IGS is excited to announce 2024 Alum of the Year nominations. This accolade celebrates the remarkable achievements and contributions of our former students, honouring those who have gone on to make a significant impact in their respective fields. This year, we are excited to present two exceptional nominees whose journeys have taken them across the globe, from the vibrant art scenes of Venice and London to the cutting-edge research labs of Sydney and New York City.
These nominees exemplify the spirit of IGS, showcasing academic excellence, dedication, and a commitment to making a difference in the world.
Miro Astore 2014
After graduating IGS in 2014 Miro attended the University of Sydney, majoring in Physics and Pure Mathematics. During this time he discovered a keen interest in biological physics because it required a deep knowledge of all areas of science. After finishing his undergraduate studies in 2019, Miro took a brief trip across China with fellow IGS classmate Josh Winestock. It was there his IGS language skills came very much in handy (he thanks Ms Wu!). He visited Zhi Peng in Guang Zhou, who had been hosted by Miro’s family in 2010 as an exchange student. In 2019 Miro began his postgraduate studies where he studied rare forms of Cystic Fibrosis using computer simulations of atoms within cells. These simulations allowed Miro and his colleagues to determine which kinds of drugs would best treat which forms of Cystic Fibrosis. This work is helping those with rare forms of the disease to access life saving medication.
After graduating with his PhD in 2022, Miro moved to New York City to begin a postdoctoral fellowship at the Flatiron Institute. Here he has been studying new methods to study the physics of biomolecules with electron microscopy. For this work, Miro was awarded the Young Biophysicist Award from the Australian Society of Biophysics in 2023.
In his spare time, Miro and his friends in New York run a soup kitchen on Sundays as part of a movement called Food not Bombs. They serve about a hundred meals every week to whoever wants to come and share a meal with them in Tompkins Square Park. Miro says that the French that he learned at IGS has been extremely helpful in serving with Food not Bombs. They get a lot of refugees from West Africa coming to our service
Ana-Sofia Petrovic 2019
After leaving IGS, Ana-Sofia began a Bachelor of Arts and Law at The University of Sydney, where she received a full-ride scholarship for her academic performance in the HSC at IGS. During her degree, Ana-Sofia worked at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was the first of some incredible opportunities that she had to work in the art world. In December of 2022, she went to Venice for an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, an incredibly beautiful collection of Modern art featuring the most significant artists of the time, such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Jackson Pollock. Ana-Sofia initially planned to stay for a month, but the Collection offered her to stay longer, and she decided to take the opportunity.
Afterwards, Ana-Sofia interned at the Venice Biennale for the United States Pavilion and ended up living on the island of Venice for six months. During that time, she developed a deep love for Italian Renaissance Art and took every opportunity to read and study it. She also met her boyfriend there and later travelled with him to his home in London, where she fell in love with the city and its incredible art. After spending some months in London she also travelled around Italy, the UK, and Turkey. In London, Ana-Sofia was particularly drawn to The Courtauld Gallery, an incredible collection in Somerset House on the Thames, which is also home to a highly prestigious, small specialist art history university, The Courtauld.
Although she had to return to Sydney to finish her degree, Ana-Sofia decided to apply for a Master’s in History of Art at The Courtauld, specialising in the Italian Renaissance. Whilst she was on an Art History trip to Paris with Sydney University, Ana-Sofia received her acceptance into The Courtauld! She decided not to finish her law degree, and to instead pursue this opportunity and a career working with Italian Renaissance Art. Ana-Sofia graduated from The University of Sydney with a High Distinction for her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and English.
Whilst in Sydney, Ana-Sofia has worked for the Biennale of Sydney, and as a Research Assistant for her Art History professor at Sydney University. She supported him in his research project on the beautiful engravings of an eighteenth-century French songbook once owned by Marie Antoinette, Choix de Chansons, of which she is particularly proud. Ana-Sofia is beginning her degree at The Courtauld next month, and is looking forward to seeing ex-IGS Alums at the London reunion in October!