Jovana’s PhD research addresses a fundamental challenge in RNA biology: how the RNA exosome complex – a conserved protein machinery essential for 3ʹ–5ʹ RNA degradation across nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments – is positioned and regulated within mammalian cells. “We know about functions of RNA exosome, but not how its localization is controlled – and this spatial regulation is key to understanding its role in RNA surveillance”, she explains. Using genome engineering, imaging, structure-guided mutagenesis and proteomics, her project aims to decipher the molecular logic governing exosome trafficking, assembly, and compartment-specific targeting. By revealing how cells orchestrate the spatial organization of the RNA exosome, Jovana hopes to uncover new regulatory principles of RNA decay. Jovana completed her Master’s degree at the Heidelberg University, Germany in the field of molecular and cell biology before joining the Ameres lab one year ago.
Jovana’s success adds to a remarkable PhD fellowship lineup for the Perutz this year: two Max Perutz Fellowships, seven OeAW DOC Fellowships, one Vienna BioCenter PhD Award, three Out-of-the-Box Awards, and now the Boehringer Ingelheim Fellowship. Together, these distinctions mark not only the most award-filled year in the institute’s history but also highlight the Perutz as an outstanding environment for young scientists to pursue their ambitions.