Croatian molecular biologist Ivan Đikić, who heads the Institute of Biochemistry II at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, has been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The Academy, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States, having been founded in 1780. Every year, the Academy recognizes outstanding achievements and body of works by selecting 200 new members from 1,300 nominations in recognition of outstanding achievements in the world of science, arts, business, and public affairs, the Goethe University said in a press release.
This year, Đikić has been elected as one of 23 international honorary members in the field of biological sciences. He is being honored for his work in deciphering the role of ubiquitination – a biological process that destroys molecules of protein – and autophagy as quality control pathways in cells.
Đikić is only the second scientist from Frankfurt’s Goethe University to become a member of the Academy, after the famous German philosopher and sociologist Juergen Habermas was accepted in 1984.
“I am deeply honored to join this circle of distinguished personalities”, Đikić said. “My gratitude goes to all past and present members of my lab, my mentors, and colleagues at Goethe University and to my family for their enduring support and friendship. I also wish to send a message to new generations stressing that science is an amazing profession where we can explore new ideas freely, enrich our creativity by curiosity, benefit society and have fun by sharing knowledge and working together with students and colleagues around the world”, Đikić added.
Born in Zagreb, Đikić graduated from the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Medicine in 1991, after which he earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology at the New York University School of Medicine in 1997. He started working at the Goethe University in 2002, where he heads an acclaimed research institute which studies proteins and cancer cells.
