Driven by curiosity. Driving changeBiography
Professor Ljiljana Fruk leads the BioNano Engineering group in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on organic and bioinspired nanostructures and artificial enzymes (nanozymes), and their applications in drug delivery, biosensor design, and development of more sustainable industrial processes.
Ljiljana obtained her Diploma (Master’s equivalent) in Chemistry from the University of Zagreb in 1999, followed by a PhD at the University of Strathclyde in 2004. She then held Humboldt and Marie Curie Fellowships at the University of Dortmund, before taking on a group leader position at the Centre for Functional Nanostructures at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
She joined the Department in 2015 and is also a Fellow and Director of Studies in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Research interests
- Organic and bioinspired nanostructures
- Noble metal nanoalloys
- Photo-triggered chemistry
- Photocatalysts
- Nanozyme design
- Senescent cell detection and removal
- In vivo biosensors and contrast agents
- Drug nanocarriers
- Protein nanodegraders
- Nanotoxicology
Professor Fruk’s group develops organic and bioinspired nanostructured materials and artificial enzymes for catalysis and biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery to hard-to-treat cancers, while also aiming to understand the fundamental principles of nanomaterial design and biofunctionalisation.
Awards and achievements
- Governing Body Fellow – Sidney Sussex, Cambridge
- Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowship
- Author – Bionanotechnology Concepts and Applications textbook
- Author – Molecular Aesthetics
- Humboldt Fellowship
- Overseas Research Award
- University of Zagreb Rector’s Award
Teaching and supervision
Professor Fruk teaches and supervises across undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Subjects include Ethics in Engineering and Science, Bionanotechnology and Chemical Product Design.
Professor Ljiljana Fruk
Professor of BioNano Engineering
Bionano Engineering research group leader