Marija Zanic, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor of Biochemistry
Co-Director, Vanderbilt Center on Mechanobiology
Education
- Ph.D. Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Weinberg Theory Group, December 2007
- M.S. Physics, The University of Zagreb, Croatia, September 1998
Research Positions
| 2024 – present | Professor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (secondary) Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine (secondary) |
| 2020 – 2024 | Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (secondary) Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine (secondary) |
| 2022 – present | Co-Director, Vanderbilt Center on Mechanobiology |
| 2014 – 2020 | Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (secondary) Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine (secondary) Affiliations: Vanderbilt Molecular Biophysics Training Program; Chemical and Physical Biology Program; Cellular, Biochemical and Molecular Sciences Graduate Training Program; Integrated Biological Systems Training in Oncology Program; Systems Biology and Bioengineering Undergraduate Research Experience; Vanderbilt Institute of Integrative Biosystems Research and Education; Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center |
| 2013 – 2014 | Associate Research Scientist, Howard Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, CT Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry |
| 2008 – 2013 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany, Advisor: Dr. Jonathon Howard |
| 2003 – 2007 | Graduate Research Assistant, University of Texas at Austin, TX Weinberg Theory Group, Advisor: Dr. Sonia Paban |
Rewards and Honors
| 2022 | Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow, Vanderbilt University |
| 2021 | Early Career Award, Biophysical Society Motility & Cytoskeleton Subgroup |
| 2020 | Dean’s Faculty Fellow (inaugural), Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences |
| 2018 | Scialog Fellow |
| 2017 | Vanderbilt Faculty Cutting-Edge Flexner Discovery Lecturer |
| 2017 | Vanderbilt Provost Research Studio Award |
| 2016 | NIHGMS Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) |
| 2016 – 2019 | Searle Scholars Award |
| 2014 – 2018 | Career Development Award, Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) |
| 2008 – 2012 | Cross-Disciplinary Postdoctoral Fellowship, HFSP |
| 2010 | Federation of European Biochemical Societies Fellowship |
| 2009 | Eva Szent-Gyorgyi Scholarship |
| 2009 | Lola Ellis Robertson Endowed Scholarship |
| 2008 | Max Planck Society Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| 2003 – 2007 | Research Assistantship, Weinberg Theory Group, UT Austin |
| 2006 | Jane and Roland Blumberg Scholarship |
| 2003 | Professional Development Award, Graduate School, UT Austin |
| 2002 | Research Assistantship, Experimental High Energy Group, UT Austin |
Professional Training
| 2022 | Mid-Career Leadership Development Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN |
| 2020 | Culturally Aware Mentoring Workshop, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN |
| 2019 | Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Early Career Women Faculty Seminar, San Diego, CA |
| 2010 | Pierre-Gilles de Gennes School: Cytoskeleton, Contractility and Motility, Institut d’Études Scientifiques de Cargèse, Corsica, France |
| 2009 | Physiology Course, Marine Biological Laboratories, Woods Hole, MA (Research rotations with Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, NIH; Clare Waterman, NIH; Daniel Fletcher, UC Berkeley) |
| 2008 | Protein Purification and Characterization, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY |
| 2004 | Frontiers of Mathematical Physics, Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC |
| 2002 – 2004 | Prospects in Theoretical Physics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ |