ASEF Podcast

In this episode, we dive into computational biology, discussing protein structure prediction and the challenges of mapping the sequence-function relationships of proteins. We also touch on cryptic sites in proteins. Our guest, Peter Cimermančič, talks about his startup TesorAI, and we end with a discussion on reverse aging and our control over our biological destiny.  Peter Cimermančič is a co-founder of TesorAI, and has extensive experience in computational and structural biology, genomics, proteomics, target discovery and modulationTimestamps:0:50 What initially drew you to the field you are currently in, and what continues to motivate you in your research?2:41 Early career and how would you compare your experience studying in Slovenia vs. abroad? 5:53 How and why did you decide to transition to the industry?8:39 What prompted you to start your own business instead of staying in academia / staying in the industry(big tech)?11:14 Protein structure prediction is arguably one of the most successful applications of deep learning in computational biology - can you tell us why is knowing 3D structure of proteins important?16:05 Why is mapping the sequence-function of a given protein a challenge?18:37 What kind of data sets (labeled / unlabeled) are used in modeling and what are some advantages/disadvantages of both?20:56 Talking about Peter’s publication (Cimermancic P, et al., CryptoSite: Expanding the Druggable Proteome by Characterization and Prediction of Cryptic Binding Sites. J Mol Biol. 2016 Feb 22;  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2016.01.029 ) What defines a cryptic site in proteins, and how does it differ from traditional binding pockets?23:10 What methods are employed to identify cryptic sites, both experimentally and computationally?25:54 What impact did the prediction of cryptic sites have on the "druggable" human proteome?26:42 What is TesorAI, what is the goal of the products and what are the plans for the future?33:46 About TesorAI products35:36 where do you get data to train models36:32 Data in academic computational biology37:22 What are the emerging trends and future directions in computational biology that are bound to make a significant impact on healthcare in the coming years? 40:21 Challenges in the field41:35 How do you see the Slovenian startup space fitting in this field?42:58 As our understanding of the human genome and proteome grows, what are the ethical considerations surrounding genetic engineering, gene editing, and personalized medicine? How do we balance the potential benefits of such technologies with concerns about privacy, equity, and unintended consequences? 46:00 Reverse aging and biological destiny49:20/50:50 Book recommendations

7/11/24 • 53:12

In this episode, we discuss computer vision, distinguishing it from computer graphics, and delve into the challenges of 3D computer vision. We also examine the current state of autonomous driving research and discuss deepfakes.We host two experts in the field:Žan Gojčič a senior research scientist at Nvidia, with a research focus is on 3D deep learning, weakly supervised learning, and domain adaptation.Aljoša Osep a senior research scientist at Nvidia, working on learning to understand the dynamic world from raw and unlabeled streams of sensory data.Timestamps:1:30: What initially drew you to the field you are currently in, and what continues to motivate you in your research? 6:35: Studying abroad14:38: Why did you decide to go into industry instead of staying in academia?20:02: What is computer vision (and the difference between computer vision and computer graphics) and what are some common applications of computer vision in today's world?24:10: 3D computer vision and What needs to be “synthesized” to create a realistic scene?27:09: Challenges in the filed20:31: Current state of research in autonomous driving and challenges 42:50: Deepfakes49:34: Emerging trends, open problems56:18: Book recommendations and closing words

