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Attachment I
Curriculum Vitae
Zuzana Benková, PhD.
Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 842 36 Bratislava, Slovakia
Home: Jasovská 5, 851 07 Bratislava, Slovakia,
Phone office: (+421 2) 3229 4314
Phone home: (+421 2) 2076 8100
Mobile: 421 904 901 139
E-mail: upolzben@savba.sk
Education
Organic Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius
University, Bratislava, Slovakia
Honors
Doctor of Philosophy, Organic Chemistry/Chemical Physics, Department of Organic
Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, February
2006
Master of Science, Organic Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural
Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2001
Principal scientific activities
current:
 Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of synthetic biocompatible polymers
grafted onto solid surfaces focused on the structure and properties of grafted chains as
well as on investigation of characteristic features of thus modified surfaces.
 Atomistic MD simulations of surfaces covered by layers of anchored polymers as
potential barrier against undesired protein adsorption
 Atomistic MD simulations wetting properties of surfaces covered by irreversibly
anchored polymers immersed in the matrix of free chemically identical polymers
 Coarse-grained Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations of linear and cyclic chains of
different stiffness under uni-, bi-, and triaxial confinements modeling
biomacromolecular systems (DNA, actin) focused on structural properties and scaling
relationships of these properties influenced by confinement
previous:
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Quantum-chemical calculations of the electric properties of organic molecules
associated with the nonlinear optical properties using variety of theoretical approaches
Teaching activities: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 2002-2003
- Seminars on organic chemistry
- Excercises on organic chemistry
- Excercises on laboratory methods
- Seminars on molecular modeling
Participation in projects
1. „Molecular Dynamics Simulations of PEO-Modified Surfaces Immersed in a
Matrix of Homopolymer Melts or Solutions”, 2013-, principal investigator,
Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal
2. „Molecular dynamics simulations of tethered PEO layers as potential barriers to
protein adhesion”, 2010-2013, principal investigator, Foundation for Science and
Technology, Portugal
3. „Structural transitions of confined semiflexible macromolecules“, 2012-2015,
participating investigator, VEGA
4. „Nanostructure in macromolecular systems induced by confinement“, 2012-2015,
participating investigator, APVV
5. „Quantification of geometrically confined macromolecules in polymeric materials
and processes“, 2008-2010, participating investigator, APVV
6. „Properties and utilization of semiflexible (bio)macromolecules confined in
microchannels and micropores“, „Vlastnosti a využitie menej ohybných
(bio)makromolekúl uväznených v mikrokanáloch a mikropóroch“, 2009-2011,
participating investigator, VEGA
7. „Nanoscale simulations of (bio)macromolecular systems with special and phase
interfaces”,
“Nanoškálové
simulácie
(bio)makromolekulových
systémov
s priestorovými a fázovými rozhraniami”, 2006-2008, participating investigator,
VEGA
8. „Advanced computational chemistry, CE SAV COMCHEM”, 2007-2010,
participating investigator, Centrum of Excellence
9. „Semiflexible filamentous actin chain in biaxial confinement of microchannel”,
2007, principal investigator, Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
10. „Structure-nonlinear optical properties relationship of organic molecules”, 2005,
principal investigator, Comenius University
11. „Theoretical study of nonlinear optical properties for organic molecules”, 2003,
principal investigator, Comenius University
Funding ID
1. SFRH/BPD/90265/2012
2. SFRH/BPD/63568/2009
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3. 2/0093/12, VEGA
4. APVV-0451-11
5. APVV-0079-07
6. VEGA 2/0144/09
7. VEGA 2/6014/26
8. COMCHEM
9. 1224 Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
10. UK-125-2005
11. UK-125-2003
Achievement-Track Record
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Winner of Š. Schwarz Fund support of SAS for the 10 best PhD theses (2006-2010)
Award of the junior researcher (till the age of 35 years) for the best work in 2012 at the
Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Principal investigator of two international and three national projects
19 publications in CC journals
Participation in international scientific conferences (talks, poster presentations)
165 SCI/WOS citations
Publications without the presence of PhD supervisor
1. Comparison of linear and ring DNA macromolecules moderately and strongly
confined in nanochannels, Benková Z., Cifra P., Biochemical Society Transaction 41,
625-629 (2013).
2. Simulation of semiflexible cyclic and linear chains moderately and strongly
confined in nanochannels, Benková Z., Cifra P., Macromolecules 45, 2597-2608
(2012).
3. Molecular dynamics study of poly(ethylene oxide) chains densely grafted on
siloxane surface in dry conditions, Benková Z., D. S. Cordeiro M. N., Journal of
Physical Chemistry C 116, 3576-3584 (2012).
4. Molecular dynamics study of water interacting with siloxane surface modified by
poly(ethylene oxide) chains, Benková Z., D. S. Cordeiro M. N., Journal of Physical
Chemistry C 115, 18740-18751 (2011).
5. Molecular dynamics study of hydrated poly(ethylene oxide) chains grafted on
siloxane surface, Benková Z., Szefczyk B., D. S. Cordeiro M. N., Macromolecules 44,
3639-3648 (2011).
6. Stiffening transition in semiflexible cyclic macromolecules, Benková Z., Cifra P.,
Macromol. Theory Simul. 20, 65-74 (2011).
7. Persistence length of DNA molecules confined in nanochannels, Cifra P., Benková
Z., Bleha T., Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 12, 8934-8942 (2010).
8. Chain Extension of DNA Confined in Channels, Cifra P., Benková Z., Bleha T.,
Journal of Physical Chemistry B 113, 1843-1851 (2009).
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9. Fluxional behavior of methyl-substituted tricarbonyl(tropone)iron complexes and
their different reactivity, Almássy A., Benková Z., Horváth B., Boháč A., Journal of
Organometallic Chemistry 693, 3223-3232 (2008).
10. Persistence lengths and structure factors of wormlike polymers under
confinement, Cifra P., Benková Z., Bleha T., Journal of Physical Chemistry B 112,
1367-1375 (2008).
11. Effect of confinement on properties of stiff biological macromolecules, Cifra P.,
Benková Z., Bleha T., Faraday Discussion 139, 377-392 (2008).
12. Reduced-size polarized basis sets for calculations of molecular electric properties.
III. Second-row atoms, Benková Z., Sadlej A.J., Oakes R.E., Bell S.E.J., Theoretical
Chemistry Accounts 113, 238-247 (2005).
13. Reduced-size polarized basis sets for calculations of molecular electric properties.
II. Simulation of the Raman spectra, Oakes R.E., Bell S.E.J., Benková Z., Sadlej A.J.,
Journal of Computational Chemistry 26, 154-159 (2005).
14. Reduced-size polarized basis sets for calculations of molecular electric properties.
I. the basis set generation, Benková Z., Sadlej A.J., Oakes R.E., Bell S.E.J., Journal of
Computational Chemistry 26, 145-153 (2005).
15. Electric moments of carbon dichalcogenides, Benková Z., Sadlej A.J., Molecular
Physics 102, 687-699 (2004).
16. Redox chemistry of organoselenium compounds: Ab initio and density functional
theory calculations on model systems for transition states and intermediates of the
redox cycle of selenoenzymes, Benková Z., Kóňa J., Gann G., Fabian W.M.F.,
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 90, 555-565 (2002).
Publications with the presence of PhD supervisor
17. Electric properties of formaldehyde, thioformaldehyde, urea, formamide, and
thioformamide-Post-HF and DFT study, Benková Z., Černušák I., Záhradnik P.,
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 107, 2133-2152 (2007).
18. Basis set and electron correlation effects on static electric properties of 1,3thiazoles and 1,3-benzothiazoles as potential fragments in push-pull NLO
chromophores, Benková Z., Černušák I., Záhradnik P., Molecular Physics 104, 20112026 (2006).
19. Theoretical study of static electric properties of benzothiazole containing push-pull
systems as potential candidates for NLO materials, Benková Z., Černušák I.,
Záhradnik P., Structural Chemistry 17, 287-300 (2006).
Research monographs, chapters in collective volumes
Granted patents
Invited presentations at internationally established conferences and
international advanced schools
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Molecular dynamics study of water interacting with siloxane surface modified by
poly(ethylene oxide) chains, Z. Benková, M. N. D. S. Cordeiro, EMLG/JMLG Annual
Meeting Hungary“Molecular Association in Fluid Phase and at Fluid Interfaces”, Eger,
Hungary, September 5-9, 2012, Book of Abstracts, p. 24. (P)
Research expeditions
3-year stay at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University
of Porto, Portugal, Supervisor: Prof. M. Natália D. S. Cordeiro February 2010-January 2013
3-month visiting research stay at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Catholic
University of Leuven, Belgium, Supervisor: Prof. Erik Nies, 2008
2-month visiting research stay at the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Academy of
Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, Czech Republic, Supervisor: Prof. M. Lísal, 2007
10-month visiting study stay at the Department of Quantum Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry,
Nicolaus Copernicus University of Torun, Poland, Supervisor: Prof. A. J. Sadlej, 2003-2004
2-month visiting study stay at the Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry,
Karl-Franzes University of Graz, Austria, Supervisor: Prof. W. M. F. Fabian, 2003
2-month visiting study stay at the Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry,
Karl-Franzes University of Graz, Austria, Supervisor: Prof. W. M. F. Fabian, 2000
Organization of International conferences
International Prizes/Awards
Memberships to Editorial Boards of International Journals
Participation at Conferences (selected)
1. Comparison of linear and ring DNA chains moderately and strongly confined in
nanochannels, Benková Z., Bleha T., Cifra P., VII. Slovak-Czech conference Polymers
2012, November 2012, Smolenice, L19, poster.
2. Molecular dynamics study of water interacting with siloxane surface modified by
poly(ethylene oxide) chains, Benková Z., D. S. Cordeiro M. N., EMLG/JMLG Annual
Meeting Hungary“Molecular Association in Fluid Phase and at Fluid Interfaces”, Eger,
Hungary, 5-9 September, 2012, Book of Abstracts, p. 24, lecture.
3. Simulation of semiflexible cyclic and linear chains moderately and strongly
confined in nanochannels, Benková Z., Cifra P., Gordon Research Conference –
Biopolymers, 3-8 June, 2012, Newport, RI, USA, poster.
4. Simulation of cyclic and linear DNA chains moderately and strongly confined in
nanochannels, Z. Benková, P. Cifra, workshop „Topology aspects of DNA function
and protein folding“,3-7 September 2012, Cambridge, UK, poster.
5. .Molecular dynamics study of hydrated poly(ethylene oxide) chains grafted on
siloxane surface, Benková Z., Szefczyk B., D. S. Cordeiro M. N., MMSD 2011, Mainz,
Germany, 25-27 May 2011, Proceedings, P4, poster.
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6. Molecular dynamics simulations of tethered PEO layers as potential barriers to
protein adhesion, Benková Z., D. S. Cordeiro M. N., Cifra P., CCP5 Annual Meeting
2010, 13-15 September 2010, Sheffield, UK, Proceedings, P2, poster.
7. Structural modification of cyclic and linear macromolecules induced by chain
stiffness, Benková Z., Cifra P., Macro2010, 12-16 July 2010, Glasgow, UK,
Proceedings, E16_O07, poster.
8. Chain Extension of DNA Confined in Channels, Cifra P., Benková Z., Bleha T.
Frontiers in polymer science, 7-9 June 2009, Mainz, Germany, Proceedings, P1-119,
poster.
9. Structural and dimensional properties of DNA under confinement, Benková Z.,
Cifra P., Bleha T., 2nd Bratislava Young Polymer Scientist Workshop BYPOS 09,
Proceedings 2-6 February 2009, Krompachy, Slovakia, Book of Abstracts, p. 49,
lecture.
10. Extension of a DNA chain induced by the biaxial confinement, Benková Z., Cifra P.,
Bleha T., 5th Slovak-Czech Conference Polymers 2008, 28 September-1 October 2008,
Stará Lesná, Slovakia, Proceedings, L19, lecture.
11. Simulations of dimensional properties of DNA-like biopolymers confined in
nanochannels, Bleha T., Cifra P., Benková Z., Conf. Physics Meets Biology, Oxford,
UK, 13-16 July 2008, Proceedings, p.108, poster.
12. Densely packed semi-rigid chains in a spherical cavity, Benková Z., Cifra P., Bleha
T., Mainz Materials Simulation Days 2007, Mainz, Germany, 13-15 June 2007,
Proceedings, p. 50, poster.
13. Theoretical study of static electric properties of conjugated molecules, Benková Z.,
Černušák I., Zahradník P., EUCO-06, Tále, Slovakia, 3-7 September 2006, Proceedings,
p. 70, poster.
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