Anna Akhmanova

Anna Akhmanova
Professor
Faculty of Science, Utrecht University
Science for Life

How life works, is what inspires me


Anna Akhmanova and her team study the cytoskeleton of the cell and its effect on the polarization of the cell, human diseases, and vertebrate development. Their main focus is on the microtubules that work within the cytoskeleton, which are essential for many processes, especially cell division. Because of this, their research is important for battling abnormal cell proliferation such as cancer, neurodegeneration and the spread of pathogens throughout the cell.

Key words
Cell biology, cell transportation

Brief bio of Anna Akhmanova
Anna was born in Moscow, Russia to a family of scientists. She attended Moscow State University, where she studied biology. In 1989, after graduating from Moscow State University, Anna left Russia to study abroad. In 1997 she received her PhD from the University of Nijmegen. She completed two postdoctoral projects, the first of which was at the University of Nijmegen, the second at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. In 2011, Akhmanova moved her research to Utrecht University, where she runs the Division of Cell Biology, together with Casper Hoogenraad. Anna has received a VIDI (2001), VICI and ERC Synergy Grant (2013) from NWO. She is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.