4/22/24 • 64:11

In this episode, we dive into another part of the technology transfer and entrepreneurship ecosystem - venture capital (VC) and business angels. We discuss the different VC funds in Slovenia, how startups should approach funding, opportunities and challenges in the local area, as well as success stories in the region, and perspectives abroad. We host three experts from the Slovenian venture capital scene:Nina Dremelj, Managing Partner at Vesna deep-tech Fund, President of Slovenian Business Angels, and Board Member of the European Business Angels NetworkGregor Rebolj, serial entrepreneur and investor, co-founder of Klika, Sportradar, and 1Home, as well as founding partner of Silicon GardensRok Habinc, partner at Pan-Adria Partners, previously partner at STH Ventures Fund, and active business angel and Board member at Business Angels of Slovenia.Timestamps:Venture Capital 101: What is VC and how does it support startups? (1:30)VC landscape in Slovenia: Insights into Slovenian funds and their focus areas. (06:03)Differences between VC funds: What should startups look for? (18:05)Accelerators and Incubators: Early entrepreneurial education and wider ecosystem (27:33)Scaling and foreign capital: How does a local startup scale and seek funding abroad (37:25)Challenges in Slovenia: policy, legislation, and culture (47:40)Opportunities and success stories: what the region is good at and achievements (1:03:30)Global perspectives: Practical examples and best practices to learn from. (1:12:10)Advice for young founders: Insights on fundraising, mentorship, and determining investment readiness. (1:18:52)

4/11/24 • 83:46

In this episode we talk about University Spin-Outs. How is it different from a “classic” start-up? What is the process of founding a univesity spin-out in Slovenia?We look at the journey of two such companies: prof. Tomaž Skrbinšek presents DIVJALabs, where they work on molecular genetics and bioinformatics for biodiversity conservation and research, while Blaž Zoubek, PhD, tells us about SPEKTRAL - the structural engineering and consulting company, both spin-outs from the University of Ljubljana.The host of ASEF Podcast’s Business & Technology vertical is Frenk Dragar, a Master's Student of Artificial Intelligence at Utrecht University. He was an ASEF Fellow 2023 with Dr. Gašper Beguš at UC Berkeley.

2/11/24 • 50:43

In this episode, we host Dr. Jure Knez, Founder of Dewesoft, a world-leading hi-tech company for test and measurement solutions, and vice-president of the Slovenian Business Club.  We talked with Dr. Knez to gain insights about the company's origins, the role of artificial intelligence in test and measurement tools, his views on entrepreneurship, his role and vision regarding the Katapult startup environment, and the main challenges entrepreneurs and companies face in Slovenia. In addition, we get to know Slovenia's main competitive advantages and how the Slovenian business environment can be improved.

1/20/24 • 20:27

In this episode, we host Katarina Van Der Linden, an accomplished Slovenian musician currently residing and working in Australia. Katarina pursued her music education at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Before immigrating to Australia in 2015, she taught in various primary, high, and music schools in Slovenia. Her music education started in Dravograd and continued in Žalec, Velenje, and Ljubljana. She studied saxophone, piano, and music pedagogy. While teaching at Rudolf Maister High School in Kamnik, she co-wrote a curriculum for harmonica, which she has been playing for many years. She also writes poetry in Slovenian and English, and her works were published in various Celjsko and Saleško literarno društvo publications. One of her latest poems TU-JI-NA was made into a choir piece. The music was written by a young Slovenian composer, Uršula Jašovec, and was premiered at Slovenska Filharmonija in October 2023.

12/20/23 • 60:24

In this episode, we host three guests related to healthcare in Slovenia:Dr. Alenka Kolar, Director of the General Directorate for Digitalisation in Healthcare, SloveniaGašper Čehovin, Managing Director and Partner of Parsek, a company developing a multi-purpose platform for supporting integrated care aiming to reduce administrative burden in the healthcare sector significantlyFederico Potočnik, dr. med., a physician specializing in infectious diseases and a graduate of the Stanford MSx ProgramIn this episode, we explore the state of healthcare deliverance in Slovenia and discuss how public versus private healthcare models may pave the way for future healthcare deliverance.  In absorbing three valuable perspectives in the transformation process, we gain insight into the numerous factors impacting healthcare transformation into the digital age. Join us in this conversation! The ASEF Podcast host is David Turk, an ASEF Fellow 2020 from the Visiting Slovenia program. 

