Nataša Pržulj is a Professor of Computational Biology at MBZ University of Artificial Intelligence and Principal Investigator of Integrative Computational Network Biology Lab. She has been a Full Professor of Computer Science at University College London since 2016.
She is a leader in biological network analysis and a pioneer in network biology geometry applied to personalized (precision) medicine. She introduced graphlets to extract biomedical knowledge from molecular networks, revolutionizing the field. Graphlets are now widely built upon and utilized to produce feature vectors capturing network topology, that are input into many AI algorithms for network data analytics in various domains. Her research has been supported by over €27 million in competitive research funding. Notably, she received three prestigious, single PI, European Research Council (ERC) grants: ERC Consolidator (2018-2025), ERC Proof of Concept (2020-2023) and ERC Starting (2012-2017).
She was elected into many academies, including: Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB), in 2024; Fellow of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), in 2024; Fellow of the British Computer Society (BCS) Academy of Computing, in 2013; The Serbian Royal Academy of Scientists and Artists (SKANU), in 2019; Academia Europaea, The Academy of Europe, in 2017; Scientific Advisor of the Mathematics Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), in 2012; etc. In 2014, she received the British Computer Society Roger Needham Award, sponsored by Microsoft Research, in recognition of the potential her research has to revolutionize health and pharmaceutics. She obtained a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto in 2005.
Education
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada (2005)
- M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada (2000)
- B.Sc. in Computer Science and Mathematics, Simon Fraser University, Canada (1997)
Professional Positions
Current Appointments
- Professor of Computational Biology, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Abu Dhabi, UAE (2025 – present)
- Professor of Computer Science, University College London (UCL), UK (2016 – present)
- ICREA Research Professor, Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain (2019 – present)
- Scientific Advisor, Mathematics Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), Belgrade, Serbia (2012 – present)
- Professor, RAF School of Computing, Union University, Belgrade, Serbia (2013 – present)
Previous Positions
- Research Professor, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain (2019 – 2025)
- Associate and Assistant Professor, Department of Computing, Imperial College London, UK (2009 – 2016)
- Full Professor, Faculty of Information Studies, Novo Mesto, Slovenia (2013 – 2016)
- Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of California Irvine, USA (2005 – 2009)
- Scientific Advisor, Institute for Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics (IMFM), Ljubljana, Slovenia (2017 – 2020)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, University of Toronto, Canada (2005)
Teaching courses and workshops
2025
- RES799 and RES899: Research Methods, MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi, UAE [Fall] (Course Coordinator, 40 students)
- Analyzing Multi-Omics Network Data in Biology and Medicine, MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi, UAE [Fall] (New course)
2018
- 3096: Research Group Project, Computer Science, University College London, UK [Winter]
2017
- 3095: Research Methods, Computer Science, University College London, UK [Fall]
2016
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (123 students)
2015
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (93 students)
2014
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (84 students)
2013
- Bioinformatics II, MSc in Bioinformatics and Theoretical Systems Biology, Imperial College London, UK [Fall] (18 students)
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (87 students)
2012
- Bioinformatics II, MSc in Bioinformatics and Theoretical Systems Biology, Imperial College London, UK [Fall] (16 students)
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (65 students)
2011
- Bioinformatics II, MSc in Bioinformatics and Theoretical Systems Biology, Imperial College London, UK [Fall] (24 students)
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (80 students)
2010
- 341: Introduction to Bioinformatics, Computing, Imperial College London, UK [Winter] (27 students, new course developed)
2009
- COMPSCI 265: Graph Algorithms, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (12 students)
- COMPSCI 288A: Biological Networks, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (3 students)
- ICS 139W: Critical Writing, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (58 students)
2008
- CS 163: Graph Algorithms, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Spring] (49 students)
- ICS 298: Thesis Supervision, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter-Spring] (3 students)
2007
- ICS 288A: Biological Networks, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (6 students, new course developed)
- ICS 139W: Technical Writing, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (53 students)
- ICS 139W: Technical Writing, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (30 students)
2006
- I&C SCI 280: Biological Networks, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (7 students)
- I&C SCI 265: Graph Algorithms, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Winter] (7 students)
- I&C SCI 199: Individual Study, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA [Spring and Fall] (2 students)
2006-2009
- I&C SCI 299: Individual Study, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA (5 students)
- I&C SCI 290: Research Project, ICS, University of California Irvine, USA (4 students)
Search for Natasa Przulj's papers on the Publications page