People

Martina Gáliková

Martina is a geneticist investigating regulations of energy metabolism. She obtained her undergraduate and graduate education in Biology at the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia, 2004-2009). She continued in the field of Genetics studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna (Austria, 2009-2013), where she received her PhD in 2014.  Subsequently, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen (Germany, 2013-2017) and afterward at the Stockholm University (Sweden, 2017-2019). Currently, she works as a PI at the Institute of Zoology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovakia).

MPhil. Ammara Nawaz, PhD.

PostDoc (starting September 2024)

Ammara completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Ecology and Landscape Management from the Faculty of Natural Sciences study program ecology and environmental conservation at Comenius University. She is interested in the effects of toxins on metabolism in Drosophila.

Mgr. Diana Knoblochová

Ph.D. Student (2022-present)

Diana is a graduate student in Molecular biology at Comenius University in Bratislava. She is interested in the hormonal regulation of fat metabolism in Drosophila. She completed her Master’s in department Genetics at Comenius University.

Contact: d.knoblochova@gmail.com

MSc. Sanjay Ramnarayan Yadav

Ph.D. Student (2023-present)

Sanjay is a graduate student at Comenius University in Bratislava. He is interested in understanding the endocrine control of fat and carbohydrate metabolism in Drosophila. He completed her Master’s in Biology at IISER-TVM.

Contact: sanjay.yadav@savba.sk

Elena Syed

Research assistant (2024 -present)

Bc. Andrej Boroš

Research assistant & Master’s student (2024-present)

Andrej is a graduate student in the Genetics department at Comenius University in Bratislava. He is interested in water homeostasis regulation by endocrine factors.

Bc. Filip Kornhauser

Research assistant & Master’s student (2024-present)

Filip is a graduate student in Biology in the Genetics Department at Comenius University in Bratislava. His bachelor’s thesis focused on genes and molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms in Drosophila. His current project investigates novel catabolic regulators of fat and glycogen storage.

Slávka Vojteková

Technician (2024 -present)

Bc. Johana Krempaská

Research assistant & MSc student, our former Bc student (2024-present)

Johanka is a graduate student in the Animal Physiology Department at Comenius University in Bratislava. Her MSc project focuses on endocrine regulation of oogenesis in Drosophila.

Angelina Kun

Research assistant & Bachelor student (2025-present)

Angelina is an undergraduate student at the Department of Genetics at Comenius University in Bratislava.

Kristina Stohl

Research Intern: 2023-2025

Kika is a high school biology enthusiast who thrives in the lab in her free time.  With a fascination for Drosophila biology, she’s getting ready to explore the world of science and its applications in various fields.

Mgr. Ružena Mastišová

Ruženka was a MSc. student in Genetics at Comenius University in Bratislava. She was interested in the hormonal regulation of fat metabolism in Drosophila. Her thesis was focused on the regulation of metabolism by steroid hormones.

Bc. Maroš Valentík

Maroš was a MSc. student in Genetics at Comenius University in Bratislava. He worked in the field of hunger and thirst in Drosophila.

Mgr. Natália Ušáková

Natália was a Bc. student in Biology at the Comenius University in Bratislava.

Thesis title: Neuroendocrine regulation of thirst and hunger in Drosophila.