Žiga Zebec

Dr. Zebec studied at the University of Vienna in Austria. He completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Ecology with a focus on microbial ecology. By studying microbial ecology, molecular microbiology and immunobiology, he obtained a Master of Science (MSc). He continued his education under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Christa Schleper and received his PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) for his dissertation on CRISPR systems. After completing his PhD, he completed further training (PostDoc) in the field of synthetic biology at the University of Manchester - Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB). Dr. Zebec worked as a research associate under the direct supervision of MIB director Prof. Dr. Nigel Scrutton on a BRRS-funded project called “Terpenosomes", which was led by Prof. Dr. Eriko Takano. After returning to Slovenia, he worked briefly in a private biotech company, AciesBio. More recently, Dr. Zebec received funding for the CellD-synBio project from the Ministry of Education and the EU Cohesion fund. The CellD-synBio project was successfully completed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor. Later that year, he joined the team of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Sensors (IOS d.o.o.) and worked as a senior scientist on enzymatic degradation of waste. In November 2023 he joined the team of HCP Vega. Dr.Zebec has published several scientific papers, authored reviews, presented papers at international conferences and participated in EU-funded projects.