NIB

ORCID: 0000-0002-9803-6700
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=P3uddKsAAAAJ
SICRIS: https://cris.cobiss.net/ecris/si/en/researcher/50858

Current position:

2021- Scientific Associate, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology (NIB)

Previous positions:

2020–2021: Postdoctoral Researcher, National Institute of Biology (NIB), Slovenia (conducted during concurrent employment at the University of Belgrade).

2019–2021: Teaching and Research Assistant, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.

2014–2019: Research Associate, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.

2008–2013: PhD Student and Scholar of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.

Education:

2013: PhD in Biotechnical Sciences (Phytopathology), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Thesis: Diversity, Biological and Molecular Characterization of Cucurbit Viruses and Disease Epidemiology in Serbia (mentor prof. dr. Branka Krstić)

2008: BSc in Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Thesis: Morphological and Cultural Characteristics of Isolates of Phytophthora ramorum Werres, de Cock and Man in ’t Veld (mentor doc. dr. Aleksandra Bulajić)

Study visits:

• 10-week fellowship at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in 2014
• 3-month COST STSM at NIB in 2016 and 2017
• 3-week visit at NIB in 2018 during bilateral project

I am a phytopathologist and plant virologist with more than 17 years of experience in pathology, especially in plant virus and viroids research. My research focuses on the detection, diversity, and epidemiology of plant viruses, integrating high‑throughput sequencing with conventional molecular diagnostics to discover, characterize, and monitor plant pathogens; I also work on the diagnostics of phytoplasmas and viroids. I earned my Ph.D. in 2013 in Biotechnical Sciences (Phytopathology) from the University of Belgrade–Faculty of Agriculture, with a dissertation titled “Diversity, biological and molecular characterization of cucurbit viruses and disease epidemiology in Serbia”. From 2009 to 2021 I worked at the Institute of Phytomedicine (University of Belgrade–Faculty of Agriculture), and since 2020 I have been employed at the National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology.

My research interests span plant virology and mycology across vegetables, field crops, and ornamentals, with emphasis on quarantine pathogens; crop‑specific virus systems such as tomato, tobacco and cucurbit viruses; the epidemiology of Tobamovirus and Orthotospovirus (including tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus and iris yellow spot orthotospovirus); and seed transmission of viruses and fungi; and the development and application of serological and molecular methods for diagnostics and surveillance. I also study pathogen complexes affecting key hosts—Alternaria spp. in ornamentals, Phytophthora ramorum and the Phytophthora complex on raspberry, and Fusarium complexes on sorghum.

Currently I am involved in the work of the Diagnostic Laboratory for viruses, viroids, and phytoplasmas as well as the VIROKOMP project, which aims to estimate the risks posed by plant viruses and viroids in compost and other organic‑waste‑based fertilizers.

Projects:

1.    2025-2027 Estimating risks associated with the presence and survival of plant viruses and viroids in compost and other organic waste fertilisers, ARIS L4-60158 (participant)

2.    2025-2026 Virusi in viroidi pod drobnogledom: Skupaj za varnejšo uporabo gnojil iz organskih odpadkov ARIS O4-60158 (participant)

3.    2022-2025 Plant viromes' fluxes: interconnectedness of urban environment, wild and cultivated plants J4-4553 (participant)

4.    2023- 2024 Slovenian-Montenegrin bilateral project “Resistance braeaking strains of tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) in Slovenia and Montenegro” project no. ARIS  BI-ME/23-24-028 (project leader)

5.    2022-2025 Slovenian research agency Measures to prevent further spread of Grapevine flavescence doree phytoplasma ARIS Target research programmes (CRP) project no. V4-2225 (participant)

6.    2021-2023 Resistance breaking strains of tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus: distribution and evaluation of their impact on tomato and pepper production Euphresco projects no. 2020-A-343 (project leader for Slovenian part)

7.    2022-2025 Infrastructure for sharing infested seed lots for test development and validation (Shareseeds) Euphresco projects no. 2021-A-377 (project leader for Slovenian part)

8.    2021-2024 Slovenian research agency Discovery and water-linked epidemiology of emergent tobamoviruses infecting crops ARIS project no. L4-3179 (participant)

9.    2019-2021 EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020 VALITEST (https://www.valitest.eu) (N° 773139) (participant)

10.  2018-2019 Serbian-Slovenian bilateral project “Application of Next Generation Sequencing in Detection of Tomato Viruses in Serbia and Slovenia” Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, project no. 004. (participant)

11.  2015-2018 Framework Programme Horizon 2020 COST “Application of next generation sequencing for the study and diagnosis of plant viral diseases in agriculture“, DiVAS FA1407 (participant)

12.  2015-2018 Framework Programme Horizon 2020 COST “Using three-way interactions between plants, microbes and arthropods to enhance crop protection and production“, Action FA1405 (participant)

13.  2013-2016 Advancing Research in Agricultural аnd Food Sciences аt Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade. EU Commission project AREA, No 316004 (participant)

14.  2011-2019 Agrobiodiversity and land-use change in Serbia: an integrated biodiversity assessment of key functional groups of arthropods and plant pathogens. Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Serbia. (participant)

15.  2014-2015 Biodiversity, distribution and molecular characterization of Cucurbitaceae family viruses in The Republic of Srpska. Funded by the Ministry of Science and Techological Development, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina (participant)

16.  2012-2013 Presence, distribution and molecular characterization of Iris yellow spot virus on onions in Republic of Srpska – funded by the Ministry of Science and Techological Development, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina (participant)

17.  2010-2011 Occurrence of plant pathogenic fungi on aromatic and medicinal plants in Croatia and Serbia. Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, bilateral research projects with Republic of Croatia (participant)

18.  2009-2010 Serological and molecular methods for alfalfa seed health testing and determination of seed-borne virus infection levels, disease intensity in field crops and genetic structure of alfalfa mosaic virus population in Serbia. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Republic of Serbia. (participant)

19.  2008-2011 Advancement of cultivars, production technology and primary processing of naked seeded oil pumpkin and marigold. Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia. (participant)