Obituary: Dr Željko Svedružić
In English
Sourced from Department of Biotechnology:
Dr Željko Svedružić, associate professor at the Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, passed away unexpectedly on the 20th April 2023.
We at the Department of Biotechnology knew him as a scientist, a colleague, a teacher and a mentor, and his passing has left a void in many of us. Underlying his apparently child-like naivety and occasionally provocative approach to his colleagues, were his strong ethical principles that guided him in both his work and private lives.
He was defined by his unique and quirky personality, his enthusiasm for science and his openness to everyone, because as he used to say jokingly: I am Svedružić (which loosely translates as "all friend") and I like to socialise with everyone. Now, though, there will be no more socialising, but our memories of the good and unique moments we spent with Željko will remain. He loved sports and was actively involved in them, and he was most proud of his butterfly swimming stroke. He left each of us who knew him with a series of anecdotes that we will remember and, one day, after we have accepted his departure, we will recount them with joy and fond memories.
Željko was born on 16th March 1969 in Osijek. He completed his graduate studies in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Zagreb, and continued his doctoral studies at the Oklahoma State University, where he defended his doctorate in Enzymology and Enzyme Kinetics in 1998. He then undertook postdoctoral training at the University of Santa Barbara in California, Duke University in North Carolina, Washington State University in Washington, and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.
After returning to Croatia in 2010, he was employed in the Medical Biochemistry laboratory of the Rab Psychiatric Hospital. Since summer 2013, he has been working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, where he led several undergraduate and masters courses, acted as mentor to many successful research students, and was extremely active in the popularisation of science. In 2022 he was promoted to the status of Associate Professor. His research at the Department of Biotechnology focused on the structure, function and design of biomedically active molecules using in silico approaches.
Rest in peace, dear Željko.
Author: Rozi Andretić Waldowski
Na hrvatskom jeziku
Preuzeto s Odjela za biotehnologiju:
Izvanredni profesor Željko Svedružić, djelatnik Odjela za biotehnologiju Sveučilišta u Rijeci, nenadano nas je napustio 20. travnja 2023. godine.
Mi s Odjela za biotehnologiju znamo ga kao znanstvenika, kolegu, nastavnika i mentora koji svojim odlaskom ostavlja prazninu u mnogima od nas. Iza njegove naočigled djetinje naivnosti i ponekad provokativnog pristupa kolegama krili su se njegovi visoki osobni kriteriji kojima se rukovodio u poslovnom i privatnom životu.
Resila ga je osebujna ličnost, entuzijazam za znanošću, otvoreni pristup prema svima, jer kako je sam u šali znao reći: "Ja sam Svedružić i sa svima se volim družiti." Druženja više neće biti. Ostati će sjećanja na dobre i jedinstvene trenutke koje smo proveli s Željkom. Volio je sport i njime se aktivno bavio, a najponosniji bio je na svoj leptir stil plivanja. Svakome od nas tko ga je poznavao ostavio je u nasljeđe niz anegdota kojih ćemo se prisjećati i jednoga dana, kada njegov odlazak prihvatimo, sa smijehom prepričavati.
Željko je rođen 16. ožujka 1969. g. u Osijeku. Diplomski studij molekularne biologije i biokemije završava na Prirodoslovno-matematičkom fakultetu u Zagrebu, a doktorski studij nastavlja na Državnom Sveučilištu u Oklahomi gdje 1998. godine brani doktorat iz enzimologije i enzimske kinetike. Poslijedoktorska usavršavanja proveo je na Sveučilištu Santa Barbara u Kaliforniji, Sveučilištu Duke u Sjevernoj Karolini, Državnom Sveučilištu u Washingtonu u Washington-u i na Katoličkom Sveučilištu Leuven u Belgiji.
Nakon povratka u Republiku Hrvatsku 2010. godine zapošljava se u laboratoriju za medicinsku biokemiju u Psihijatrijskoj bolnici Rab. Od ljeta 2013. godine radi kao docent na Odjelu za biotehnologiju Sveučilišta u Rijeci gdje je nositelj nekoliko kolegija prijediplomskog i diplomskog studija, mentor uspješnih studenata diplomskog studija i vrlo aktivan popularizator znanosti. Od 2022. g. promoviran je u status izvanrednog profesora. Istraživački rad na Odjelu za biotehnologiju bio je usmjeren na strukturu, funkciju i dizajn biomedicinski aktivnih molekula korištenjem in silico pristupa.
Neka naš dragi Željko počiva u miru.
Autorica: Rozi Andretić Waldowski