Throughout his entire career, apart from periods of international training, Dr. Miroslav Plohl worked at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, first in the Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, and later in the Division of Molecular Biology. He became Research Associate in 1993, Senior Research Associate in 1998, and Research Advisor in 2005. From 2010 until his retirement on December 31, 2021, he was Research Advisor in permanent tenure. He was also appointed to academic teaching ranks at the Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, where he became Full Professor with permanent tenure in 2017.
In 2022 he was awarded the honorary title of Distinguished Scientist of the Ruđer Bošković Institute.
The long-term research interest that brought Dr. Miroslav Plohl international recognition was the study of non-coding DNA sequences in eukaryotic genomes, primarily satellite DNAs (sequences repeated in long arrays). He was one of the pioneers of such research at the Ruđer Bošković Institute. At that time, satellite DNAs were considered useless genomic ballast, unworthy of serious investigation, a view that changed over the past 40 years with the accumulation of data and the recognition of their roles in genome structure, function, and evolution. As a proactive participant in this paradigm shift, Dr. Plohl contributed to the recognition of the importance of satellite DNAs. His international recognition is evidenced by invited review articles, guest editorships of journal special issues, invited lectures, and service as a reviewer. Overall, the main focus of his scientific production was the study of DNA sequences that make up the satellitome (the totality of satellite DNAs in the genome) and the repeatome (the totality of repetitive DNA sequences in the genome), and their connections to chromosome, chromatin, heterochromatin, centromere, and telomere structure and evolution.
He primarily studied repetitive DNA in invertebrates, especially beetles of the family Tenebrionidae, beginning with the mealworm Tenebrio molitor, on which the first satellite DNA analyses at the Ruđer Bošković Institute were performed, as well as root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne and marine bivalves. He introduced nematodes into the laboratory’s research through collaboration with INRA, Sophia Antipolis, France, while the studies on bivalves began during his postdoctoral specialization at IBMB-CSIC in Barcelona. With the initiation of satellite DNA research on the mealworm, and under the mentorship of Dr. Vera Gamulin, the first DNA fragments were sequenced at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, and as far as is known, in Croatia.
Dr. Plohl published 79 papers in journals and edited volumes, 6 of which were in journals ranked in the top 5% of their field according to WOS-CC. At the time of his appointment, his papers had been cited over 2000 times according to WOS-CC, with an h-index of 28. He was coauthor of one patent application. He gave about 40 invited lectures at conferences, workshops, and professional organizations, and contributed more than 100 conference presentations.
He was Head of the Laboratory for Structure and Function of Heterochromatin in the Division of Molecular Biology at the Ruđer Bošković Institute from 2003 to 2021. He both led and participated in numerous projects, served as reviewer of national and international scientific projects, and acted as section editor and guest editor of several international journals. He reviewed numerous manuscripts for leading international journals and helped organize scientific meetings.
Based on his international visibility, Dr. Plohl established numerous collaborations with groups at prestigious institutions in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and the USA. These resulted in joint publications, collaborative project activities, international research stays for members of his laboratory, and training of foreign doctoral students at the Ruđer Bošković Institute.
Alongside research, he was active in teaching. He initiated and co-led several courses at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek and at the University of Zagreb. He supervised 7 doctoral dissertations, 4 master’s theses, and 7 diploma theses in his laboratory at the Ruđer Bošković Institute. With his mentees he coauthored numerous publications, and most of them continued successful scientific careers. He was also engaged in science communication, participating in media activities, the Ruđer Bošković Institute’s Open Days, and publishing several educational and popular science articles. He was a member of and active in several professional associations.
Throughout his career, Dr. Plohl held numerous roles at the Ruđer Bošković Institute. From 2007 to 2016 he was Chair of the Scientific Council of Biology. From 2007 to 2021 he was a member of the Institute’s Scientific Council, and from 2012 to 2019 he served as its Chair. In this capacity he participated in the work of the Governing Board, in drafting the Institute Statute, and in numerous regulations defining the organization and scientific positions at the Institute, such as the rules on the distribution of development coefficients. He was a member of many committees for promotions to scientific ranks and positions, for the election of the Institute’s director and division heads, and for the evaluation of laboratories. He participated in preparations for the Institute’s evaluations and the launch of the structural project OZIP. Since 2021 he has been a member of the Biology Board of the Agency for Science and Higher Education (AZVO).