12/11/23 • 58:29

In Episode 24, we talk with Dr. Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel, Partner at SYSTEMIQ, and advisor to thought-leading institutions such as the European Forest Institute. Listen as we discuss about climate change.Dr. Janez Potočnik's academic journey began with honors from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana. He pursued further studies at the same university, completing his master's degree in 1989 and obtaining a Ph.D. in 1993. In July 1994, he assumed the role of Director at the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development of the Republic of Slovenia. Subsequently, in April 1998, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia appointed him as the Head of the Negotiating Team for the Accession of Slovenia to the European Union. His extensive involvement in European affairs continued as he served as Minister Councillor at the Office of the Prime Minister in June 2001 and later became the Minister without portfolio responsible for European Affairs on January 24, 2002. Dr. Potočnik joined the European Commission on May 1, 2004, and from 2004 to 2010, he held the responsibility for Science and Research. In 2010, he assumed a second mandate as a Member of the European Commission responsible for Environment, concluding on November 1, 2014. Post-2014, Dr. Potočnik's commitment to environmental causes persisted as he was appointed a member and Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme. Simultaneously, he took on roles such as Chairman of The Forum for the Future of Agriculture and a Member of the European Policy Centre's Advisory Council. Since April 2016, he has been a Partner at SYSTEMIQ. Additionally, from 2020 onwards, he holds the position of President of ThinkForest. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Potočnik has received multiple honorary Doctor of Science degrees from institutions such as London Imperial College, Ghent University, and Finland Aalto University. Notable accolades include the United Nations' 2013 Champions of the Earth Award for promoting resource efficiency and reducing food waste in the European Union, the ACER Award for visionary contributions to the European Research Council, the Twelve Stars for the Environment Award for his science-based approach to environmental sustainability, and the Hans-Carl-Von-Carlowitz-Award 2015 for his courageous and international work in advocating for the circular economy in Europe.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

11/20/23 • 50:50

In this episode, we host three guests related to the entrepreneurial landscape in Slovenia:Charlotte Taft, Education Coordinator at the US Embassy in LjubljanaDanijela Pavlica, Head of Educational Content at POPRI, from Primorska Technology ParkJakob Gajšek, director of LUI, Ljubljana University IncubatorWe talk about youth entrepreneurship in Slovenia and the world. What is the state of youth entrepreneurship in Slovenia? What is being done in Slovenia and the region? We discuss best practices worldwide and their vision for developing and improving youth entrepreneurship in Slovenia.  We discuss creativity, the entrepreneur mindset, and traits: passion, ambition, experimentation, risk, learning, market fit, and many others.

11/11/23 • 94:59

In this episode, we host Mr. Boštjan Gorjup, ex-president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and Managing Director at BSH Adriatic East, the largest manufacturer of small home appliances in Europe, one of the largest companies in Slovenia and also one of the most important companies in BSH. We talked with Mr. Gorjup to gain insights about the company's growth, the role of artificial intelligence in smart manufacturing, and recent challenges related to the floods in Slovenia. In addition, we get to know Slovenia's main competitive advantages and how the Slovenian business environment can be improved.

10/20/23 • 22:00

In this episode, we host Teja Tegelj, an accomplished Slovenian artist. Teja Tegelj earned her bachelor's degree at the Faculty of Education, Program Art Pedagogy at the University of Ljubljana. She later pursued a Master of Science in Art Pedagogy. During her studies, she took part in a student exchange in Germany. She also researched aboriginal art in Australia, which greatly influenced her art expression development. She was awarded the Grand Prix of the International Visual Art Award Ex-Tempore Ptuj and the Golden Osten Award at the Osten Biennial of Drawing Skopje. Since 2015, she has been a Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies member.

