub ...

around the

spindle pole In cell biology, the spindle apparatus refers to the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells. It is referred to as the mitotic spindle during mitosis, a pr ...

, (ii) a mechanism of regulation of the

motor protein Motor proteins are a class of molecular motors that can move along the cytoplasm of cells. They convert chemical energy into mechanical work by the hydrolysis of ATP. Flagellar rotation, however, is powered by a proton pump. Cellular functions ...

cytoplasmic dynein Dyneins are a family of cytoskeletal motor proteins that move along microtubules in cells. They convert the chemical energy stored in ATP to mechanical work. Dynein transports various cellular cargos, provides forces and displacements important ...

by attachment to its anchor protein in fission yeast and most recently, (iii) 'Bridging fibers' that are non- kinetochore microtubules connecting sister k-fibers and thereby balancing forces in the

spindle Spindle may refer to: Textiles and manufacturing * Spindle (textiles), a straight spike to spin fibers into yarn * Spindle (tool), a rotating axis of a machine tool Biology * Common spindle and other species of shrubs and trees in genus ''Euony ...

. In addition, her research has demonstrated that fission yeast does not undergo replicative

aging Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...

, contrary to existing theories on

Personal life

Tolić's parents are the journalist and diplomat and academic Dubravka Oraić Tolić. She married Nenad Brgić in 2014 and she is the mother of two children. She has stated publicly that she sees no

conflict between religion and science The conflict thesis is a historiographical approach in the history of science that originated in the 19th century with John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White. It maintains that there is an intrinsic intellectual conflict between religion ...

, and describes herself as a believer.

Awards and achievements

Member of the Academia Europaea Membership of the Academia Europaea (MAE) is an award conferred by the Academia Europaea to individuals that have demonstrated "sustained academic excellence". Membership is by invitation only by existing MAE only and judged during a peer review se ...

, 2022. * ERC Synergy Grant, 2019. * EMBO Membership, 2018. *

Lieben Prize The Ignaz Lieben Prize, named after the Austrian banker , is an annual Austrian award made by the Austrian Academy of Sciences to young scientists working in the fields of molecular biology, chemistry, or physics. Biography The Ignaz Lieben Priz ...

, 2017. * National Science Award of the Republic of Croatia, 2016. * Croatian Women of Influence Award, 2016. * Special award of the Ruđer Bošković Institute for outstanding contribution to the scientific excellence and international recognition of the institute, 2015. * European Biophysics Societies Association Young Investigators' Medal and Prize, 2015. * 5000th Grantee of the

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...

, 2015. * MRAK award for creativity in science awarded for the collaboration with the Ruđer Bošković Institute. * Order of Danica Hrvatska for science, outstanding contributions to science and its promotion in the Republic of Croatia and the world, 2014 * Investigator of the Year, European Life Science Award, 2014. * Featured on Cell "40 under 40", 2014.

Membership in professional associations and societies

Tolić is a member of European Molecular Biology Organization, the Croatian Biophysical Society, the Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Croatian Microscopy Society. In addition, she is Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the journal Science.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolic, Iva Women biophysicists Croatian biologists Cell biologists 1974 births Living people Croatian expatriates in Germany European Research Council grantees Scientists from Zagreb Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb alumni Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Members of Academia Europaea