She spent her entire scientific career at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, where she had been a scholarship holder during her studies. She was elected Research Assistant in 1975, Research Associate in 1984, Senior Research Associate in 1990, and Research Advisor in 1993. She was re-elected to the permanent title of Research Advisor in 1998. From 1993 to 2015, she was Head of the Laboratory for Genotoxic Agents at the Division of Molecular Biology.
The main scientific interest of Dr. Maja Osmak during her long and fruitful career was the study of cellular response to cytotoxic and genotoxic agents, as well as the investigation of molecular mechanisms by which cells develop resistance to such agents. She made significant contributions in three areas of cell biology. The first was her pioneering work in radiobiology, where she demonstrated that cells repeatedly irradiated with low doses of ionizing radiation can change their sensitivity to the mutagenic and lethal effects of DNA-damaging agents. The second area, which she introduced into Croatian science and where she left an indelible mark, and which became the largest part of her research, was the study of cellular response to cytotoxic and genotoxic agents and the molecular mechanisms of resistance to them.
She began these studies on cell models and gradually deepened them to the molecular level, establishing a large and successful laboratory. Over the years, she published a series of papers that uncovered previously unknown molecular mechanisms of cellular response to cytostatics, as well as new mechanisms by which cells acquire resistance. Finally, the third area of her special contribution followed the latest trends in testing new compounds as potential antitumor drugs. In collaboration with chemists from Ljubljana, she investigated organometallic complexes, especially those with ruthenium, which are considered promising due to their favorable chemical and biochemical properties.
She published 163 scientific and professional papers, 117 of them in journals indexed in Current Contents, many of them in top scientific journals. She was the author of an internationally recognized patent. Her papers have been cited more than 1,700 times in the WOS database, with an h-index of 21. For her scientific work, she received the State Award for Science in 2003.
In addition to her rich scientific activity, leading 15 national and international projects, Dr. Maja Osmak also participated in university teaching, where she lectured in five postgraduate and doctoral programs at the Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, as well as in the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Molecular Biosciences, jointly organized by the University of Osijek, the University of Dubrovnik, and the Ruđer Bošković Institute. Under her mentorship, 8 doctoral dissertations, 8 master’s theses (3 as co-mentor), and 13 diploma theses were completed, and many young scientists, today successful researchers, were trained.
She delivered numerous lectures at international and national scientific meetings and institutions. She was a reviewer for many leading international and domestic scientific journals, as well as for national and international scientific projects. She was a member of the editorial board of the international journal Radiology and Oncology.
She held prominent positions in national scientific bodies such as the Expert Committee for Elections to Scientific Titles in Biology (2009–), and the Committee for State Awards in the Natural Sciences (2013–2015). She was President of the Croatian Radiation Protection Association (1995–1997), and a member of the Governing Board of the Croatian Association for Cancer Research (2012–). She made a special contribution to the Ruđer Bošković Institute by serving two terms as Chair of the Institute’s Scientific Council (1995–1997, 2005–2007). In addition, she was a member of the Institute’s Governing Board (2012–2016), and served three times as Chair (1993–1995, 1997–1999, 2001–2003) and once as Deputy Chair of the Scientific Council of the Biology Division (2012–2015).
Together with the Ruđer Bošković Institute and the Croatian Society for Neuroscience, she co-founded the Branimir Jernej Foundation, aimed at promoting high-quality and internationally recognized scientific research in biology, biomedicine, and neuroscience.
For her contribution to science, her role in education, and her efforts for the development and reputation of the Institute, she was awarded the honorary title of Distinguished Scientist of the Ruđer Bošković Institute in 2018.
