The focus of Jovanka’s research is on the molecular examination of aquatic systems, including open waters and aquaculture, with an emphasis on microbiological attributes and their connection to the ecosystem’s health and their environmental impact.

She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Her laboratory skills include, but are not limited to, molecular analysis of nucleic acids and proteins, biochemical assays, cell culture, and traditional microbiology. Jovanka’s PhD thesis examined the probiotic benefits in an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease and the genes affecting probiotic adherence to host intestinal mucosa. Later, she worked on in vivo and in vitro models of skin and gut infections, autophagy, and cell cycle. Over the last decade, her research has shifted from model animals to farmed fish, including largemouth bass and pike-perch, with the focus on the effects of different diets and probiotic strains on immunological parameters, developmental gene expression, stress, digestive enzyme activity, and microbial balance.

Jovanka’s study area has recently expanded to open waters thanks to partnerships with esteemed national and international institutions. She is working to dissect the aquatic ecosystems through molecular lenses using state-of-the-art molecular technology and artificial intelligence to understand their fundamental characteristics that are pertinent to monitoring and environmental sustainability.

Up till now, Jovanka has been in charge of six international aquaculture and open-water research projects. In the ongoing initiatives, she is integrating her background in molecular biology with her machine learning and programming skills to analyze biodiversity patterns and microbial communities in the context of fish physiology and farming attributes. She has been a lecturer in her field of expertise at the doctoral studies of the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade.