Anna
Uzonyi

Anna Uzonyi is a PhD student in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Prof. Schraga Schwartz.

Her research focuses on understanding the role of chemical modifications of RNA nucleotides.

Of central importance to Anna’s research is deciphering how RNA structure determines the deposition of the RNA modification inosine, which is involved in the immune response to viral infections and plays a role in autoimmune diseases. In an additional research project, Anna is assessing how another modified RNA base regulates the lifespan of RNA molecules, using both experimental methods and computational analysis. Anna hopes that her research will lead to a better mechanistic understanding of RNA modifications and consequently help the development and improvement of RNA-based therapeutics.

Anna was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. During high school, she had the opportunity to learn university-level biology and experimental methods and participate in national and international science competitions, including the International Biology Olympiad in Switzerland and Indonesia. She moved to Munich, Germany for her undergraduate studies in molecular biotechnology. During her studies, Anna completed several research internships abroad: she studied protein translation at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, influenza virus in Oxford, ovarian cancer in Singapore, and non- coding RNAs in Germany. She moved to Israel to pursue her MSc in life sciences in the Weizmann Institute and stayed for subsequent PhD research. In her free time, Anna enjoys travelling, hiking, and sports activities. She likes reading fantasy and science fiction novels and is enthusiastic about cooking, baking, and cake decoration. In addition, Anna enjoys debating and has participated twice in the European Universities Debate Championship.