6/20/23 • 43:54

In Episode 20, we talk with Dr. Tamara Trošt, Associate Professor at the School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana, and Dr. Manja Klemenčič, Associate Senior Lecturer on Sociology offering higher education courses at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University and in General Education at Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Listen as they discuss the field of sociology.Dr. Tamara Trošt is an ASEF Tutor and Associate Professor at the University of Ljubljana School of Economics and Business. She received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University and an M.A. in Political Science from Syracuse University. She has published about stereotypes, identity, populism, history education, collective memory, sports, and nationalism and specializes in qualitative research methods.Dr. Manja Klemenčič is an Associate Senior Lecturer on Sociology offering higher education courses at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, and General Education at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Klemenčič is a local affiliate at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. Klemenčič is an external associate researcher at the Centre for Educational Policy Studies, Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana and collaborates with the research group at CMEPIUS, Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes, in particular as a member of the global academic network APIKS - Academic Profession in Knowledge Societies. She researches, teaches, advises, and acts as a consultant in the area of sociology and politics of higher education, European and international comparative higher education.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

5/20/23 • 55:21

In this episode, we host Mr. Tone Stanovnik, Founder and CEO of Špica International, a regional leader in Time Management and Access Control focusing on Workforce Management, Supply Chain Management, Sales Force Automation, and Asset Management. We talk with Mr. Stanovnik about the start of his entrepreneurial career and its development. He shares his insights into his company's growth, his views about efficiency and how it can be enhanced, and the many challenges they faced, such as adapting to changes such as migrating from on-premise to cloud models and licensing business models to subscriptions. In addition, we get to know his vision for the field of time management solutions, how he compares the business environment in Slovenia to other countries, the main competitive advantages of Slovenia, and how the Slovenian business environment can be improved.

4/20/23 • 36:23

In this episode, we host Polona Kunaver Ličen (Lona Verlich), a Slovenian painter, illustrator, graphic designer, exhibition creator, and musician. Polona Kunaver Ličen earned her bachelor's and master's degree at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana. During her master's degree, she spent a year in Helsinki, Finland, studying illustration and graphics. In 2006, she won the first prize in Austria for her illustrated book "The Secret of Old Man Bertold" at the author's book competition. She is a member of the Society of Fine Artists of Northern Primorska. Since September 2003, she and her husband have been running the art and design center Lična hiša in Ajdovščina, Slovenia.

3/20/23 • 39:21

In Episode 17, we talk with Dr. Vita Godec, Managing Director at Lenis farmacevtika d.o.o. and ASEF professor Dr. David Sarlah, Associate Professor at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Listen as they discuss the field of chemistry.Dr. Vita Godec is an ASEF Mentor who received her BSc in Biochemistry and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Later she received her MBA from IEDC-Bled School of Management. Currently, she is a Managing Director at Lenis farmacevtika d.o.o., a Slovenian pharma wholesaler specializing in imports of niche and unlicensed medicines, where she focuses on digitalization in business process management.Dr. David Sarlah is an ASEF Professor who received his BSc in Chemistry from the University of Ljubljana in 2006 and his Ph.D. from the Scripps Research Institute in 2011. Following a postdoctoral stay at ETH Zürich, he joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2014, where he holds the position of Associate Professor at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

2/20/23 • 66:21

In this episode, we host Mr. Marko Bitenc, Founder and CEO of GenePlanet, one of the most prominent and innovative personal genetics companies, and Co-Founder of Universal Diagnostics, which is developing primary prevention methods for cancer through the use of blood tests. We talk with Mr. Bitenc about the start of his entrepreneurial career and its incredible development. He shares with us his insights into the growth of his companies, the products they offer, and the motivation behind them. We get to know his vision for the field of personal genetics and its increasingly tighter cooperation with clinical medicine in the future, as well as his thoughts on the potential for similar future life science companies in Slovenia.

1/20/23 • 35:00

In this episode, we host Slovenian academic painter Matej Metlikovič. Matej Metlikovič earned his bachelor's degree in 1978 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana, under professors Štefan Planinc and Milan Butina, and completed his master’s degree under Kiar Meško and Janez Bernik in 1981. Since he completed his studies, Matej has continually worked, exhibited, and participated in national and international exhibitions, art workshops, and symposiums. His artworks are kept in numerous collections around Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Canada. He has been a freelance artist since 1992.

