IN MEMORIAM

Professor Jure Piškur was a world-renowned scientist in the field of comparative genomics and molecular evolution of yeasts. He continuously searched for new research challenges and mostly meaningful answers to them. He was also actively involved with other research areas, such as metabolism of the precursors of nucleic acids, cancer gene-therapy and biotechnology. With his restless and tireless research spirit, he created an immensely large bibliographical opus. It comprises of over 120 scientific articles, among which many have been published in prestigious scientific journals. Moreover, with his innovative and breakthrough ideas, he became the creator of a series of patents and a founder of many spin-off companies.

Professor Piškur was born in late October 1960 in the Styria region, in Celje, to be precise. That was where he spent hisearlier years. After finishing Grammar school in Celje, he moved to Ljubljana to study Biology at the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana. He stood out because of his highly driven research work and innovative thinking. In 1984, he received the Prešeren award for his research in the field of bacterial genetics.
After graduation, he continued his studies in Australia. In 1988, he was awarded his PhD in molecular biology and genetics of yeastsat the Australian National University in Canberra. As a new doctor, he found his first job in Europe and worked, until 1991, as a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Yeast Genetic in Carlsberg, in Copenhagen in Denmark.

His scientific career continued at the Department of Geneticsof the University of Copenhagen, where he worked as an Assistant Professor. That was where he formed his first research group that was dedicated to encimatics, genetics, and molecular biology. Between 1996 and 2004, he worked as an Associate Professor of Eukaryote Molecular Biology at the Danish Technical University (BioCentrum, DTU) and at the same time he lead a research group on Molecular and Cell Biology.

In 2004, he moved with his family, his partner Judita and his two sons, Jan and Jurij junior, to Sweden were he got a job as a Full Professor of Molecular Genetics at the Department of Cell and Organism Biology of the Lund University. Lund University is among the world’s top one hundred universities. At Lund, he led a research group with approximately fifteen scientists, most of which were doctoral students. As a respected and much liked professor, he got actively involved in various pedagogical activities and, among other things, introduced several new study subjects in the areas of molecular biology and genetics, biotechnology and innovations at undergraduate and graduate programs, both at Danish Technical University as well as at Lund University. He was also a co-founder of the Geneco Graduate School at Lund which featured a study program dedicated to genome ecology.

Even tough Professor Piškur lived and worked abroad for over 25 years, he, nevertheless, maintained close personal and professional relationships with his homeland. In the past 20 years, he regularly visited Slovenia and selflessly shared his knowledge through collaborating with the National Institute of Biology (NIB) of the University of Ljubljana, the University of Nova Gorica (UNG), the National Institute of Chemistry. Moreover, he participated at various domestic and international conferences in Slovenia. His most intense collaboration was with NIB and the University of Nova Gorica, where he was employed as a Full Professor since 2010. As a researcher, he also worked with the Marine Biology Station Piran; he focused specifically on strengthening of the research in the area of molecular microbiology. At the University of Nova Gorica, he offered priceless help for the development of research of molecular genetics of yeast fungi. For this reason, several doctoral and post-doctoral students from NIB and UNG decided to conduct research under his supervision.

As part of his scientific collaboration, Professor Piškur made the collaboration between NIB and UNG stronger and enabled their connections with many internationally renowned institutions that are active in the area of molecular biology and genetics of yeasts, or rather, in the area of new analytics of the aromatics of yeast-related foodstuff. In the last year, he established collaboration between UNG and two institutions with a similar focus, Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS) and Washington University (St. Louis, ZDA). Furthermore, he helped significantly with the founding of the Wine Research Center and the School for Viticulture and Enology at UNG (at the Lanthieri Castle). To help out with our initial work, he acquired research equipment which was donated to him by various companies, such as Kemomed (Slovenia), Carlsberg (Denmark), and Jubile kinase (Denmark).

Professor Piškur was also known as an excellent organizer. At Lund University, he organized several international workshops and courses for doctoral students of comparative genomics and evolution of yeasts and innovations in the area of biotechnology. Similar workshops were organized also in Slovenia, at UNG, always in collaboration with foreign institutions (LU, KU, University of Udine) and other Slovene institutions (UNG, NIB, IJS) as well as companies, such as Carlsberg and Hoiberg from Denmark, BIA Separations, and Central Cleaning Device Domžale – Kamnik from Slovenia. He was the initiator and chief organizer of the ISSY31 (31st International Specialized Symposium on Yeast) conference which will be taking place between October 9 and 12, 2014 at the Lanthieri Castle of the University of Nova Gorica in Vipava and in Nova Gorica.

As a member of the International Commission on Yeast, he was part of the world’s most elite group of yeast scientists. They work under the auspices of the International Association of Microbiological Societies (IAMS). He was also elected into the Scientific Committee on Biotechnology and Agronomy at the Croatian Scientific Foundation. He collaborated with the Science Committee that was founded by the Office for Slovenians Abroad as part of the consultative body of the Slovenian government.

In 2005, Professor Piškur was, due to his superb research achievements, elected into the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund (Kgl. Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund), one of the Swedish Royal academies. In 2011, the Miroslava Zei award was given to him at NIB in Ljubljana for his exceptional achievements in the field of molecular biology and genetics. In 2012, he received the highest state recognition for his important achievements in the area of research activity of Slovenians living or working abroad – this award is given by the Ambassador for Science of the Republic of Slovenia.

However, Jure was not only an exceptional researcher and teacher, we was also a colleague who, with his typical enthusiasm, continuously shared his knowledge and experience. He was also a good friend, always willing to offer help to anyone who needed it. While constantly expanding his academic horizons, he never once forgot the importance and the humane side of interpersonal relations. He was not only our ambassador in the scientific sense, he was also an ambassador of goodwill and eternal zeal.
We are deeply honored and glad that your life path led you to us in the Vipava Valley. We are truly sorry that you needed to leave us much too early.

You will be sorely missed, our Jure!

Your colleagues and friends