Our Team

The TERRA_MADRE project was designed on the basis of nearly two decades of experience of the team from Faculty of Biology – University of Belgrade in the field of applied and environmental microbiology, botany, and biotechnological potential in biological control and plant protection. Diverse experience of the 10 people-team acting as one, in microbiology, mycology, molecular biology, botany, phytochemistry, biotechnology, and data analysis assure easy implementation of the TERRA_MADRE research ideas.

Key team members:

Principal Investigator
dr Ivica Dimkić,
ivicad@bio.bg.ac.rs
Principal Research Fellow; Coordinator of WP1, WP5, and WP7

Dr. Ivica Dimkić is the group leader of the Microbial Biotechnology Group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FBUB), and his current interest is in developing microbial solutions for sustainable agriculture. He is a proven scientist in the field of applied microbiology and biocontrol strategies, including knowledge of state-of-the-art sequencing techniques of microbiomes and whole genomes. He has complementary expertise in the biotechnological background and collaboration with industrial partners. As a project leader, he has been involved in international, bilateral and national projects, including leading several R&D sector projects for the needs of companies and other institutions, and he is the co-founder and managing director from 2021 of the start-up company BioCombact (www.combact.rs). He completed postdoctoral studies at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste in the period October 2018 to March 2019  as a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, and additionally in the period October to December 2019 as a FEMS scholarship holder (FEMS Grants for Early Career Scientists) for young scientists. In 2020, he won the Arturo Falaschi ICGEB Fellowship from the ICGEB for a postdoctoral training visit in Trieste, Italy. In addition to plenary and guest lectures at scientific congresses, he has lectured at various institutions and has been involved in reviewing numerous scientific papers and projects. He has published > 200 bibliographic records, including 80 scientific papers (> 2500 citations, Hirsch index 22, cumulative IF > 200). He was engaged as a technology expert in reviewing the specific needs of registered startups, pre-seed participants and users within the Raising Start program on the project “Technopark Serbia 2 – encouraging exports through the development of technology parks”.

TM 1
dr Tamara Janakiev,
tamara.janakiev@bio.bg.ac.rs
Research Associate; Coordinator of WP4

Dr. Tamara Janakiev will assure the realization of the experiments related to bacteriology, and the initiation of the work on the design of formulations applicable to soil health management. She has significant experience in microbial isolation and identification, and excellent knowledge of the microbial diversity in different habitats, including plant-pathogen interactions. She has published 66 bibliographic records (cumulative impact factors > 60) with more than 500 citations and Hirsch index 8 according to various sources. Dr. Tamara Janakiev participated in international, bilateral and national projects as well as in several projects in the field of research and development. As a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, she completed postdoctoral studies at the Julius Kuhn Institute, Federal Research Center, Braunschweig, Federal Republic of Germany in 2021.

TM 2
dr Milica Ljaljević Grbić,
jmilica@bio.bg.ac.rs
Full professor; Coordinator of WP2

Dr. Milica Ljaljević Grbić will assure the realization of the experiments related to mycology, and initiation of the work on the design of formulations applicable in soil health management. She has significant experience in micromycetes identification, and excellent knowledge of the fungal diversity, ecology in different habitats, including plant-pathogen interactions and fungal biocontrol potential. She is a proven scientist in the field of applied mycology through innovative methodologies and great knowledge of fungal deterioration mechanisms of cultural heritage objects.

TM 3
dr Nikola Unković,
unkovicn@bio.bg.ac.rs
Senior Research Associate and Assistant Professor; Coordinator of WP6

Dr. Nikola Unković will assure the realization of the experiments related to mycology, and initiation of the work on the design of formulations applicable in soil health management. He is a senior research associate and assistant professor with great experience in applied mycology with special emphasis on study of fungal diversity and ecology, plant-pathogen interactions, and biocontrol properties of beneficial bacteria against phytopathogenic fungi. As the principal investigator of the project from the PROMIS program of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, he has a lot of experience in disseminating project results, educational activities and promotion of implementation of project results into practices via various media. Dr. Nikola Unković has participated in numerous international, bilateral and national projects, and was a principal investigator of two projects related to protection of various cultural heritage objects in Serbia from fungal-induced deterioration.

TM 5
dr Peđa Janaćković,
pjanackovic@bio.bg.ac.rs
Full professor; Coordinator of WP5

Dr. Pedja Janaćković will assure the realization of the weed plants selection, collection and identification, making the voucher specimens (BEOU), as well as the experiments related to phytochemistry/chemistry (extraction and characterization of plant metabolites and macromolecules and mineral nutrients), and application (plant mixtures in composting processes with biofortified properties). He is a researcher with years of experience in the field of phytochemistry and plant systematics, and hence leading expert in this field in Serbia and the surrounding region.

Team specialists:

TM 4
dr Aleksandar Knežević,
knezevica@bio.bg.ac.rs
Senior Research Associate

Dr. Aleksandar Knežević will assure the realization of the experiments related to mycology, and initiation of the work on the design of formulations applicable in soil health management. He is a researcher with years of experience in the field of mycology, and enzymology, more precisely one of the leading experts in the field of fungal enzymology in Serbia and the surrounding region.

TM 6
dr Milan Gavrilović,
mgavrilovic@bio.bg.ac.rs
Assistant Professor

Dr. Milan Gavrilović will assure the realization of of the weed plants selection, collection and identification, making the voucher specimens (BEOU), as well as the experiments related to phytochemistry/chemistry (extraction and characterization of plant metabolites and macromolecules and mineral nutrients), and application (plant mixtures in composting processes with biofortified properties). He has great experience in plant systematics and phytochemistry (extraction and identification of plant metabolites).

TM 7
MSc Maja Radulović,
maja.radulovic@bio.bg.ac.rs
Research Assistant

MSc Maja Radulović will assure the realization of the weed plants collection and identification, making the voucher specimens (BEOU) and experiments related to phytochemistry (extraction and characterization of mineral nutrients, metabolites, and macromolecules), and application (plant mixtures in composting processes with biofortified properties). As a Ph.D. student, she is the youngest member of the team and her Ph.D. thesis is related to the phytochemistry and bioactivity of Artemisia taxa from the Balkans.

Young participants:

MSc Katarina Kruščić,
katarina.kruscic@bio.bg.ac.rs

MSc Katarina Kruščić will assure the realization of the experiments related to bacteriology, focusing on bacterial metabarcoding analysis and the isolation, identification, and evaluation of bacteria with plant growth-promoting and biocontrol abilities. As a Ph.D. student, her thesis is centered on the bacterial aspect of the project, encompassing both experimental and bioinformatics approaches. She has a growing expertise in microbial community analysis and bacterial cultivation, which she applies to enhance soil health management strategies within the project.

MSc Ivana Đokić,
b3027_2020@stud.bio.bg.ac.rs

MSc Ivana Đokić is a PhD student in the field of Mycology with previous experience in researching the biodeterioration and biodegradation of cultural heritage objects, will be in charge of preserving and identifying fungal cultures isolated from the soil.

Nenad Antić,
nenad.antic@pr.ac.rs

Nenad Antić is a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, University of Pristina in Kosovska Mitrovica. He is a third-year PhD student specializing in molecular biology, with a focus on biotechnology, biocontrol, and the application of molecular and genetic methods in microbiology and sustainable agriculture. Since 2022, he has been part of Dr Ivica Dimkić’s team at the Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, working on his PhD under Dr Dimkić’s mentorship.