Rudolf Podgornik
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Podgornik is a Slovenia
n physicist
. His field of research is the physics of soft matter
, the physics of coulomb fluids and macromolecular
interactions, the Lifshitz
theory of dispersion interaction, the physics of membranes
, polymers and polyelectrolytes and especially the physics of DNA
as well as the physics of virus
es. He discovered the line hexatic phase in the phase diagram of the concentrated DNA solutions. The line hexatic mesophase appears to be the preferred packing form of DNA in bacteriophages. He is the author of more than a hundred scientific papers and a coeditor of a book on "Electrostatic Effects in Soft Matter" (Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Les Houches, France, 1–13 October 2000, Series: NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Vol. 46 ), together with Christian Holm and Patrick Kekicheff. Together with D. Harries, J. DeRouchey, H. H. Strey, and V. A. Parsegian, he coauthored the chapter "Interactions in Macromolecular Complexes Used as Nonviral Vectors for Gene Delivery", in the leading textbook of gene therapy: "Gene Therapy: Therapeutic Mechanisms and Strategies", N. Smyth – Templeton, Marcel Dekker, New York (2008), Third Edition.
Rudolf Podgornik is the head of the research program Biophysics
of polymers, membranes, gels, colloids and cells
, financially supported by the Slovene Agency for Research and Development. He is a member of the Theoretical Physics Department at the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, an adjunct scientist at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD and teaches at the Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana
and at the Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana
.
In 1999 he was awarded the highest prize for scientific excellence in Slovenia, the Zois Award. In 2008 he was a co-recipient of the Martin Hirschorn IAC Prize. This award, made possible by the generosity of Martin Hirschorn, is given once every two years and is funded by the INCE Foundation.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. His field of research is the physics of soft matter
Soft matter
Soft matter is a subfield of condensed matter comprising a variety of physical states that are easily deformed by thermal stresses or thermal fluctuations. They include liquids, colloids, polymers, foams, gels, granular materials, and a number of biological materials...
, the physics of coulomb fluids and macromolecular
Macromolecule
A macromolecule is a very large molecule commonly created by some form of polymerization. In biochemistry, the term is applied to the four conventional biopolymers , as well as non-polymeric molecules with large molecular mass such as macrocycles...
interactions, the Lifshitz
Lifshitz
Lifshitz is a surname, which may be derived from the Polish city of Głubczyce , and may refer to:* Evgeny Lifshitz, , a Soviet physicist...
theory of dispersion interaction, the physics of membranes
Cell membrane
The cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell...
, polymers and polyelectrolytes and especially the physics of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
as well as the physics of virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es. He discovered the line hexatic phase in the phase diagram of the concentrated DNA solutions. The line hexatic mesophase appears to be the preferred packing form of DNA in bacteriophages. He is the author of more than a hundred scientific papers and a coeditor of a book on "Electrostatic Effects in Soft Matter" (Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Les Houches, France, 1–13 October 2000, Series: NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Vol. 46 ), together with Christian Holm and Patrick Kekicheff. Together with D. Harries, J. DeRouchey, H. H. Strey, and V. A. Parsegian, he coauthored the chapter "Interactions in Macromolecular Complexes Used as Nonviral Vectors for Gene Delivery", in the leading textbook of gene therapy: "Gene Therapy: Therapeutic Mechanisms and Strategies", N. Smyth – Templeton, Marcel Dekker, New York (2008), Third Edition.
Rudolf Podgornik is the head of the research program Biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
of polymers, membranes, gels, colloids and cells
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
, financially supported by the Slovene Agency for Research and Development. He is a member of the Theoretical Physics Department at the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, an adjunct scientist at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD and teaches at the Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
and at the Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
.
In 1999 he was awarded the highest prize for scientific excellence in Slovenia, the Zois Award. In 2008 he was a co-recipient of the Martin Hirschorn IAC Prize. This award, made possible by the generosity of Martin Hirschorn, is given once every two years and is funded by the INCE Foundation.
External links
- Rudolf Podgornik research page at Jožef Stefan InstituteJožef Stefan InstituteThe Jožef Stefan Institute , is the largest research institute in Slovenia. The main research areas are physics, chemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, information technologies, reactor physics, energy and environment...
in LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants... - Rudolf Podgornik at the official Faculty of mathematics and physics, University in Ljubljana site.
- Polymer Physics: DNA off the Hooke Article published by NatureNature (journal)Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
in November 2006 - Rudolf Podgornik assosiated articles at arXiv.org