12/21/22 • 76:14

Why is it important to research mathematics? Do we discover maths, or do we invent it? What is the research purpose in the fields of topology and graphs? In which fields of mathematics does Slovenia have strong research groups? How does the research environment in Slovenia differ from other countries?In Episode 14, we talk with ASEF professors Bojan Mohar, Sara Kališnik, and Andrej Bauer. Listen as they discuss the field of mathematics.Bojan Mohar is a world-recognized mathematician in the field of graph theory. He is a Canada Research Chair in Graph Theory at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, and a Full Professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Ljubljana, was a post-doctoral fellow at Simon Fraser University, and was a Fullbright Visiting Scholar at the Ohio State University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Mathematical Society, and the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics. He received the John L. Synge Award and the prestigious Euler Medal. The Republic of Slovenia awarded him the Ambassador of Science Award.Sara Kališnik is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zurich. Her research focuses on using methods from pure mathematics to study data. She is the co-director of the Applied Algebraic Topology Research Network, which hosts a popular weekly Online Seminar. She obtained her Ph.D. at Stanford University and performed post-doctoral research at Brown University and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. In the academic year 2020/2021, she was an Assistant Professor at Bentley University. Her research focuses on applied algebraic topology.Andrej Bauer is a professor at the University of Ljubljana. He obtained his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University and received the School of Computer Science Distinguished Dissertation Award for his Ph.D. thesis. He was the main coordinator for the 47th International Mathematical Olympiad held in Slovenia. In 2022 he received the American Mathematical Society Levi L. Conant Prize for the article “Five stages of accepting constructive mathematics.”The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow in 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

11/20/22 • 70:48

In this episode, we host Ms. Ajša Vodnik, Msc., CEO of AmCham Slovenia and Vice President of AmChams in Europe. In this episode, we talk about her early career, her current role as CEO of AmCham Slovenia and Vice President of AmChams in Europe, lessons learned, and her vision for  Slovenia. Among other things, we asked her how business ties can be strengthened between USA and Slovenia, what collaborations should be established between Slovenia and other countries across Europe, and in which areas Slovenia has the most business potential.

10/20/22 • 24:22

In this episode, we host Slovenian painter, lithographer, and graphic artist Leon Zakrajšek. Leon Zakrajšek graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1986. He specialized at the Centre Internacional de Recerca Gràfica, near Barcelona, and later as a Japanese government scholarship holder at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Between 1997 and 1998, he studied at the private printmaking studios of Hanga Kobo-Seya-Ku under Harumi Sonoyama and with master woodcutters Fumiu Kitaoka, Yukio Rei, and Seiko Kawachi. Zakrajšek has been a member of the Society of Slovenian Visual Artists (DSLU) since 1987, a member of the Kamakura Print Collection since 1998, and a selector and member of scientific committees in Cremona, Italy (since 2000) in Haifa, Israel, and Sofia, Bulgaria. He is also an honorary member of the Tokyo Print Association Han 17 in Tokyo, Japan, and an honorary member of the Petrovaradinska Tvrdjava Art Circle in Novi Sad. In addition to the above, the artist also organizes exhibitions at home and abroad.

9/20/22 • 53:53

Is the Metaverse a potential stepping stone for robotics and human-machine interaction? Does gamification enhance rehabilitation outcomes? Will we be able to build a comprehensive human-person digital twin for health purposes? How will Digital Twins and robotics change the manufacturing industry? What are the opportunities for Slovenia in this field? What is needed to build an ecosystem among industry and universities similar to the existing ones in the US? Can Slovenia become a test environment for self-driving cars?In Episode 11, we talk with ASEF professors Miloš Žefran, Vesna Novak, and Mitja Trkov. Listen as they discuss robotics and human-machine interaction.Miloš Žefran is an Electrical and Computer Engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he also received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering. He received an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 and 1996, respectively. From 1997 to 1999, he was a National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Institute of Technology. He was on the faculty at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and held a visiting position at the University of Pisa, Italy. Dr. Žefran received an NSF Career Award in 2001 and has been continuously supported by the NSF since then. His main research areas involve Human-Robot Interaction, assistive robots, cyber-physical systems, autonomous vehicles, runtime monitoring, and switched systems.Vesna Novak is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Cincinnati. She received her diploma and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Ljubljana in 2008 and 2011, respectively. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, from 2012 to 2014, and then an Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Wyoming from 2014 to 2021. Her research interests include rehabilitation robotics, wearable robotics, virtual reality, serious games, affective computing, and human activity recognition.Mitja Trkov is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University.  He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, in 2016. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2007. Before his graduate studies, he worked as an R&D engineer in the naval industry. Before joining Rowan University, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. His main research areas involve wearable and assistive devices, human-machine interactions, soft robotics, mechatronics, rehabilitation, and biomedical engineering, ergonomics, and biomechanics.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow in 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

6/20/22 • 90:54

In this episode, we host Ms. Nana Šumrada Slavnič, Ph.D., Vice President of Legal Affairs at Outfit7 - the only Slovenian unicorn so far. Šumrada Slavnič, Ph.D., holds an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. She has also worked at the European Court of Justice and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In this episode, we talk about leadership and expertise, the importance of values and kindness, taxation in Slovenia, and its impact on investments, talents, and startups.

5/20/22 • 29:45

In this episode, we host Slovenian painter and designer Žiga Okorn. Žiga Okorn graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Ljubljana with an exhibition in the Tivoli Park’s old Boat House in 1991 with prof. Gustav Gnamuš and prof. Tomaž Brejc. He co-authored the renovation of the former military prison, now known as the Celica Youth Hostel, where he also designed and painted one of the cells. For its renovation, together with the Sestava group, he received the City of Ljubljana Distinction and was awarded the Golden pencil award by the Chamber of Architects of Slovenia. Since 1994 he has worked as a freelance artist, regularly exhibiting paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sculptures in Slovenia and abroad. 

4/20/22 • 48:50

Which one existed first: DNA or RNA? mRNA vaccines: how do they work? Can such vaccines be used to fight cancer? RNA research in USA and Australia. How can research be improved in Slovenia?In Episode 8, we talk with ASEF professors Jernej Murn and Boštjan Kobe. Listen as they discuss RNA research.Boštjan Kobe is a Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Queensland. Prior to joining the University of Queensland, he was a postdoctoral researcher at St. Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne, Australia, where he also started his laboratory at the end of 1997. Prof. Kobe completed his Ph.D. degree at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, USA. He has been awarded the Minister’s Prize for Achievement in Life Sciences (2001), an ARC Federation Fellowship (2005), the ASBMB (Australian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) Roche Medal (2009), the ASBMB Beckman Coulter Discovery Award (2018) and became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2018. He was the President of the Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand (2012-2014). He is the Editor of Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology and PLoS One. His laboratory focuses on applying structural biology approaches to understanding infection and immunity.Jernej Murn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of California, Riverside. Before joining UC Riverside as faculty in 2017, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital. He trained with Yang Shi in epigenetics and RNA biology. Prof. Murn completed his Ph.D. in molecular biology that he shared between the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the CEA Laboratory for Functional Genomics in France.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow in 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

3/20/22 • 43:03

In this episode, we host Andraž Tori, co-founder of Zemanta, which Outbrain acquired in 2017, and where he is now Head of Recommendations and Data Science. He is also co-founder of Silicon Gardens Fund, a private venture capital fund. In this episode, we talk about Outbrains' IPO and its relevance for Slovenia, get to know more about online advertising and the opportunities behind Web 3.0, whether Slovenia can develop an ecosystem of advertising-related companies, and what we should learn from mature startup ecosystems, such as Silicon Valley (USA) or Silicon Wadi (Israel).

2/20/22 • 36:16

In this episode, we host Slovenian artist and researcher Dr. Polona Tratnik, who holds a bachelor’s degree in painting, a master’s degree in sculpture, and her Ph.D. is in philosophy and theory of visual culture. Polona Tratnik is Dean of New University, Faculty for Slovene and International Studies, where she is a full professor for philosophy and art; she is a research councilor at Institute IRRIS for Research, Development, and Strategies of Society, Culture and Environment. She is the president of the Slovenian Society of Aesthetics and vice-secretary general of the International Association of Aesthetics. Her bibliography comprises more than 270 entries, of which she published 34 peer-reviewed articles, 40 book chapters, and 8 monographs with one translation to Serbian, as a single author. Her research fields comprise aesthetics, philosophy of art and science, media theory, and interdisciplinary studies of fairy tales. She is a pioneer bio artist. 

1/21/22 • 55:06

How do cancer policies differ across the EU and Slovenia? Prevention and early detection. What are the major differences regarding infrastructure for clinical research and trials between US and Slovenia? How will changes in diagnostics and therapeutics likely change policies across countries? How do concerns over privacy affect medical research, and how do approaches on this matter differ between US and EU?In Episode 5, we talk with ASEF professors Tit Albreht, Robert Jeraj, and Mateja Jamnik. Listen as they discuss research and policymaking in the field of healthcare, with an emphasis on cancer research and prevention.Tit Albreht, is an Associate Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, and a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Public Health Association. Since 2006, he has been actively involved in the development of cancer policies at the European level – during the Slovenian Presidency of the European Council and later as coordinator of Joint Actions on cancer policy at the European Union level, including the European Partnership for Action Against Cancer (EPAAC), Cancer Control (CanCon) and most recently, the Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer (iPAAC).Robert Jeraj, is a Professor of Medical Physics, Human Oncology, Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he leads the Imaging and Radiation Sciences Program at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. He is also a professor at the University of Ljubljana, where he leads a team related to medical physics, and oncology.Mateja Jamnik, is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science and Technology (Computer Laboratory) at the University of Cambridge, UK. She is an associate fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and recently served as Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. She is also a SMUL (World Network of the University of Ljubljana) council member. Among other topics, her research focuses on applying AI technology to medical data to advance personalized cancer medicine.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow in 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

12/20/21 • 87:06

In this episode, we host dr. Mark Pleško, Founder and CEO of Cosylab, to get to know his career path and company. Mark Pleško is a Slovenian scientist and entrepreneur. He founded Cosylab, the world's leading provider of control systems for particle accelerators, fusion reactors, and cancer therapy systems. He has been a member of the management boards of multiple organizations, companies, and faculties. He is also president of the Slovenian Academy of Engineering.

11/20/21 • 23:03

In this episode we host Eva Pavli, to get to know her artistic career path and views on Slovenian art. Eva Pavli is an academic painter and singer. Since 2014, she has been participating as an additional choir member at the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. She regularly performs in Slovenia and has toured abroad. Eva is a member and co-author of the group Tosca Beat, although she also creates her own music. In September 2019, she performed with Belgian rapper Miss Angel and French singer Jeremy Lior at the Berci Arena in Paris, with the anthem Let's Go Together, which she wrote for Euro Volley 2019. Last year Eva presented three original songs, and this year she released her new album Sreči - to Happiness. 

10/20/21 • 39:25

Big data, small data - do they condition AI research and development? How can AI help less developed countries? Can we get into another "AI winter" in the future?In Episode 2, we talk with ASEF professors Ivan Bratko, and Marinka Žitnik. Listen as they discuss the field of artificial intelligence: its origins in Slovenia, current issues regarding access to data, privacy, and whether AI can gain consciousness.Dr. Ivan Bratko is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Ljubljana. He pioneered AI research in Slovenia, and he has made valuable contributions to machine learning, (inductive) logic programming, and learning qualitative models, with applications in medicine, ecology, and robotics. Dr. Marinka Žitnik is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard University, Associate Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Faculty at the Harvard Data Science Initiative. She is a computer scientist studying applied machine learning with a focus on challenges brought forward by data in science, medicine, and health.The ASEF Podcast host is Tanja Janko, a Master's Student of Chemistry at the University of Zurich. She was an ASEF Fellow in 2019 with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University.

7/20/21 • 81:38